Knaus Tracey A, Silver Andrew M, Dominick Kelli C, Schuring Melanee D, Shaffer Nancy, Lindgren Kristen A, Joseph Robert M, Tager-Flusberg Helen
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA.
Brain Imaging Behav. 2009 Mar 1;3(1):51-63. doi: 10.1007/s11682-008-9048-x.
Impairments in language and communication are core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The anatomy of critical language areas has been studied in ASD with inconsistent findings. We used MRI to measure gray matter volume and asymmetry of Heschl's gyrus, planum temporale, pars triangularis, and pars opercularis in 40 children and adolescents with ASD and 40 typically developing individuals, each divided into younger (7-11 years) and older (12-19 years) cohorts. The older group had larger left planum temporale volume and stronger leftward asymmetry than the younger group, regardless of diagnosis. The pars triangularis and opercularis together were larger in ASD than controls. Correlations between frontal language areas with language and symptom severity scores were significant in younger ASD children. Results suggest similar developmental changes in planum temporale anatomy in both groups, but group differences in pars triangularis and opercularis that may be related to language abilities and autism symptom severity.
语言和沟通障碍是自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的核心特征。人们对自闭症谱系障碍中关键语言区域的解剖结构进行了研究，但结果并不一致。我们使用磁共振成像（MRI）测量了40名患有自闭症谱系障碍的儿童和青少年以及40名发育正常的个体的灰质数量和颞横回、颞平面、三角部和岛盖部的不对称性，每组又分为较年轻（7至11岁）和较年长（12至19岁）两个队列。无论诊断结果如何，较年长的组比年轻组的左侧颞平面体积更大，向左的不对称性更强。自闭症谱系障碍患者的三角部和岛盖部合起来比对照组更大。在较年幼的自闭症谱系障碍儿童中，额叶语言区域与语言和症状严重程度评分之间的相关性显著。结果表明，两组颞平面解剖结构的发育变化相似，但三角部和岛盖部存在组间差异，这可能与语言能力和自闭症症状严重程度有关。
