OBJECTIVE: The amygdala and hippocampus are key components of the neural system mediating emotion perception and regulation and are thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of autism. Although some studies in children with autism suggest that there is an enlargement of amygdala and hippocampal volume, findings in adolescence are sparse. METHOD: We measured amygdala and hippocampus volume in a homogeneous group of adolescents with autism (12 through 18 years; n = 23) and compared them with an age-, sex-, and IQ-matched control group (n = 29) using a validated automated segmentation procedure in 1.5-T magnetic resonance images. All analyses were adjusted for total brain volume. RESULTS: Repeated-measures analysis revealed a significant group x hemisphere x brain structure interaction (p = .038), even when corrected for total brain volume. Post-hoc analysis showed that the right amygdala and left hippocampus were significantly enlarged (p = .010; p = .015) in the autism compared with the control group. There were no significant correlations between age and amygdala or hippocampus volume. CONCLUSIONS: The abnormal enlargement of the amygdala and hippocampus in adolescents with autism adds to previous findings of enlargement of these structures in children with autism. This may reflect increased activity of these structures and thereby altered emotion perception and regulation. Our results could therefore be interpreted in light of developmental adaptation of the autistic brain to a continuous overflow of emotional learning experiences. 2010 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
OBJECTIVE: The amygdala and hippocampus are key components of the neural system mediating emotion perception and regulation and are thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of autism. Although some studies in children with autism suggest that there is an enlargement of amygdala and hippocampal volume, findings in adolescence are sparse. METHOD: We measured amygdala and hippocampus volume in a homogeneous group of adolescents with autism (12 through 18 years; n = 23) and compared them with an age-, sex-, and IQ-matched control group (n = 29) using a validated automated segmentation procedure in 1.5-T magnetic resonance images. All analyses were adjusted for total brain volume. RESULTS: Repeated-measures analysis revealed a significant group x hemisphere x brain structure interaction (p = .038), even when corrected for total brain volume. Post-hoc analysis showed that the right amygdala and left hippocampus were significantly enlarged (p = .010; p = .015) in the autism compared with the control group. There were no significant correlations between age and amygdala or hippocampus volume. CONCLUSIONS: The abnormal enlargement of the amygdala and hippocampus in adolescents with autism adds to previous findings of enlargement of these structures in children with autism. This may reflect increased activity of these structures and thereby altered emotion perception and regulation. Our results could therefore be interpreted in light of developmental adaptation of the autistic brain to a continuous overflow of emotional learning experiences. 2010 American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Authors: Sarah W Feldstein Ewing; Karen A Hudson; Justin Caouette; Andrew R Mayer; Rachel E Thayer; Sephira G Ryman; Angela D Bryan Journal: Ann Behav Med Date: 2018-04-19
Authors: Cynthia E Rogers; Peter J Anderson; Deanne K Thompson; Hiroyuki Kidokoro; Michael Wallendorf; Karli Treyvaud; Gehan Roberts; Lex W Doyle; Jeffrey J Neil; Terrie E Inder Journal: J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry Date: 2012-02 Impact factor: 8.829
Authors: Daan van Rooij; Evdokia Anagnostou; Celso Arango; Guillaume Auzias; Marlene Behrmann; Geraldo F Busatto; Sara Calderoni; Eileen Daly; Christine Deruelle; Adriana Di Martino; Ilan Dinstein; Fabio Luis Souza Duran; Sarah Durston; Christine Ecker; Damien Fair; Jennifer Fedor; Jackie Fitzgerald; Christine M Freitag; Louise Gallagher; Ilaria Gori; Shlomi Haar; Liesbeth Hoekstra; Neda Jahanshad; Maria Jalbrzikowski; Joost Janssen; Jason Lerch; Beatriz Luna; Mauricio Moller Martinho; Jane McGrath; Filippo Muratori; Clodagh M Murphy; Declan G M Murphy; Kirsten O'Hearn; Bob Oranje; Mara Parellada; Alessandra Retico; Pedro Rosa; Katya Rubia; Devon Shook; Margot Taylor; Paul M Thompson; Michela Tosetti; Gregory L Wallace; Fengfeng Zhou; Jan K Buitelaar Journal: Am J Psychiatry Date: 2017-11-17 Impact factor: 18.112
Authors: Carl F Weems; Megan Klabunde; Justin D Russell; Allan L Reiss; Victor G Carrión Journal: Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci Date: 2015-05-11 Impact factor: 3.436