April 2 marks World Autism Awareness Day. The anniversary is not minor because, according to the World Health Organization, one in every 160 child in the world suffers from autism spectrum disorder (ASD). For decades science has searched for its origins, and now it has found that autism is related to an area of the brain that grows too quickly in babies.
Over the years we have heard many theories about why some children are born with ASD in its different expressions and severities, from the stress of the mother to the pregnancy to a supposed secondary effect of certain vaccines. However, scientific research has disproved many of these theories and has pointed out that many other factors are related to a diagnosis of childhood autism.
Research published this week in The American Journal of Psychiatry revealed that accelerated growth of the brain structure called the “amygdala” in babies between six and 12 months of age, may be a factor in autism diagnosed from two years of age.
The cerebral amygdala is a area located in the temporal lobe, deep in the brain, and its functions are related to learning and the expression of emotions, and to memory storage. The authors of the research point out that their findings could help detect autism earlier and provide the necessary care to children who suffer from it.
To reach this conclusion, the experts scanned the brains of more than 400 babies by MRI, 270 of them at increased risk because they had older siblings diagnosed with ASD . At six months of age, the researchers noted that all had similarly sized tonsils, but at 12 months they noticed that some had enlarged tonsils. This group was diagnosed with autism.
“The growth of the amygdala between 6 and 12 months of age occurs during a cascading series of brain and behavioral changes that precede and lead to ASD. Early abnormal growth of the amygdala occurs at the same time as sensorimotor and attention problems in infants who develop ASD, and at the same time as hyperexpansion of the cortical surface area in the visual cortex. This raises the possibility that visual attention deficits may lead to an altered experience”, the scientists conclude.
His research emphasizes the possibility of detecting autism before two years of age and, therefore, providing specialized interventions that help improve the response and quality of life of children with autism.
Read more:
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