Editors' Note

Abstract

Editors' Note: In “Long-term cerebral white and gray matter changes after preeclampsia,” the authors found that preeclampsia was associated with chronic temporal lobe white matter changes and reduced cortical volume in young women; the changes were consistent with persistent inflammation. Dr. Culebras proposes that sleep apnea may be a contributing factor as pregnancy increases the risk of sleep apnea, which leads to inflammation and vascular morbidities, all of which may persist after pregnancy. Authors Siepmann et al. note that recent research shows an increased risk of stroke in patients with obstructive sleep apnea, possibly facilitated by intermittent hypoxia and vascular dysregulation. These mechanisms may relate to the authors' findings given the autonomic neurovascular dysfunction caused by preeclampsia. In “The autism ‘epidemic’: Ethical, legal, and social issues in a developmental spectrum disorder,” the authors emphasized the importance of early screening and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Machado et al. recommend assessing anatomic brain connectivity using the diffusion-weighted MRI technique and functional brain connectivity using EEG coherence calculations as part of the ASD diagnostic workup. Authors Graf et al. caution against this practice, citing that many studies fail to consistently implicate a specific neural network responsible for autism. The authors conclude that techniques such as those described by Machado et al. have a role in ASD research, but not yet in its routine clinical diagnosis. —Megan Alcauskas, MD, and Steven Galetta, MD Editors' Note: In “Long-term cerebral white and gray matter changes after preeclampsia,” the authors found that preeclampsia was associated with chronic temporal lobe white matter changes and reduced cortical volume in young women; the changes were consistent with persistent inflammation.