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Updated: Jun 14, 2026
Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: September 12, 2011
Function of the frontal lobe in autistic individuals: a proton magnetic resonance spectroscopic study
Emiko Fujii1, Kenji Mori, Masahito Miyazaki
1Department of Pediatrics, Institute of Health Biosciences, University of Tokushima Graduate School, Tokushima, Japan.
Purpose:
In this investigation, we studied differences in chemical metabolites in certain brain regions between autistic patients and normal control subjects.
Methods:
Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H-MRS) was used to evaluate functional activity in these regions. Specific regions studied were right and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex(DLPFC) and the anterior cingulated cortex(ACC).
Results:
In the ACC, the N-acetylaspartate(NAA)/creatine/phosphocreatine(Cr) ratio in autistic patients (n=31) was significantly lower than that in control subjects (n=28). The decrease in the NAA/Cr ratio for the ACC was much greater in the group with worst social ability. NAA/Cr for the left DLPFC and social ability of autistic patients also correlated well. Furthermore, NAA/Cr for the left DLPFC in the group with intelligence quotient (IQ) below 50 was significantly less than in controls. NAA/Cr for the right DLPFC in autistic patients was not decreased compared to controls, and did not correlate with IQ or social ability.
Conclusions:
These findings suggest neuronal dysfunction in the ACC and left DLPFC in autism, and also a relationship between social disability and metabolic dysfunction in these regions. Dysfunction in the ACC and the left DLPFC may contribute to the pathogenesis of autism.
