Sung-Yeon Park1, Se-Hong Oh1,
Hyo-Woon Yoon1, Young-Bo Kim1, Zang-Hee Cho1,
Keun-Ah Cheon2
1Neuroscience Research Institute,
Gachon University of Medicine and Science, Incheon, Korea, Republic of; 22Division
of child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Kwandong
University College of Medicine, Kyunggi-Do, Korea, Republic of
Autism
spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by qualitative impairments of
reciprocal social interaction and deficits in communication, and stereotyped
or repetitive pattern of behavior. A few reports have shown the abnormalities
of white matter in autism using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), however there
is still lack of evidence showing strong relation to abnormalities in white
matter structural integrity with autism. We enrolled thirty four male
subjects (17 ASD, 17 healthy controls, matched on age, IQ, handedness.). Our
preliminary findings which showed significant reduction of FA in white matter
structure related social cognition in ASD subjects compared control subjects
support previous findings that social brain structure may be disrupted in
ASD. These findings will help on understanding of more advanced
neurobiological basis underlying the social deficits in ASD.