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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 th
by jasode 12y ago
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 http://www.ted.com/talks/sebastian_seung
- rstoner 12y agoAgree 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
- saalweachter 12y agoI 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?
- deleted 12y ago[deleted]
- Spooky23 12y agoThat'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.
- timwaagh 12y agobecause 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.
- redofrac 12y agoTo 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.
- mattmcknight 12y agoI 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.