24 Feb
In the first study of its kind, Jason Wolff and colleagues targeted a special population–babies who had at least one older sibling with an autism spectrum disorder. At just 6 months of age, 92 of these babies were given MRI brain scans, and the scans were repeated at 12 months and 24 months. Along the way, the children were also assessed for behavioral signs of autism. When the researchers analyzed their results, they discovered something new. Children who eventually developed autism or an autism spectrum disorder showed a distinctive pattern of brain growth in white matter fiber tracts–pathways that allow different brain regions to communicate with each other. In particular, the kids who developed autism showed signs of accelerated development at 6 months, followed by a slow down. It’s as if white matter fiber tract development happens too fast at first, and then fails to keep pace thereafter.
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