Diffusion tensor imaging in young children with autism: biological effects and potential confounds.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) has been used over the past decade to study structural differences in the brains of children with autism compared with typically developing children. These studies generally find reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) and increased mean diffusivity (MD) in children with autism; however, the regional pattern of findings varies greatly.

Methods

We used DTI to investigate the brains of sedated children with autism (n = 39) and naturally asleep typically developing children (n = 39) between 2 and 8 years of age. Tract based spatial statistics and whole brain voxel-wise analysis were performed to investigate the regional distribution of differences between groups.

Results

In children with autism, we found significantly reduced FA in wi

SUBMITTER: Walker L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3500414 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature