Autistic brains "organised differently"

Autistic brains are organised differently than other brains, explaining why people with autism often have extraordinary abilities when dealing with visual information, a new study has revealed. 

The study, run by scientists at the University of Montreal, found that the areas that process visual information are highly developed in autistic brains. The extra development in these areas is why austistic people can draw very detailed pictures and recall specific information that others cannot.

However, this means that there is less space for, and less development of the brain areas that deal with decision-making and planning, which negatively affects the social aspects of their lives.

The study has recently been published in the journal Human Brain Mapping, and brings together over a decade of work on autism.

Autism is a lifelong developmental disability that affects people’s abilities to communicate effectively and interact socially.

Dr. Laurent Mottron of the University of Montreal, who participated in the study, explained: “The natural tendency is to think that autism is a form of disorganization. Here what we see is a reorganization of the brain."

The study highlights the fact that autism is not just a behavioural disorder, but that it is also linked to specific skills not found in others. The researchers hope that the findings, which offer a clearer picture of autism, will help to improve the lives of people living with the disorder.

There are over half a million people living with autism in the UK.

Autism is found within the Autism Spectrum Disorder, which includes a wide range of disorders associated with social problems and specific behaviours. Asperger’s Syndrome is also a spectrum disorder.

Last month, a study run at the University of North Carolina linked autism spectrum disorders to a single protein.

When tested on mice, it was found that the protein Shank3 stopped effective communication between the brain cells and resulted in behaviours associated with autism.

There is hope that this study will help lead to drug treatments of the disorder.