BACKGROUND: The repetitive behaviors seen in autism phenotypically resemble those seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette Syndrome (TS), disorders in which structural and functional abnormalities of the basal ganglia (BG) are present and correspond to the severity of repetitive behaviors. METHODS: Seventeen subjects with autism by DSM-IV and Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI) and 17 matched controls completed a 1.5 T magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the brain. Two blinded researchers, with good inter-rater reliability, outlined the right and left caudate and putamen. Autistic and control BG volumes covaried for total brain volume were compared using analysis of covariance. BG volumes within the autistic group were correlated with the ADI Repetitive Behavior scores (ADI-C domain). RESULTS: Right caudate volume controlled for total brain volume was significantly larger in autistic subjects than in controls. In addition, right caudate and total putamen volumes correlated positively with repetitive behavior scores on the ADI-C domain, particularly the higher order OCD-like repetitive behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Increased right caudate volume in autism is of interest, since this has also been observed in OCD patients. Increased volume of the right caudate and total putamen positively correlated with greater repetitive behaviors, supporting the hypothesis of BG dysfunction associated with repetitive behaviors in autistic adults.
BACKGROUND: The repetitive behaviors seen in autism phenotypically resemble those seen in obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and Tourette Syndrome (TS), disorders in which structural and functional abnormalities of the basal ganglia (BG) are present and correspond to the severity of repetitive behaviors. METHODS: Seventeen subjects with autism by DSM-IV and Autism Diagnostic Interview (ADI) and 17 matched controls completed a 1.5 T magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the brain. Two blinded researchers, with good inter-rater reliability, outlined the right and left caudate and putamen. Autistic and control BG volumes covaried for total brain volume were compared using analysis of covariance. BG volumes within the autistic group were correlated with the ADI Repetitive Behavior scores (ADI-C domain). RESULTS: Right caudate volume controlled for total brain volume was significantly larger in autistic subjects than in controls. In addition, right caudate and total putamen volumes correlated positively with repetitive behavior scores on the ADI-C domain, particularly the higher order OCD-like repetitive behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Increased right caudate volume in autism is of interest, since this has also been observed in OCDpatients. Increased volume of the right caudate and total putamen positively correlated with greater repetitive behaviors, supporting the hypothesis of BG dysfunction associated with repetitive behaviors in autistic adults.
Authors: Ulrich Ettinger; Anne Schmechtig; Timothea Toulopoulou; Charmaine Borg; Claire Orrells; Sheena Owens; Kazunori Matsumoto; Neeltje E van Haren; Mei-Hua Hall; Veena Kumari; Philip K McGuire; Robin M Murray; Marco Picchioni Journal: Schizophr Bull Date: 2010-06-10 Impact factor: 9.306
Authors: Laura Pina-Camacho; Sonia Villero; David Fraguas; Leticia Boada; Joost Janssen; Francisco J Navas-Sánchez; Maria Mayoral; Cloe Llorente; Celso Arango; Mara Parellada Journal: J Autism Dev Disord Date: 2012-07
Authors: Erin D Bigler; Tracy J Abildskov; Jo Ann Petrie; Michael Johnson; Nicholas Lange; Jonathan Chipman; Jeffrey Lu; William McMahon; Janet E Lainhart Journal: Dev Neuropsychol Date: 2010 Impact factor: 2.253
Authors: Shih-Jen Weng; Jillian Lee Wiggins; Scott J Peltier; Melisa Carrasco; Susan Risi; Catherine Lord; Christopher S Monk Journal: Brain Res Date: 2009-12-11 Impact factor: 3.252