Re: Brain mapping detects autism earlier

[Guest guest]

Brain mapping detects autism earlier Thursday, 17 January 2008 University of New South Wales <http://www.unsw.edu.au/>A new way of understanding autistic disorders, incorporating bothpsychological and biological factors, could lead to the conditionsbeing picked up earlier, research from UNSW has found. A review of research, published in the Australian and New ZealandJournal of Psychiatry, integrates psychological with biologicaltheories of autism. The work relates to autistic and Asperger & rsquo;s disorders, whichare characterised by ritualistic behaviours & ndash; such as counting,tapping, flicking, or repeatedly restating information & ndash; andcompulsive behaviours including as a rigid adherence to routine and amarked resistance to change. & ldquo;Until now we have relied mostly on psychological approachesin making a diagnosis, but this needs to be incorporated with thebiological approach & ndash; utilising information from brain mappingtechnology, & rdquo; says the paper & rsquo;s author, Professor FlorenceLevy, from UNSW & rsquo;s School of Psychiatry. & ldquo;This may help medical professionals detect conditions such asAsperger & rsquo;s Disorder at an earlier stage. & ldquo;This won & rsquo;t prevent it from developing, but it will helpwith remediation. It will also help to provide explanations toparents, who may have been worried about their child & rsquo;sbehaviour. & rdquo; The review found that psychological theories such as & lsquo;Theoryof Mind & rsquo; alone have difficulty accounting for the rigid andrepetitive behaviours found in autistic disorders. Studies of the brain, however, can offer an explanation. & ldquo;When the developing brain encounters constrainedconnectivity, it evolves an abnormal organisation, the features ofwhich may be best explained by a developmental failure of neuralconnectivity, where high local connectivity develops in tandem withlow long-range connectivity, resulting in constricted repetitivebehaviours, & rdquo; she writes. The research does not identify what causes the constrainedconnectivity.

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