Archival ReportDiffusion Tensor Imaging in Young Children with Autism: Biological Effects and Potential Confounds
Section snippets
Methods and Materials
Subject groups are composed of 39 AUT who met DSM-IV criteria for autism (1) and 39 TYP. Demographic and diagnostic information are provided in Table 2. Parents of all participating subjects provided written informed consent for study participation, which was approved by the National Institutes of Health Combined Neurosciences Institutional Review Board.
Children with autism (AUT) were included after an evaluation consisting of research-reliable administrations of the Autism Diagnosis
TBSS Analysis
The TBSS analysis found lower FA in AUT compared with TYP throughout the white matter, including but not limited to the cerebellum, genu of the corpus callosum, splenium of the corpus callosum, body of the corpus callosum, corticospinal tract, pons, posterior limbs of internal capsule, left superior temporal gyrus, superior-anterior, and temporal-parietal regions (Figure 1A). MD was greater in AUT compared with TYP in most white matter regions but only in the posterior half of the brain (Figure
Discussion
Investigation of DTI data revealed widespread differences of FA and MD in brain parenchyma of a group of young children who met full diagnostic criteria for autism (AUT), compared with TYP, with a predominant pattern of reduced FA and increased MD in AUT.
Only two other DTI studies of ASD coincide closely with our age range (22, 53). These studies similarly find reduced FA and increased MD in AUT compared with TYP. Regionally, our study is generally consistent with these studies but also
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