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Dynamic Clamp Methods to Investigate Impaired Neuronal Excitability Associated with Autism
Published on: October 17, 2025
Brain overgrowth in autism during a critical time in development: implications for frontal pyramidal neuron and
Eric Courchesne1, Karen Pierce
1Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA. ecourchesne@ucsd.edu
Abstract:
While abnormalities in head circumference in autism have been observed for decades, it is only recently that scientists have begun to focus in on the developmental origins of such a phenomenon. In this article we review past and present literature on abnormalities in head circumference, as well as recent developmental MRI studies of brain growth in this disorder. We hypothesize that brain growth abnormalities are greatest in frontal lobes, particularly affecting large neurons such as pyramidal cells, and speculate how this abnormality might affect neurofunctional circuitry in autism. The relationship to clinical characteristics and other disorders of macrencephaly are discussed.
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