Brainstem and Cerebellar Vermis Involvement in Autistic Children

Abstract

Recent reports have suggested functional abnormalities of the brain stem in autistic children, and structural abnormalities have also been reported. We obtained magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans for 21 autistic children and compared them with 21 control MRI scans. The areas of the brain stem and cerebellar vermis were measured using midsagittal images. The brain stem and cerebellar vermis lobules VIII to X were found to be significantly smaller in autistic children. A positive correlation between the size of the brain stem and cerebellar vermis was observed in the autistic children. This correlation was not observed in the control children. This suggests that the size of the brain stem and cerebellar vermis are anatomically altered in autistic children and that growth of the brain stem and cerebellar vermis in autistic children is different from normal children.

Regional gray matter volumetric changes in autism associated with social and repetitive behavior symptoms

“…The most consistent finding has been that brain volume appears to be larger in autism [23-26], although there is emerging consensus that this finding is restricted to young children with autism [27,28]. Differences in cerebellar volume are reported in many studies [15-17,29-34], but the directionality of the finding in autism (larger or smaller relative to comparison group) and region within the cerebellum (vermis or hemisphere) differ greatly between studies. Most studies of the cerebellum, however, report reduced vermal volume in autism, unless IQ is matched or covaried in the analysis (e.g., see [12] for a review).…”

Autismo e doenças invasivas de desenvolvimento

“…Abnormal findings in the posterior fossa structures described in autistic patients include hypoplasia of lobules VI and VII of the cerebellar vermis and brainstem hypoplasia. [34][35][36] Abnormal cerebellar findings were not properly reproduced and some researchers believe they may be related to technical and methodological factors. 37,38 Courchesne et al performed a meta-analysis including data from various laboratories and suggested a bimodal distribution of the measures of cerebellar vermis in investigated autistic patients.…”

Obstetric and perinatal factors as predictors of child behaviour at 5 years

“…3 Structural and functional changes have been reported in the brains of children with autism, 4 attention deficit disorder, 5 developmental dysphasia, 6 obsessive compulsive disorder, 7 schizophrenia, 8 and an increased prevalence of birth complications 9 and viral illnesses during pregnancy 10 have been associated with risk of later schizophrenia.…”