Acosta Maria T, Pearl Phillip L
Department of Neurology, Children's National Medical Center, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, DC 20010-2970, USA.
Semin Pediatr Neurol. 2004 Sep;11(3):205-13. doi: 10.1016/j.spen.2004.07.004.
During the last two decades, neuroimaging studies have improved our knowledge of brain development and contributed to our understanding of disorders involving the developing brain. Differences in cerebral anatomy have been determined in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Morphological studies by magnetic resonance imaging have provided evidence of structural differences in ASD compared with the normal population. This has enhanced our view of autism as a neurobiological disorder corresponding with different stages and events in brain development. Alterations in volume of the total brain and specifically the cerebellum, frontal lobe, and limbic system have been identified. There appears to be a pattern of increased and then decreased rate of brain growth over time. We integrate these observations with neurobehavioral findings to provide a developmental hypothesis of the pathophysiology of autism.
在过去二十年中，神经影像学研究增进了我们对大脑发育的认识，并有助于我们理解涉及发育中大脑的疾病。自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）患者的脑解剖结构已被确定存在差异。磁共振成像的形态学研究提供了证据，表明与正常人群相比，ASD患者存在结构差异。这使我们对自闭症的看法得到了提升，将其视为一种与大脑发育的不同阶段和事件相对应的神经生物学疾病。已发现全脑尤其是小脑、额叶和边缘系统的体积存在改变。随着时间的推移，大脑似乎呈现出一种先增长后下降的生长模式。我们将这些观察结果与神经行为学发现相结合，以提供自闭症病理生理学的发育假说。
