title: Autism as an adaptive common variant pathway for human brain development.
abstract: While research on focal perinatal lesions has provided evidence for recovery of function, much less is known about processes of brain adaptation resulting from mild but widespread disturbances to neural processing over the early years (such as alterations in synaptic efficiency). Rather than being viewed as a direct behavioral consequence of life-long neural dysfunction, I propose that autism is best viewed as the end result of engaging adaptive processes during a sensitive period. From this perspective, autism is not appropriately described as a disorder of neurodevelopment, but rather as an adaptive common variant pathway of human functional brain development.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Department of Psychological Science, Birkbeck, University of London, Henry Wellcome Building, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HX, United Kingdom. Electronic address: mark.johnson@bbk.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Mark H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans