A literature search conducted at Indiana University, Bloomington, Indiana, USA
The following MEDLINE items were compiled by SilverPlatter and are presented with their generous permission. (See SilverPlatter's Worldwide Library for bibliographic search information.)
TITLE: An MRI study of the corpus callosum in autism.
AUTHOR(S): Piven-J; Bailey-J; Ranson-BJ; Arndt-S
ADDRESS OF AUTHOR: Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa, Iowa City, USA.
SOURCE (BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION): Am-J-Psychiatry. 1997 Aug; 154(8): 1051-6
LANGUAGE OF ARTICLE: ENGLISH
ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the size of subregions of the corpus callosum in autistic individuals. METHOD: The areas of three subregions (anterior, body, and posterior) of the corpus callosum were examined on midsagittal magnetic resonance images of 35 autistic subjects whose mean age was 18 years and 36 healthy comparison subjects matched on age and IQ. RESULTS: After controlling for total brain volume, gender, and performance IQ, the authors detected a significantly smaller size of the body and posterior subregions of the corpus callosum in the autistic individuals. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of recent reports of increased brain size in autism, several possible mechanisms are considered in exploring the significance of a smaller relative size of the corpus callosum in autism.
Record 2 of 3 in MEDLINE EXPRESS (R) 1996-1998
TITLE: Neurologic abnormalities in infantile autism.
AUTHOR(S): Haas-RH; Townsend-J; Courchesne-E; Lincoln-AJ; Schreibman-L; Yeung-Courchesne-R
ADDRESS OF AUTHOR: Department of Neurosciences, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, USA.
SOURCE (BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION): J-Child-Neurol. 1996 Mar; 11(2): 84-92
LANGUAGE OF ARTICLE: ENGLISH
ABSTRACT: Neuroanatomic, pathologic, and neurobehavioral studies point to a cerebellar and parietal abnormality in autism. We used a standardized protocol to examine neurologic function in 28 pediatric autistic subjects and 24 pediatric normal healthy volunteer controls. As a group, the autistic subjects had quantitative measures from magnetic resonance imaging suggesting hypoplasia or hyperplasia of the cerebellar vermis, as well as measurements of posterior corpus callosum suggesting abnormalities of posterior cortex. In groups of tests that reflect cerebellar and parietal function, the neurologic abnormalities detectable by clinical examination were significantly greater for autistic subjects than for normal controls. These studies confirm that the structural and behavioral deficit in autism does lead to abnormalities that can be detected on the clinical neurologic examination.
Record 3 of 3 in MEDLINE EXPRESS (R) 1996-1998
TITLE: Neuropathological study of a case of autistic syndrome with severe mental retardation.
AUTHOR(S): Guerin-P; Lyon-G; Barthelemy-C; Sostak-E; Chevrollier-V; Garreau-B; Lelord-G
ADDRESS OF AUTHOR: INSERM Unite 316, CHU Bretonneau, Departement de Psychopathologie de l'Enfant et de Neurophysiologie de Developpement, Tours, France.
SOURCE (BIBLIOGRAPHIC CITATION): Dev-Med-Child-Neurol. 1996 Mar; 38(3): 203-11
LANGUAGE OF ARTICLE: ENGLISH
ABSTRACT: Infantile autism is a syndrome of unknown aetiology and unknown neuro-anatomic substrate. The authors report a histological study of the brain of a well-documented 16-year-old female with autistic syndrome and severe mental retardation, using direct microscopic examination of the whole brain. The major findings are low brain weight, a thin corpus callosum and ventricular dilatation. No abnormalities were found in the hippocampus or cerebellum. Excessive axonal elimination during brain development is hypothesized. The relations of hypothetical developmental events with the clinical features of autistic syndrome are discussed.