Science + Technology

Autistic brains develop more slowly than healthy brains, UCLA researchers say

Imaging study shows slower growth extends into adolescence

(Video by Carlos Mena)
Normally, as children grow into teenagers, the brain undergoes major changes. This highly dynamic process depends on the creation of new connections, called white matter, and the elimination, or "pruning," of unused brain cells, called gray matter. As a result, our brains work out the ideal and most efficient ways to understand and respond to the world around us.
By scanning the boys twice, the scientists were able to create a detailed picture of how the brain changes during this critical period of development.
(Watch video demonstrating differences in brain changes between autistic and non-autistic boys.) 
"The brain regions where growth rates were found to be the most altered were associated with the problems autistic children most often struggle with — social impairment, communication deficits and repetitive behavior," she added.
Future studies using alternative neuroscience techniques should attempt to identify the source of this white-matter impairment, the researchers said.
"This study provides a new understanding of how the brains of children with autism are growing and developing in a unique way," Levitt said. "Brain imaging could be used to determine if treatments are successful at addressing the biological difference. The delayed brain growth in autism may also suggest a different approach for educational intervention in adolescent and adult patients, since we now know their brains are wired differently to perceive information."
Other authors on the study included Paul M. Thompson, Alex D. Leow, Sarah K. Madsen, Rochelle Caplan, Jeffry R. Alger, Joseph O'Neill, Kishori Joshi, Susan L. Smalley and Arthur W. Toga, all of UCLA. Support was provided by the National Institutes of Health, the National Alliance for Autism Research, the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The authors report no conflict of interest.
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