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Close Topic OptionsMyelin Content And Autism
Myelin Content Autism - Psychology, Special Needs, Health - Posted: 17th Jul, 2013 - 7:02pm
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Myelin Content And Autism
As we discussed in another thread Myelin, also known as white matter is the material essential for the proper functioning of the nervous system. In humans, it begins to be produced in the 14th week of fetal development and during infancy it increases quickly and continues through the adolescent stages of life until complete brain development which occurs around age 25.
But what about autistic children or young adults?
QUOTE Research in recent years has shown that autism might be linked to white matter in the brain. White matter is responsible for neuropathways and connections between regions of the brain, and it is also related to myelin, or the protective cover of each nerve and suggests the density of neural connections. Brain connectivity mediated by myelinated axons might be altered or abnormal in autism.
In a study by the International Society for Autism Research, the relationship between myelin content and clinical symptom severity was compared in young adult subjects with autism and a control group without autism. By using MRI techniques, researchers found that individuals with autism had significantly less myelin content in numerous brain regions and white matter tracts. The frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes were affected, and the white matter tract most affected was the corpus collosum, or the area in between the brain that connects the regions with neural fibers. Those individuals with more severe symptoms also showed less myelin content in various brain regions than those with less severe autism.
The conclusion of this study is that individuals with autism do have significantly reduced myelin content in many regions of the brain, which points to myelin content as a factor contributing to social and intellectual development in individuals with autism. Source 8
In a study by the International Society for Autism Research, the relationship between myelin content and clinical symptom severity was compared in young adult subjects with autism and a control group without autism. By using MRI techniques, researchers found that individuals with autism had significantly less myelin content in numerous brain regions and white matter tracts. The frontal, parietal, temporal, and occipital lobes were affected, and the white matter tract most affected was the corpus collosum, or the area in between the brain that connects the regions with neural fibers. Those individuals with more severe symptoms also showed less myelin content in various brain regions than those with less severe autism.
The conclusion of this study is that individuals with autism do have significantly reduced myelin content in many regions of the brain, which points to myelin content as a factor contributing to social and intellectual development in individuals with autism. Source 8
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TOPIC: Myelin Content And Autism