Researchers have discovered that children with autism can be set
apart from those with other developmental disorders through differences
in chemical changes in the brain.
The study, published in JAMA Psychiatry, reveals that gray matter chemical changes that occur between the ages of 3 and 10 years differentiate children with autism spectrum disorder from those with idiopathic (an unknown cause) developmental disorder.
Researchers from the University of Washington, Seattle, analyzed three
groups of children in different age groups: one group at age 3 to 4
years, one at 6 to 7 years and one at 9 to 10 years.
All groups had a mix of children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental disorder and "typical development."
The participants with autism spectrum disorder and idiopathic
developmental disorder were analyzed using data from proton magnetic
resonance imaging (MRI), while those with typical development were assessed using cross-sectional data.
Between 3 and 10 years of age there were specific differences in rates of change in the brain chemicals cerebral gray matter N-acetylaspartate, choline and creatine.
The study authors explain:
"The results from our study suggest that a dynamic brain developmental process underlies autism spectrum disorder, whereas the children with developmental disorder exhibited a different, more static developmental pattern of brain chemical changes."
The study authors also note that the pattern of chemical changes
within the autism spectrum disorder group aged 3 to 4 years is
comparable to brain chemical changes found in other disorders such as
multiple sclerosis, epilepsy and traumatic brain injury, where the N-acetylaspartate
level is reduced at the time of onset or injury. This level usually
then rises again during periods of remission, after successful treatment
or through recovery.
The study authors add: "A model of the return to homeostasis after a
disruptive event during earlier development is consistent with theories
of early brain inflammatory processes, as yet unproven, as a causal
mechanism for cerebral enlargement observed in children with autism
spectrum disorder during the preschool years."
"The brain chemical alterations observed in the children with autism
spectrum disorder at 3 to 4 years of age likely reflect a process that
begins at an earlier stage of development."
More studies at even younger ages may help to determine the timing and
underlying observations of the brain developmental process within
children with autism spectrum disorder, the researchers add.
Written by Honor Whiteman
Source : Medical News Today , 1st August 2013
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