Recent findings suggest that the communication cells in the brains of children with autism might be organized differently. Researchers from the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience at the University of Rochester found variations in neuron density in certain brain areas when comparing children with autism to the general child population.
“For years, we have focused on broad characteristics of brain regions, such as their thickness, volume, and shape,” explained Zachary Christensen, MD/PhD candidate at the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, and the lead author of the newly published paper in Autism Research. “New neuroimaging methods using MRI allow us to explore deeper complexities of brain development.”
Imaging sheds light on brain growth
The researchers utilized brain imaging data from over 11,000 children between the ages of 9 and 11. They analyzed the scans of 142 children with autism from this group, comparing them to those without neurodevelopmental diagnoses, and observed a reduced neuron density in certain areas of the cerebral cortex. These areas are crucial for functions such as memory, learning, reasoning, and problem-solving. Conversely, they found increased neuron density in other regions, such as the amygdala, which is associated with emotional processing. The team also compared the scans of children with autism to a large sample of peers diagnosed with common psychiatric conditions like ADHD and anxiety, yielding similar results that seem unique to autism.
“Individuals diagnosed with autism often face additional challenges like anxiety, depression, and ADHD. However, these findings provide a new way to measure unique characteristics specific to autism,” said Christensen. “If we can reliably identify distinct changes in neuron structure in autistic individuals, it opens doors to better understanding autism’s development and might lead to personalized therapeutic interventions.”
Advancements harness knowledge of brain function and autism
Technological advancements have significantly improved the detail and accuracy with which researchers can observe neuron structures. In the past, such observations were mostly possible only postmortem. The imaging data used in this study was sourced from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, the largest long-term research initiative on brain development and child health, which started in 2015. The University of Rochester is one of the 21 national sites involved in this groundbreaking study that continues to advance our understanding of adolescent brain health and development.
“We are just beginning to grasp the profound influence of the extensive data gathered by the ABCD Study on our children’s health,” stated John Foxe, PhD, the senior author of the study, director of the Del Monte Institute for Neuroscience, and the Golisano Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Institute. “This research is genuinely transforming our knowledge of brain development as we track this cohort from childhood into early adulthood.”
Co-authors include Edward Freedman from the University of Rochester Medical Center. This study was made possible by support from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study and the Translational Neuroimaging and Neurophysiology Core of the University of Rochester Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center.
