TY - JOUR
T1 - Brain morphometry of preschool age children affected by autism spectrum disorder: Correlation with clinical findings
AU - Lucibello, Simona
AU - Verdolotti, Tommaso
AU - Lapenta, Leonardo
AU - Piludu, Francesca
AU - Tartaglione, Tommaso
AU - Chieffo, Daniela Pia Rosaria
AU - Colosimo, Cesare
AU - Mercuri, Eugenio Maria
PY - 2019
Y1 - 2019
N2 - The aim of our study was to use a combined imaging and clinical approach to identify possible patterns of clinical and imaging findings in a cohort of preschool age autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. In order to identify imaging patterns that could be related to specific clinical features, a selected group of ASD patients (age range 3-6 years) without dysmorphic features, epilepsy or other major neurological signs, malformations or other lesions at MRI was subjected to brain volumetric analysis using semiautomatic brain segmentation. An age-matched group of typically developing children was subjected to the same analysis. Our results were consistent with previous literature: Total gray matter volume, total cortical gray matter volume and amygdalar volumes were significantly greater in the ASD group than the control group. When we divided the study group into subgroups on the basis of clinical findings such as high- or low-functioning, or verbal and nonverbal, the only significant difference between verbal and nonverbal subjects was in cerebellar hemispheric size. In conclusions, our results confirm that newer brain MRI techniques using semiautomatic brain segmentation can provide information useful for defining the differences between ASD patients and controls, particularly if they form part of an integrated approach between MRI and cognitive-behavioral and genetic data.
AB - The aim of our study was to use a combined imaging and clinical approach to identify possible patterns of clinical and imaging findings in a cohort of preschool age autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. In order to identify imaging patterns that could be related to specific clinical features, a selected group of ASD patients (age range 3-6 years) without dysmorphic features, epilepsy or other major neurological signs, malformations or other lesions at MRI was subjected to brain volumetric analysis using semiautomatic brain segmentation. An age-matched group of typically developing children was subjected to the same analysis. Our results were consistent with previous literature: Total gray matter volume, total cortical gray matter volume and amygdalar volumes were significantly greater in the ASD group than the control group. When we divided the study group into subgroups on the basis of clinical findings such as high- or low-functioning, or verbal and nonverbal, the only significant difference between verbal and nonverbal subjects was in cerebellar hemispheric size. In conclusions, our results confirm that newer brain MRI techniques using semiautomatic brain segmentation can provide information useful for defining the differences between ASD patients and controls, particularly if they form part of an integrated approach between MRI and cognitive-behavioral and genetic data.
KW - MRI
KW - autism spectrum disorder
KW - brain volumetric analysis
KW - cerebellum
KW - language
KW - neuropsycological data
KW - MRI
KW - autism spectrum disorder
KW - brain volumetric analysis
KW - cerebellum
KW - language
KW - neuropsycological data
UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10807/129817
U2 - 10.1002/ca.23252
DO - 10.1002/ca.23252
M3 - Article
SN - 0897-3806
SP - 143
EP - 150
JO - Clinical Anatomy
JF - Clinical Anatomy
ER -