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Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
Corpus callosum volume in children with autism
Antonio Y Hardan1, Melissa Pabalan, Nidhi Gupta
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA. hardanay@stanford.edu
Psychiatry Research
|September 29, 2009
Summary
This study found reduced corpus callosum (CC) volume in children with autism, linking CC size to social deficits and repetitive behaviors. These findings suggest impaired interhemispheric communication in autism.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Radiology
Background:
- The corpus callosum (CC) is crucial for interhemispheric communication.
- Previous research suggests CC involvement in autism pathophysiology, often focusing on mid-sagittal area.
- Novel volumetric investigations are needed to further understand CC alterations in autism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To employ a volumetric method to assess total CC volume and its subdivisions in children with autism.
- To investigate associations between CC volumetric changes and clinical features of autism.
Main Methods:
- MRI-based morphometric study.
- Involved 22 children with autism and 23 age-matched healthy controls.
- Analyzed total CC volume and its seven subdivisions.
Main Results:
- Significant reductions in total CC volume were observed in the autism group.
- Several CC subdivisions also showed decreased volume in children with autism.
- Correlations found between CC structures and autism symptoms like social deficits, repetitive behaviors, and sensory abnormalities.
Conclusions:
- Volumetric reductions in the CC support findings of decreased CC size in autism.
- Findings suggest aberrant interhemispheric connectivity in autism.
- This study supports the aberrant connectivity hypothesis in autism.
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