One of the leading hypotheses about what contributes to autism has been a lack of connectivity between neurons in the brain. But two new papers published in Cell Reports show that the opposite is true. Working independently, researchers at Stanford University and San Diego State University used functional neuroimaging to study whole brain connectivity in children and teens with an autism spectrum disorder. Both groups of research showed that various brain regions in people with autism were actually hyperconnected (pictured), and that individuals who had the highest levels of connectivity showed the largest deficits in social functioning. The researchers hope that these results will help aid the diagnosis of autism spectrum conditions and develop better treatments. Read more: bit.ly/1hTik6U Journal articles: Local functional overconnectivity in posterior brain regions is associated with symptom severity in autism spectrum disorders.
Posted on: Fri, 08 Nov 2013 23:00:33 +0000
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