Discovering Differences in a Brain Affected by Autism

                Autism is an extremely prevalent disorder that scientists of all disciplines are devoting their time towards investigating.  Approximately one in 68 children are diagnosed with Autism Disorders (AD).  Today, we diagnose AD based on behavior, because the genetic component of the disorder is still unknown.  This is why there are so many research studies being conducted on this topic.  Understanding the science behind the disorder could lead to preventative techniques, treatments, and maybe even a cure for the many people affected. 

            Maggie Guy researched infants with a high risk for Autism Disorder.  She looked at two groups of high-risk infants: infants with a sibling diagnosed with AD and infants diagnosed with fragile X syndrome.  She focused specifically on facial processing, using ERPs to measure and compare the reaction of the middle fusiform gyrus toward both familiar and unfamiliar faces.  What she found was that there was a difference in activation between the groups and the control group.  The infants with the siblings diagnosed with AD showed a muted response while the children diagnosed with FXS showed an activated response as well as a more widespread activation to faces. 

            Similar to Dr. Guy’s research is the research done by Read Montague of Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute.  He specifically looked at the process of distinguishing between one’s self and another.  He executed this in a very similar way as Guy’s experimentation.  He used brain imaging (fMRI) to measure the activity in the middle cingulate cortex of children diagnosed with AD when pictures of the child were shown to him/herself versus when they were presented with a picture of a different child of the same age group.  What he found was that children diagnosed with AD had a diminished response in their middle cingulate cortex to their own picture when compared to the control group. 

            What Guy and Montague have proven is that there are differences in the brains of infants and children diagnosed with AD from healthy brains.  These researchers were able to localize specific parts of the brain where these differences occur.  This information is helping us get closer to understanding more about this disorder and ways to diagnose and treat it. 

https://www.psychologicalscience.org/publications/observer/obsonline/perspective-tracking-brain-response-could-help-identify-children-with-autism.html

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28372982