Sixteen high-functioning adults with a history of childhood autism and
26 normal control subjects underwent [18F]fluoro-2-deoxyglucose
positron-emission tomography to assess regional cerebral glucose metabolic
rate (GMR). Autistic patients had a left > right anterior rectal gyrus
asymmetry, as opposed to the normal right > left asymmetry in that
region. Patients also showed low GMR in the left posterior putamen and high
GMR in the right posterior calcarine cortex. Brain regions with GMR > 3
SD from the normal mean were more prevalent in patients than in control
subjects. This variable pattern of abnormal activity is consistent with
heterogeneous neurophysiological etiology; group differences in striatum
and cortex may represent a final common pathway.
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