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Related Experiment Videos

The autistic brain: birth through adulthood.

Eric Courchesne1, Elizabeth Redcay, Daniel P Kennedy

  • 1Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, California 92037, USA. ecourchesne@ucsd.edu

Current Opinion in Neurology
|July 13, 2004
PubMed
Summary

Autism involves early brain maldevelopment, with accelerated head growth observed in the first year of life. These neurobiological changes precede behavioral symptoms and offer insights into autism

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Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Biology
  • Autism Spectrum Disorder Research

Background:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is increasingly understood to have neurobiological underpinnings.
  • Evidence suggests brain development deviations occur early in life in individuals with ASD.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review existing and novel evidence on brain maldevelopment in autism during early childhood.
  • To explore neuroanatomical and functional changes in autism across different developmental stages.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on autism neurobiology.
  • Analysis of neuroimaging studies (e.g., head circumference, diffusion tensor imaging).
  • Examination of neuropathological findings (e.g., cortical minicolumns, neuron counts).

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Main Results:

  • Accelerated head and brain growth observed in autistic infants, peaking around 1 year of age.
  • Frontal and temporal lobe abnormalities include increased gray/white matter, reduced metabolism, and altered white matter integrity.
  • Cerebellar abnormalities involve volume changes, reduced Purkinje neuron counts, and altered functional activation.

Conclusions:

  • A distinct neurobiological phenomenon precedes clinical autism symptoms, primarily within the first two years of life.
  • Early neurobiological defects may be developmental precursors to autism's anatomical, functional, and behavioral features.
  • Further research in early childhood is crucial for understanding autism's developmental trajectory.