title: MRI Surface-Based Brain Morphometry in Egyptian Autistic and Typically Developing Children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The verbal abilities of autistic children differ from those of typically developing ones and they also differ among autistic children themselves. Neuroanatomical changes and an abnormal organization of functional networks are expected to accompany such a neurodevelopmental disorder. The aim of this study was to delineate the brain neuroanatomical changes in Egyptian children with autism and to compare them with previous studies in order to add more insight into the global brain imaging deviations linked to autism.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-five autistic children and 25 typically developing children underwent MRI. Further analysis was performed using surface-based morphometry to obtain cortical thickness, brain volume, and cortical complexity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  MRI analysis results revealed significantly greater cortical thickness, cortical complexity, and gray matter volume in the autistic as compared to the control group. On the other hand, the white matter volume was significantly smaller.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings generally align with findings in previous studies, except for occasional differences.
authors.affiliation: Unit of Phoniatrics, Department of Otolaryngology, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
authors.forename: Marwa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Saleh
authors.forename: Neveen Hassan
authors.initials: NH
authors.lastname: Nashaat
authors.forename: Cherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Fahim
authors.forename: Ahmed Samir
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Nagwa
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Meguid
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D004534:Egypt; D005260:Female; D066128:Gray Matter / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007090:Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D008297:Male; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D012016:Reference Values