Autism Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Autism, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, causes, effects.

Neuropathological and genetic findings in autism: the significance of a putative minicolumnopathy.

Casanova MF

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences University of Louisville, 500 South Preston Street, Louisville, KY, USA. m0casa02@lousiville.edu

Autism is a condition manifested as abnormalities of relatedness, communication, range of interests, and repetitive behaviors. Despite alarming prevalence estimates and exhortations to research, little is known regarding its pathophysiology. Recent reports of a putative minicolumnopathy explain changes in brain size, gray/white matter ratios, and interareal connectivity. This article summarizes possible links between minicolumns and other topics-cortical modularity, age of onset, gliosis, and genetics-relevant to the pathophysiology of autism.

Published 7 September 2006 in Neuroscientist, 12(5): 435-41.
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