Autism begins already after birth * a relationship between premature births, late births, and low birth weight and autism at an older age

An ultrasound examination immediately after birth will make it possible to locate babies suspected of developing autism * One of the accompanying conclusions of the researchers is that the chance of developing autism has nothing to do with vaccines


Babies with low birth weight and a certain asymmetry in the brain have a high risk of having autism. This is according to a new study that may provide doctors with a means of early detection of the disease whose mechanism is only partially understood.
The researchers, led by a researcher from the University of Michigan, found that low birth weight was 7 times more common in those who were later diagnosed with autism. For some of them who underwent an ultrasound examination immediately after birth, it was found that the brain cavity, the place where the spinal fluid is stored, was enlarged. The findings appear in the Journal of Pediatrics.
For many years, the controversial claim that environmental factors influence the development of autism has been prevalent in the public, and the question has always been at what age a child begins to develop autism," says Tami Movsas, professor of clinical pediatrics and director of the public health department at the Midland Institute, who was also the main author of the article.
"What the research shows us is that a simple ultrasound scan during the first days of the baby's life will make it possible to detect disruptions in the brain that indicate a high risk of developing autism."

Movsas and her colleagues came to the conclusion after analyzing data from 1,105 children born in the mid-16s and whose birth weight was low. In addition, for various reasons, an ultrasound examination was performed on these children immediately after birth, so that the researchers could find a connection between disorders in the structure of the brain during infancy and health disorders that appeared later. The participants were also scanned for autism when they were 21 years old and for some of them more comprehensive tests were conducted at the age of 14, of which XNUMX were diagnosed as having autism.

The enlargement of the brain cavity, which is often diagnosed in premature babies, may indicate the loss of a certain type of tissue in the brain known as the "white matter". The researchers say that further studies are needed to understand what the loss of white matter means and whether it is involved in neurological processes that result in autism." says Nigel Paneth, an epidemiologist at MSU who helped organize the medical records of the children who participated in the study. "This is an important clue to understanding the process of autism."

Previous studies have shown a high rate of autism among children born with low birth weight and preterm, and a previous study by Mobsas and Panth found a modest increase in symptoms among autistic children born too early or too late.
The research was awarded a grant from the National Institutes of Health.

to the notice of the researchers