From: unk...@googlegroups.com   
      
   CBS/AP   
   March 27, 2014, 11:58 AM   
      
   For children with autism, brain abnormalities may begin in utero   
      
      
   Children with autism may have irregular clusters of neurons in the brain,   
   according to a paper published on Wednesday, March 27 in the New England   
   Journal of Medicine. The findings suggest brain abnormalities in children with   
   autism can be traced back to    
   prenatal development.   
      
   The small study involved children ages 2 to 15, and was partially funded by   
   the National Institute of Mental Health -- part of the National Institutes of   
   Health -- and the Allen Institute for Brain Science in Seattle.   
      
   Clusters of disorganized brain cells were discovered in tissue samples from   
   brain regions important for regulating social functioning, emotions and   
   communication -- which can all be troublesome for children with autism.   
      
   The abnormalities were found in 10 of 11 children with autism, but in only one   
   of 11 children without the disorder. The children's brains were donated to   
   science after death; causes of death included drowning, accidents, asthma and   
   heart problems.   
      
   "Because this points to the biological onset in prenatal life, it calls   
   sharply into question other popular notions about autism," including the   
   scientifically debunked theory that childhood vaccines might be involved, said   
   lead author Eric Courchesne,    
   an autism researcher at the University of California, San Diego.   
      
   The authors said the clusters, detected with sophisticated lab tests, are   
   likely defects that occurred during the second or third trimesters of   
   pregnancy. "It could be gene mutations and environmental factors together,"   
   said Courchesne.   
      
   Scientists have been working for decades to find the cause of autism, and they   
   increasingly believe its origins begin before birth. In addition to genetics,   
   previous research suggests other factors might include infections during   
   pregnancy, preterm birth    
   and fathers' older age at conception.   
      
   About 1 in 88 children in the U.S. have one of the autistic spectrum   
   disorders, which include classic autism and a milder form, Asperger syndrome.   
      
   Dr. Melissa Nishawala, director of autism for the New York University Child   
   Study Center, told "CBS This Morning" that these findings can help scientists   
   locate biomarkers associated with autism and intervene earlier in a baby's   
   development.   
      
   "We want intervene in that first year of life to know something so we can   
   start to change what we do and we can help coax and nudge those brain pathways   
   into connections," said Nishawala, who was not involved in the study.   
      
   Other experts not involved in the new study called the results preliminary and   
   said larger studies are needed to determine if the unusual brain development   
   found in the study causes problems, and if it is truly common in autism or   
   even in people without    
   the disorder.   
      
   Other scientists have suggested that autism may be linked with abnormalities   
   in the brain's frontal region, and that for at least some children, problems   
   begin before birth.   
      
      
   http://www.cbsnews.com/news/for-children-with-autism-brain-abnor   
   alities-may-begin-in-utero/   
      
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