Brain activity varies with age in children with autistic traits

A recent study published in the American Journal of Psychiatry reveals that brain activity patterns in children with autistic traits differ based on their age. Conducted by researchers at Washington University Medicine, the study examined brain scans from 545 children aged 5 to 15 while they watched a 10-minute clip of the animated movie Despicable Me inside an MRI machine.

The researchers discovered that as children watched the film, their brain activity settled into one of three patterns, or activation states. These states were characterized by brain regions that handle sight and movement, regions that maintain attention, and regions that process social and emotional information.

For children younger than 9 with more autistic traits, they spent more time in the sight-and-movement activation state compared to their peers with fewer autistic traits. However, for children aged 14 and older, the opposite trend emerged: those with more autistic traits spent more time in the social-and-emotional activation state.

Additionally, the study found that children with more ADHD symptoms, which are commonly co-occurring with autistic traits, spent less time in the attention-related activation state at all ages. While the differences observed in the study were small, the researchers believe that activation states could potentially be used to tailor interventions to a child's age and monitor the effectiveness of treatments.

The findings highlight the importance of considering age-related differences in brain activity patterns when studying autistic traits. Further research is needed to confirm these results and explore the practical applications of this knowledge in clinical settings.