Deviation from normative brain development is associated with symptom severity in autism spectrum disorder.
Birkan Tunç, Lisa D Yankowitz, Drew Parker and 4 others
PMID 31867092WHAT IT FOUND
Children and young adults with autism whose brain scans predicted an older age than their actual age had milder symptoms.
Those with a younger predicted brain age had more severe symptoms. This links brain development speed to symptom severity, not IQ.
Key findings
01Participants with autism who had a 'Delayed' brain development profile (brain age younger than actual age) had significantly higher symptom severity scores than those with an 'Advanced' profile.
02The difference in severity between the Delayed and Advanced groups was robust and not explained by differences in age or IQ between the groups.
03Across the whole autism group, a measure of deviation from typical brain development (specifically using white matter integrity metrics) was significantly correlated with symptom severity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study was cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that brain development causes symptom severity or how these relationships change over time within an individual. The 'Advanced' and 'Delayed' subgroups were small (n=19 and n=27 respectively), which limits the generalizability of the specific subgroup findings. The findings were driven by one specific MRI metric (Fractional Anisotropy, or FA) and did not hold for other brain measures like cortical thickness or volume. The study excluded individuals with known genetic conditions associated with autism, so results may not apply to that subgroup. The authors state that replication in larger, longitudinal datasets is needed before these findings can inform clinical decision-making.
Declared interests
The authors declare no competing interests. The work was supported by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and non-U.S. government sources.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret 'Advanced' brain age as a sign of superior development or a goal for therapy. It simply means the brain scans looked older than the child's actual age, which in this study correlated with milder symptoms. This is a statistical association in a research setting, not a clinical tool for diagnosis or treatment planning.