Posted on

The autism brain at 3 months old

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Biological features of ASD can be seen long before behavioral impairments in children are seen. Researchers are now studying the activity of the brain at 3 months in infants that go on to develop autism and those that do not. There are distinct features in the brain seen in a 3 month old that goes on to develop ASD. In addition, excessive brain activity resulting in seizures can increase the probability of a later ASD diagnosis in infants with a rare genetic disorder called Tuberous Sclerosis. This podcast will explain how connectivity and activity in a 3 month old can influence a later diagnosis. What we don’t know more about is those intervening months, and what can be done to mitigate symptoms.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2451902220301403?via%3Dihub

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/acn3.51128

Posted on

The infant brain on early behavioral intervention

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

The brain is developing even after birth.  So interventions that are given very early have the best chance of remolding and rewiring a brain with autism to prevent autism related disabilities.  This week, a group from the University of London, Duke University and University of Washington measured brain activity during tasks that required social attention following 2 months of very very very early intervention.  They found that the way the brain responded to social stimuli was more like those without an autism diagnosis.  This study shows a biological marker of brain function is altered after behavioral interventions that are intended to do just that – change the way the brain functions.