title: Clinical neurological abnormalities in young adults with Asperger syndrome.
abstract: Children with Asperger syndrome (AS), a neurodevelopmental disorder falling in the autism spectrum disorders, have an increased rate of neurological abnormalities, especially in motor coordination. While AS is a lifelong condition, little is known about the persistence of neurological abnormalities in adulthood. Twenty young adults with AS were compared with 10 healthy controls using a structured clinical neurological rating scale. The score for neurological abnormalities was higher in the AS group. In addition, a subscore for neurological soft signs indicating defective functioning of the central nervous system with a non-localizing value was significantly higher in the AS subjects. This preliminary study indicates that neurological abnormalities, soft signs in particular, represent a non-specific vulnerability factor for AS. Consistent with other features of AS, neurological abnormalities seem to persist into adulthood.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, and Institute of Biomedicine, Department of Physiology, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. pekka.tani@pp.inet.fi
authors.forename: Pekka
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Tani
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lindberg
authors.forename: Björn
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Appelberg
authors.forename: Taina
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nieminen-von Wendt
authors.forename: Lennart
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: von Wendt
authors.forename: Tarja
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Porkka-Heiskanen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000002:abnormalities* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D015995:Prevalence; D012720:Severity of Illness Index