Ultrasounds help to Predict the Likelihood of Autism in Newborns

Helen Holmes February 26, 2013

Conducting an ultrasound test days after the baby is born can be used to predict the likelihood of the child developing autism, a new study suggests.

Autism is among the most common of mental disorders that, until today, are the least understood. There have been many theories about the actual causes of autism but there has been no concrete scientific evidence. Because of its vague nature, it has become a challenge for doctors to provide preventive measures to children and adults at risk of autism. In fact, until today, scientists are not sure yet at what age the disorder actually begins.

The study, which was led by the Michigan State University, found that newborns with low birth weight were seven times more likely to develop autism later in life. That is if their ultrasound results show that they have enlarged ventricles in the brain – the area that stores spinal fluid.

According to Tammy Movsas, the lead author and a clinical assistant professor of paediatrics at MSU, the study shows that an ultrasound within the first few days of life can help detect brain abnormalities that indicate a higher risk of autism.

For their research, Movsas and colleagues analysed the data of 1,105 low-birth-weight infants born in mid 1980s, and who had cranial ultrasound just after birth. The researchers also screened the participants at the age of 16 for autism. Others were tested at the age of 21.

Nigel Paneth, the study co-author and an epidemiologist at MSU, said their findings suggest that further research is needed to better understand what is about the loss of white matter that interferes with the neurological processes that determine autism. He considers it as a clue towards the underlying brain issues behind the disorder.

In their report, which was published in the Journal of Paediatrics, the researchers wrote that premature babies usually have ventricular enlargement – a brain abnormality that indicates the loss of a brain tissue called white matter. Previous studies have linked problems in the white matter with other mental disorders, including dementia, Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis.

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Source of this article:

Ultrasound reveals autism risk at birth