Scientists have identified two biological types of autism from brain scans
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- Scientists have identified two biological types of autism from brain scans
An international team of scientists has found evidence of the existence of at least two different biological subtypes of autism, which are characterized by different patterns of interaction between brain regions. This was reported on June 3 by Science Daily magazine.
The study was conducted under the guidance of specialists from the Italian Institute of Technology in Rovereto and the Institute of Child Intelligence in New York with the participation of the University of Trento. Scientists analyzed fMRI data from 940 children and young adults with autism, comparing them with the results of a survey of more than 1,000 neurotypical volunteers. We also used 20 different mouse models.
During the analysis, two stable groups were identified. The first subtype is characterized by abnormally high connectivity between brain regions (hyperconnection), which researchers have linked to the functioning of the immune system. The second type is characterized by reduced connectivity (hypoconnection) due to the condition of synaptic pathways. Collectively, these groups made up about 25% of the study participants with diagnosed autism.
Alessandro Gozzi, Director of the Center for Neuroscience and Cognitive Systems at the Italian Institute of Technology
For decades, we have observed huge variability in the manifestations of autism, but we lacked direct evidence that these differences reflect different underlying biological mechanisms. Our approach allowed us to identify specific genetic and immune factors, and then transfer these data to human brain scans, showing that different connectivity patterns encode different mechanistic pathways underlying autism.
The scientists noted that the use of mouse models served as a biological "Rosetta stone", which made it possible to compare molecular processes in cells with visual patterns in MRI images. Verification of the data through the international database ABIDE confirmed the reproducibility of the results. According to Adriana Di Martino, director of the Autism Center at the Institute of the Child's Mind, biological markers of the brain reveal differences that current behavioral assessments do not fully capture.
According to the test results, patients from the group with brain hyperconnection showed higher rates of severity of autism symptoms. The researchers emphasize that the discovered types represent only a part of the biological diversity of the disease, but the discovery lays the foundation for the development of personalized medicine strategies and accurate diagnosis in the future.
In an interview with Izvestia on April 2, Vladislav Konkin, a psychotherapist and supervisor of the Department of Psychotherapists at the Three Sisters Clinic, spoke about the hidden signs of autism in adults. According to him, such patients may have difficulty understanding indirect communication, such as hints, irony and flirting. In particular, they may experience increased fatigue from communication and social interactions.
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