Akshoomoff Natacha, Lord Catherine, Lincoln Alan J, Courchesne Rachel Y, Carper Ruth A, Townsend Jeanne, Courchesne Eric
Children's Hospital Research Center, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry. 2004 Mar;43(3):349-57. doi: 10.1097/00004583-200403000-00018.
To test the hypothesis that a combination of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain measures obtained during early childhood distinguish children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) from typically developing children and is associated with functional outcome.
Quantitative MRI technology was used to measure gray and white matter volumes (cerebrum and cerebellum), total brain volume, and the area of the cerebellar vermis in 52 boys with a provisional diagnosis of autism (aged 1.9-5.2 years) and 15 typically developing young children (aged 1.7-5.2 years). Diagnostic confirmation and cognitive outcome data were obtained after the children reached 5 years of age.
A discriminant function analysis of the MRI brain measures correctly classified 95.8% of the ASD cases and 92.3% of the control cases. This set of variables also correctly classified 85% of the ASD cases as lower functioning and 68% of the ASD cases as higher functioning.
These results indicate that variability in cerebellar and cerebral size is correlated with diagnostic and functional outcome in very young children with ASD.
检验如下假设，即在幼儿期获得的磁共振成像（MRI）脑部测量指标组合能够区分自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童与正常发育儿童，并与功能预后相关。
采用定量MRI技术测量52名初步诊断为自闭症的男孩（年龄1.9 - 5.2岁）和15名正常发育幼儿（年龄1.7 - 5.2岁）的灰质和白质体积（大脑和小脑）、全脑体积以及小脑蚓部面积。在儿童年满5岁后获取诊断确认和认知预后数据。
对MRI脑部测量指标进行判别函数分析，正确分类了95.8%的ASD病例和92.3%的对照病例。这组变量还正确地将85%的ASD病例分类为功能较低者，68%的ASD病例分类为功能较高者。
这些结果表明，小脑和大脑大小的变异性与ASD幼儿的诊断和功能预后相关。
