Lucibello S, Verdolotti T, Giordano F M, Lapenta L, Infante A, Piludu F, Tartaglione T, Chieffo D, Colosimo C, Mercuri E, Battini R
Pediatric Neurology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCSS, Rome, Italy.
Radiology and Neuroradiology Unit, Fondazione Policlinico A. Gemelli IRCSS, Rome, Italy.
Clin Anat. 2019 Jan;32(1):143-150. doi: 10.1002/ca.23252.
The aim of our study was to use a combined imaging and clinical approach to identify possible patterns of clinical and imaging findings in a cohort of preschool age autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients. In order to identify imaging patterns that could be related to specific clinical features, a selected group of ASD patients (age range 3-6 years) without dysmorphic features, epilepsy or other major neurological signs, malformations or other lesions at MRI was subjected to brain volumetric analysis using semiautomatic brain segmentation. An age-matched group of typically developing children was subjected to the same analysis. Our results were consistent with previous literature: Total gray matter volume, total cortical gray matter volume and amygdalar volumes were significantly greater in the ASD group than the control group. When we divided the study group into subgroups on the basis of clinical findings such as high- or low-functioning, or verbal and nonverbal, the only significant difference between verbal and nonverbal subjects was in cerebellar hemispheric size. In conclusions, our results confirm that newer brain MRI techniques using semiautomatic brain segmentation can provide information useful for defining the differences between ASD patients and controls, particularly if they form part of an integrated approach between MRI and cognitive-behavioral and genetic data. Clin. Anat. 32:143-150, 2019. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. HIGHLIGHTS: Combined imaging and clinical approach in autism spectrum disorders Semiautomatic brain segmentation in a selected preschool age ASD group Reduced total cerebellar white matter volume in non-verbal ASD patients.
我们研究的目的是采用影像学与临床相结合的方法，确定一组学龄前自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）患者的临床和影像学表现的可能模式。为了确定可能与特定临床特征相关的影像学模式，我们选取了一组无畸形特征、癫痫或其他主要神经体征、MRI检查无畸形或其他病变的ASD患者（年龄范围3至6岁），采用半自动脑分割技术进行脑容积分析。对一组年龄匹配的发育正常儿童进行同样的分析。我们的结果与先前的文献一致：ASD组的总灰质体积、总皮质灰质体积和杏仁核体积显著大于对照组。当我们根据高功能或低功能、语言和非语言等临床发现将研究组分为亚组时，语言和非语言受试者之间唯一显著的差异在于小脑半球大小。总之，我们的结果证实，采用半自动脑分割的更新的脑MRI技术可以提供有助于界定ASD患者与对照组差异的信息，特别是当它们作为MRI与认知行为及基因数据综合方法的一部分时。《临床解剖学》32:143 - 150, 2019。© 2018威利期刊公司。要点：自闭症谱系障碍的影像学与临床相结合的方法；选定的学龄前ASD组中的半自动脑分割；非语言ASD患者的小脑白质总体积减少。
