Regional cerebral glucose metabolism and attention in adults with a history of childhood autism.
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.
Siegel
B V
BV
California College of Medicine, University of California, Irvine.
Asarnow
R
R
Tanguay
P
P
Call
J D
JD
Abel
L
L
Ho
A
A
Lott
I
I
Buchsbaum
M S
MS
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology; D003847:Deoxyglucose / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism; D004292:Dominance, Cerebral / Q000502:physiology*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D014055:Tomography, Emission-Computed
D001786:Blood Glucose; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D003847:Deoxyglucose