White matter alterations in autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in relation to sensory profile.
Haruhisa Ohta, Yuta Y Aoki, Takashi Itahashi and 5 others
PMID 33070774WHAT IT FOUND
Adults with autism or ADHD showed similar brain white matter changes compared to controls.
Sensory issues linked to these changes in the same way across all three groups. This suggests sensory difficulties may stem from shared brain mechanisms rather than being unique to autism.
Key findings
01Both adults with ASD and adults with ADHD had lower fractional anisotropy and higher radial diffusivity in the corpus callosum compared to typically developing adults, with no significant difference between the two clinical groups.
02Relationships between sensory symptom scores and white matter integrity in the corpus callosum were similar across the ASD, ADHD, and typically developing groups.
03Individuals with ADHD reported sensory symptoms (low registration, sensory sensitivity, and sensation avoiding) at levels comparable to those with ASD, both significantly higher than controls.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot prove that white matter changes cause sensory symptoms or vice versa. The age range was wide (20-55 years), which introduces heterogeneity, although supplementary analyses with a narrower age range yielded similar results. The sample was predominantly male, and the study did not have enough female participants to analyze them separately. Many participants were taking medication (antipsychotics or stimulants), which may have influenced both brain structure and sensory symptoms.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these brain differences are specific to autism. The study found that adults with ADHD had similar white matter alterations and sensory symptom profiles to those with autism, suggesting these features are shared across developmental disorders rather than unique to one diagnosis.