| Submit your comments on this article |
| -Short Attention Span Theater- |
| Possible test for autism being developed |
| 2010-12-02 |
| By scanning the brain for 10 minutes using magnetic resonance imaging, researchers were able to measure six physical differences of microscopic fibers in the brains of 30 males with confirmed high-functioning autism and 30 males without autism. Simple enough if you have high-functioning autism. Try that with someone who is lower-functioning, though. The images of the brains helped researchers correctly identify those with autism with 94 percent accuracy, says Nicholas Lange, an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and one of the study authors. Not bad. Using the MRI, the study authors measured how the water in the brain flows along the axons or nerve fibers in the parts of the brain that control language, social and emotional functioning. The scans revealed that the wiring of the brains of those with autism was disorganized compared with the brains of a typical person without autism. This is how they could determine which brains scans belonged those study participants with autism. So they can tell how the nerves are laid out by looking at the water in them? I had no idea these tests were that precise. Kinda scary. |
| Posted by:gorb |
| #1 Q. Can you program a computer? A. Yes (autistic) |
| Posted by: Bright Pebbles 2010-12-02 08:35 |