Chemical Changes in Brain Identify #Autism Children with autism spectrum disorders have chemical changes in the brain between the ages of 3 and 10 that distinguish them from children with other forms of developmental delay. At ages 3-4, children with ASD had lower concentrations of N-acetylaspartate, choline, and creatine, in both white and gray matter, although those lower concentrations were no longer seen at ages 9 and 10. Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have brain chemical changes between the ages of 3 and 10 that distinguish them from children with other forms of developmental delay, researchers reported. In particular, concentrations of N-acetylaspartate, which plays important roles in several brain functions, rises over time to near-normal levels in ASD children, according to Stephen Dager, MD, of the University of Washington in Seattle, and colleagues. In contrast, the compound remains at a low concentration in children with non-autism developmental delays, Dager and colleagues reported online in JAMA Psychiatry.
Posted on: Sat, 03 Aug 2013 15:04:46 +0000
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