Most Autistic People Have Normal Brain Anatomy | Hacker News Reader

Most Autistic People Have Normal Brain Anatomy

blogs.discovermagazine.com

49 pointsDiabloD314 comments

The penultimate sentences at the bottom of the article should be at the top. (But then again, if they were at the top, people might skip reading the rest of the article.):

>It’s important to remember, however, that this paper only considered brain anatomy. It doesn’t contradict studies looking at brain function, nor does it relate to microanatomy or neuropathology (i.e. microscope work.)

The less provocative title would have had a more qualified adjective such as "Most Autistic People Have Normal Macro-scale Brain Anatomy"

The article was talking about "gross anatomy" by comparing sizes of MRI scans. There can still be other microscopic brain differences that MRI can't show such as brain wiring. The following TED has some visuals to illustrate it. (I don't think the speaker from MIT did the best job explaining it but his graphics are interesting.)

http://www.ted.com/talks/sebastian_seung

Agree 100%. It doesn't even have to be connectivity (brain wiring). There have been plenty of studies that have found a variety of different neuropathologies at the cellular scale.

/postdoc

I think the more important line is at the top.

> ... they included structural MRI scans from 539 people diagnosed with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 573 controls ...

Why did the study not include individuals across the autism spectrum?

That's a good question -- i would ask whether a "high functioning" person is really afflicted with the same physical symptoms as someone with a profoundly disabling autism disorder?

Until recently, these folks would not have been diagnosed with the same disease.

because it muddies the waters. HFA is a fairly defined group but the entire spectrum is a broad category of related disorders. it makes much better sense to do a separate study for other autistic disorders.

To get a structural MRI scan, you need the subject to both be willing to lie inside a a scanner and capable of holding still for a few minutes.

This can be challenging in populations such as autism, and unfortunately often biases studies towards higher-functioning individuals, who tend to have an easier time with this.

I think the point is that there have been a lot of studies related to brain anatomy, and attempts to diagnose using anatomy. These all seem flawed now.

What is a "normal" brain anatomy?

Looking at two motherboard cross sections looking for differences in architecture and performance is a fools errand, and the same goes for your brain. We can glean some information, but it shouldn't have to be said that form is not always a direct match to function.

Autism is a diagnosis. It might be one disease, it might be 10 different diseases.

Then perhaps it's gut bacteria causing it?

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/gut-bacteria-may-p...

Causative factors for anorexia and bulimia were found in gut bacteria.

http://www.neomatica.com/2014/10/08/molecular-origins-eating...

Autism is a BS disease. That should be pretty clear by now. Just like "gluten allergies".

The disease model of psychology is fundamentally flawed from the gate. So there's that.

But fuck you right in the eye for making assumptions about other people's health decisions. Are there people jumping on a trendy gluten bandwagon for no reason? Sure. But the countless first-hand reports of those who had joint pain go away, or reduced sinus problems, or improved acne, or eliminated irritable bowel syndrome: clearly that must all be psycho-somatic, right?

Maybe other people know more about their own bodies (and minds) than you do, and if they're wrong (or mindlessly following what's hip), that's their prerogative.

Apologies. That struck a nerve.

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