Researchers Find Weaker Brain Connections in Premature Babies

Researchers have found weaker brain connections along with increased chances of developing autism, ADHD and emotional disorders in premature babies. At the Society for Neuroscience meeting in Chicago, researchers reported that there exists strong evidence in favor of the fact that preemies are born with weak brain connections are more likely to develop various disorders.

Cynthia Rogers, an assistant professor of psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, and her team compared MRI scans of the brains of 58 full-term babies with those of 76 babies born at least 10 weeks early. “We were really interested that the tracts that we know connect areas that are involved in attention and emotional networks were heavily affected”. By using two different types of MRI, researchers studied the nerve fibers that carry signals from one part of the brain to another. They also measured the intensity that how well different areas of the brain are communicating.

Expert Calls for Finding Cause of Autism Before Focusing on Diagnosis

Despite moves to use brain imaging scans to diagnose autism, one expert urges that the biological basis for the disorder must be understood before technology can be trusted with the diagnosis.
In the current issue of the journal Nature, Dr. Nicholas Lange believes scientists should focus on conducting large, long-term multicenter studies to identify the biological basis of the disorder.

Study: Imaging Detects Signs of Autism

Early intervention is an important factor in treating autism. And while biological causes of autism continue to be a mystery, researchers have found for the first time a method using imaging that can accurately identify a neurological sign of autism in very young toddlers.
By scanning the brain activity of sleeping children, the scientists discovered that the autistic brains exhibited significantly weaker synchronization between brain areas tied to language and communication, compared to that of non-autistic children.