Common cerebral white matter abnormalities found in children with autistic traits
This is the finding of a new study, published September 6 in JAMA Psychiatry , which highlights evidence supporting the theory that common, underlying brain mechanisms may be responsible for autistic traits seen in both diagnoses. Led by researchers in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine, the new study focused on white matter -- nerve bundles that transmit information between brain regions. Researchers say the link between symptom severity and white matter structural patterns was most evident in the region of the brain called the corpus callosum, which connects the left and right cerebral hemispheres and enables communication between them. The fact that correlations could be found between ASD traits and white matter structure across diagnoses suggests shared disease mechanisms -- and the existence of biomarkers that could be used potentially to guide the design of more specific, future diagnostic tests and treatments. "It's im...