More precision in the diagnosis of autism

• May 4, 2024

Researchers from Harvard University, the McLean Neurostatic Laboratory and the University of Utah, develop a new test for identify autism in children, according to an article by PsychCentral.com

The test is used to measure the deviation of the brain circuit using the technique called Image Diffusion Tensor through magnetic resonances. By this means the researchers managed to detect autism with an accuracy of 94% when measuring 6 aspects of the brain circuit that are related to the clinical symptoms of autism.

"It provides images and measurements of microscopic fiber structures of the brain which are what allow language, social and emotional relationships to function, which reveals the deviations found in participants who have autism "indicated one of the authors of the project.

However, much more research is still needed to make the test available to the general public within a few years.

Yale University also found in brain activity a pattern that could characterize a genetic vulnerability what causes autism. Magnetic resonance was used to identify the "neuronal signature".

Another Yale study indicates that autism is known to be highly hereditary , but scientists are just beginning to investigate the genetics that determine this factor. They have also been investigating not only a gene responsible for the condition, but the possible copies in the genetic code.

Ultimately, these studies promise great advances in diagnosing autism, some of these studies include a chemical brand in the urine of the child, a reaction of the pupil before a stimulus test, abnormal proteins in the saliva of the patients and eye tracking technology to identify autism at as young ages as in children between 9 to 12 months.

Video Medicine: Differential Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Neurologist’s Perspective (May 2024).