No evidence for preferential involvement of medial temporal lobe structures in high-functioning autism

Background. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with slight increases in brain volume. There has been some suggestion that medial temporal lobe structures may be preferentially involved in this disorder, although results have not always been consistent. Here, we investigate amygdala a...

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Published inPsychological medicine Vol. 36; no. 6; pp. 827 - 834
Main Authors PALMEN, SASKIA J. M. C., DURSTON, SARAH, NEDERVEEN, HILDE, VAN ENGELAND, HERMAN
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.06.2006
Subjects
Adolescent
Adult
Amygdala - anatomy & histology
Amygdala - physiopathology
Autism
Autistic Disorder - epidemiology
Autistic Disorder - physiopathology
Biological and medical sciences
Brain
Child
Child clinical studies
Cross-Sectional Studies
Developmental disorders
Female
Hippocampus - anatomy & histology
Hippocampus - physiopathology
Humans
Infantile autism
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Mass Screening - instrumentation
Medical sciences
Neurosciences
Original Article
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychopathology. Psychiatry
Severity of Illness Index
Temporal Lobe - anatomy & histology
Temporal Lobe - physiopathology
Temporal lobes
Temporal lobe
Developmental disorder
High functioning autism
Central nervous system
Encephalon
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Summary:Background. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with slight increases in brain volume. There has been some suggestion that medial temporal lobe structures may be preferentially involved in this disorder, although results have not always been consistent. Here, we investigate amygdala and hippocampus volumes in medication-naive subjects with high-functioning autism. Method. Whole-brain magnetic resonance imaging scans were acquired from 42 patients and 42 closely matched, healthy control subjects. Results. Amygdala volume did not differ significantly between patients and controls. A significant increase in hippocampal volume was proportional to an increase in overall brain volume. Conclusions. These results argue against preferential involvement of medial temporal lobe structures in autism, at least in high-functioning medication-naive individuals.
Bibliography:istex:606A4894F062A9D86D6DBE3D02221AC863EB6A1A
ark:/67375/6GQ-1RT2QH92-3
PMID:16512972
PII:S0033291706007215
ObjectType-Article-2
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-1
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ISSN:0033-2917
1469-8978
DOI:10.1017/S0033291706007215