Brains of People with the Condition Work in ‘Idiosyncratic’ Ways, Claims Groundbreaking Study

It’s still not known whether people with autism have more or fewer connections in parts of their brains that normally work in together. Now a new study suggests the lack of common ground in this area reflects the fact that people with autism have connections that are uniquely their own.
    
The groundbreaking research could help lead to better diagnosis of autism and improve treatments, the scientists claim. A new study has found people with autism have connections that are uniquely their own. “It opens up the possibility that there are many altered brain profiles, all of which fall under the umbrella of ‘autism’,” said Dr. Marlene Behrmann at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. The researchers studied data taken from functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) conducted while the participants were at rest. The control participants’ brains had similar connectivity patterns across different individuals. However, those with autism tended to display much more unique patterns — each in its own, individual way. Differences between the patterns in the autism and control groups could be explained by the way individuals in the two groups interact and communicate with their environment.
    
Source/more: London Daily Mail