Elsevier

Biological Psychiatry

Volume 31, Issue 5, 1 March 1992, Pages 491-504
Biological Psychiatry

Magnetic resonance imaging in autism: measurement of the cerebellum, pons, and fourth ventricle

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Abstract

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research has suggested that autistic individuals have hypoplasia of cerebellar lobules VI and VII, the pons, and enlargement of the fourth ventricle. Using MRI we measured the mid-sagittal area of these structures in 15 high-functioning autistic males; 15 age- and IQ-comparable male volunteers (control group I); and 15 male volunteers comparable to cases on age and parental socioeconomic status (SES) (control group II). Using ratio measures, cerebellar lobules VI-VII were found to be smaller in autistic subjects than controls in group II but not those in group I. No differences were found after multivariate analysis adjusting for mid-sagittal brain area (MSBA), age, and IQ. The size of the pons and fourth ventricle did not differ between cases and controls, although autistic subjects were noted to have a significantly larger MSBA than subjects in either control group.

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    This research was supported, in part, by National Institute of Mental Health grant # R01 MH 39936-01 (Dr. Folstein, Dr. Piven); The John Merck Fund (Dr. Piven); Interdisciplinary Council for NMR Research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (Dr. Piven, Dr. Pearlson), a grant from the Dana Foundation (Dr. Barta) and NIMH, National Institute on Drug Abuse, and National Institutes of Health, Division of Research Resources/Johns Hopkins Outpatient Clinical Research Center (Dr. Pearlson).

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