Inverse correlation between frontal lobe and cerebellum sizes in children with autism.

Abstract

Certain cognitive and behavioural deficits suggest that the frontal lobe functions abnormally in patients with autism, but little anatomical research is available to either verify or refute this. In contrast, several neuropathological and neuroimaging studies have demonstrated anatomical abnormalities in the cerebellum in autistic patients. The current study shows that frontal lobe cortex volume is increased in a subset of patients with autism and that this increase correlates with the degree of cerebellar abnormality. This evidence of concurrent structural abnormalities in both the frontal lobe and the cerebellum has important implications for understanding the development and persistence of the autistic disorder.