Recent Advances and Neural Connectivity in Autism

Abstract

The current chapter has reviewed the functional and structural brain connectivity in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Neuropathological studies of the cerebral cortex in autism indicate abnormalities of synaptic and columnar structure and of neuronal migration. The MRI morphometry in young children with autism reveals excessive volume of cerebrum or cerebral white matter or increased total brain volume. The absence of such a volume difference in adults suggests that early hyperplasia in autism is followed by a plateau during which brain growth in normal subjects catches up. The developmental course of brain connectivity and the categorization potential of different connectivity process are important topics that are investigated by different studies. Finally, several studies contribute to a better understanding of the links between cellular abnormalities in the autistic cortex (both cerebral and cerebellar) and disturbances in network connectivity.