HIGHER GRAY MATTER IN AUTISTIC CHILDREN'S BRAIN

We all recall the SNBL article "Clues to flaws in autistic brain", that suggested that autism may be related to abnormal brain cell connection patterns. The researchers in that article had analyzed EEG scans of adult subjects, half of whom had autism.

Well new studies conducted at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia suggests that autism may be correlated to increased gray matter in brain regions of the parietal lobes implicated in the mirror neuron system. A mirror neuron is a cell that fires when an individual is performing actions, experiencing emotions or sensations, and even when the person observes these actions and emotions from others. Researchers in these studies observed the brain of 13 autistic children (about 11 years old) and 12 normal adolescents, using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). DTI is traditionally used to study brain's white matter (weird huh !), but the researchers applied to gray matter assessment by employing apparent diffusion coefficient based morphometry (ADC-based morphometry or ABM). This new method highlights regions with potential gray matter volume change.

The autistic children's also showed decreased gray matter in the amygdala region of the brain, involved in emotion and memory.

Children with autism seem to have reduced social interaction and communication skills. The condition is thought, according to the CDC, to affect as many as 1.5 million Americans, leading to high costs in both human and economic terms.