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Macrocephaly, Corpus Callosum Morphology, and Autism

Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

Erin D. Bigler, PhD

Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Howard B. Cleavinger, PhD

Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

David F. Tate, PhD

Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, Brown University Training Consortium, Providence, RI

Jamie Sayer, BS

Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT

William McMahon, MD

Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Sally Ozonoff, PhD

The M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA

Jeff Lu, MD

Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Janet E. Lainhart, MD

Departments of Psychiatry and Radiology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT

Although the cause of autism is undetermined, a general consensus has been that some type of early aberrant neural development underlies the disorder. Given the increased prevalence of macrocephaly in autism, one theory of abnormal neural development implicates early brain growth resulting in larger brain and head size in autism. Surface area measurements of the midsagittal section of the corpus callosum can be used as an index of neural development and white-matter integrity because the corpus callosum is the major white-matter structure that interconnects the two cerebral hemispheres. The purpose of this study was to obtain corpus callosum surface area, shape, and contour in a sample of non—mentally retarded autistic subjects with macrocephaly (n = 12) and compare them with those of matched (n = 8), typically developing control subjects with benign macrocephaly. No significant differences were found in surface area, shape, or contour between groups, nor did corpus callosum surface area relate to measures of IQ or picture vocabulary. These findings suggest no unique difference in overall regional corpus callosum surface area in autism with macrocephaly. (J Child Neurol 2005;20:34—41).

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