Volumetric Analysis of Amygdala and Hippocampal Subfields for Infants with Autism.
Guannan Li, Meng-Hsiang Chen, Gang Li and 5 others
PMID 35389185WHAT IT FOUND
Infants later diagnosed with autism had larger amygdala and hippocampus CA1-3 volumes at 6 months, and these differences persisted at 12 and 24 months.
Using these volumes to predict later autism was correct in 60.7% of cases.
Key findings
01At 6 months, infants later diagnosed with ASD had significantly larger amygdala and CA1-3 volumes than TD controls, with overgrowth of 5.4%, 5.2%, 7.6%, and 6.0%.
02At 12 and 24 months, the ASD group continued to show significantly larger amygdala and CA1-3 volumes, and at 24 months the left subiculum was also significantly larger.
03Volumes at 6 and 12 months predicted ASD at 24 months with 60.7% accuracy, 65.5% sensitivity, and 60.3% specificity.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The paper says 251 subjects were accessed but also says volumetric measurements were for 276 subjects, so the analysed count is unclear. Only one experienced neuroradiologist manually labelled the images, so the researchers could not measure inter- or intra-rater reliability. There were few female infants with ASD, and no significant difference was seen in female subjects, so the findings do not apply well to girls. The infant-to-adult growth curve used scans from different children and different study samples, not the same children followed up, and the samples had bias and large age gaps. The prediction step was modest, correct in 60.7% of cases, so it is not a clinical diagnostic tool. Other infant features such as height and weight were not included and may affect brain development. The study did not test therapy or communication outcomes.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these brain volumes as a diagnostic test for autism or a sign that a specific therapy will help. The differences are group-level findings, and the prediction step was correct in 60.7% of cases.