Imaging of autism spectrum disorders

Abstract

Over the past decades, human neuroimaging studies have played a crucial role in identifying the cortical mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Taken together, these studies suggest that ASD is accompanied by an atypical development of the brain during early childhood, which leads to differences in brain anatomy, functioning, and connectivity during adolescence and adulthood. This chapter provides an overview of neuroimaging findings examining the brain in ASD across the human lifespan, with particular focus on brain structure and connectivity. Secondly, the chapter introduces the findings of recent neuroimaging studies examining measures of cortical gyrification. These are particularly sensitive to environmental factors and may hence be used to disentangle the influence of genetic and non-genetic factors on the cortical pathology of ASD. Last, the chapter reviews the emerging literature examining sex differences in the brain in order to establish the neurobiological underpinnings of risk and resilience for ASD.