Brain Circuitry Yields Clue to Autism

A problem with a certain brain circuit may be one reason why 7-month-old infants who later develop autism are slower to shift their gaze and attention from one object to another, compared with infants who do not develop autism.

That's the finding of a study that included 97 children who underwent an eye-tracking test and brain scan at age 7 months and a full clinical assessment at age 25 months.

The results showed that infants later diagnosed with autism were about 50 milliseconds slower in shifting their gaze from one object to another, compared with those who did not develop autism.

The study, also found that gaze shifting in infants who did not develop autism was linked with a specific circuit in the brain. This association was not found in infants who later developed autism.

These findings suggest that 7-month-old who go on to develop autism show subtle yet overt behavioural differences prior to the emergence of the disorder. They also implicate a specific neural circuit ... which may not be functioning as it does in typically developing infants, who show more rapid orienting to visual stimuli.

Autism is a developmental disability that can cause significant social, communication and behavioural challenges.