Hippocampus in autism: a Golgi analysis.

Autism is a behaviorally defined syndrome in which neuropathological abnormalities have been identified in the limbic system and cerebellum. The morphology of hippocampal neurons in two cases of infantile autism was studied and compared to age-matched controls. CA4 neurons in autistic children were smaller in perikaryon area and dendritic branching of both CA4 and CA1 neurons was less than in controls. These findings are consistent with previous studies and suggest a curtailment in maturation in the pathogenesis of autism.