Corpus callosum volume in children with autism

Hardan, Antonio Y.; Pabalan, Melissa; Gupta, Nidhi; Bansal, Rahul; Melhem, Nadine M.; Fedorov, Serguei; Keshavan, Matcheri S.; Minshew, Nancy J.

doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2009.03.005

« Previous Next »Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging
Volume 174, Issue 1 , Pages 57-61, 30 October 2009

Corpus callosum volume in children with autism

Antonio Y. Hardan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
- Corresponding author. 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA 94305, USA. Tel.: +1 650 723 5511; fax: +1 650 724 7389.
Melissa Pabalan
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Nidhi Gupta
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
Rahul Bansal
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
Nadine M. Melhem
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
Serguei Fedorov
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA
Matcheri S. Keshavan
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel and Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Nancy J. Minshew
- Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

Received 14 April 2008; received in revised form 22 November 2008; accepted 16 March 2009.

Abstract

The corpus callosum (CC) is the main commissure connecting the cerebral hemispheres. Previous evidence suggests the involvement of the CC in the pathophysiology of autism. However, most studies examined the mid-sagittal area and investigations applying novel methods are warranted. The goal of this investigation is to apply a volumetric method to examine the size of the CC in autism and to identify any association with clinical features. An MRI-based morphometric study of the total CC volume and its seven subdivisions was conducted and involved 22 children with autism (age range 8.1–12.7 years) and 23 healthy, age-matched controls. Reductions in the total volume of the CC and several of its subdivisions were found in the autism sample. Associations were observed between CC structures and clinical features including social deficits, repetitive behaviors, and sensory abnormalities. Volumetric alterations of the CC observed in this investigation are consistent with midsagittal area tracings of decreased CC size in autism. These findings support the aberrant connectivity hypothesis with possible decrease in interhemispheric communications.

Keywords: MRI, White matter, Clinical symptoms, Sensory deficits