Larger brains in medication naive high-functioning subjects with pervasive developmental disorder.
BACKGROUND
Are brain volumes of individuals with Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) still enlarged in adolescence and adulthood, and if so, is this enlargement confined to the gray and/or the white matter and is it global or more prominent in specific brain regions.


METHODS
Brain MRI scans were made of 21 adolescents with PDD and 21 closely matched controls.


RESULTS
All brain volumes, except the white matter, were significantly larger in patients. After correction for brain volume, ventricular volumes remained significantly larger in patients.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients showed a proportional, global increase in gray matter and cerebellum volume, and a disproportional increase in ventricular volumes. Thus, at least in high-functioning patients with PDD, brain enlargement may still be present in adult life.
Palmen
Saskia J M C
SJ
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands. s.palmen@azu.nl
Hulshoff Pol
Hilleke E
HE
Kemner
Chantal
C
Schnack
Hugo G
HG
Janssen
Joost
J
Kahn
René S
RS
van Engeland
Herman
H
D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities*; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000002:abnormalities; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000002:abnormalities; D002552:Cerebral Ventricles / Q000002:abnormalities; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D039721:Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D014888:Wechsler Scales