[Source: Medical News Today]
Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) may provide an early and objective indicator of autism, according to researchers at Columbia University in New York City, who used the technique to document language impairment in autistic children. Results of their study appear online and in the August issue of Radiology.
Autism is a spectrum disorder characterized by repetitive behaviors and impaired language, communication and social interactions. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is estimated that as many as one in every 110 children is affected by autism.
“With the extraordinarily high prevalence of autism, you would think there would be an objective diagnosis for the disorder,” said Joy Hirsch, Ph.D., a professor at Columbia University Medical Center and director of the Functional MRI Laboratory. “However, the diagnosis of autism currently remains limited to parent and clinician observation of missed developmental milestones.”
In the study, researchers performed fMRI exams on 15 control children (mean age: 12.1) and 12 language-impaired and age-matched autistic children (mean age: 12.4). Using fMRI, the researchers were able to measure neural activity in working brain tissues, while the children listened to recordings of their parents talking to them.
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