1Division of Child Health Care, Children’s Hospital of Fudan University, Shanghai 201102, China
2Division of Neuropsychology, Center of Neurology, Hertie Institute of Clinical Brain Research, University of Tu¨bingen, 72076 Tu¨bingen, Germany
3Department of Psychology, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA

Abstract 

Searching for effective biomarkers is one of the most challenging tasks in the research field of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) provides a non-invasive and powerful tool for investigating changes in the structure, function, maturation, connectivity, and metabolism of the brain of children with ASD. Here, we review the more recent MRI studies in young children with ASD, aiming to provide candidate biomarkers for the diagnosis of childhood ASD. The review covers structural imaging methods, diffusion tensor imaging, resting-state functional MRI, and magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Future advances in neuroimaging techniques, as well as cross-disciplinary studies and large-scale collaborations will be needed for an integrated approach linking neuroimaging, genetics, and phenotypic data to allow the discovery of new, effective biomarkers.

Keywords

Autism Spectrum Disorder,Biomarker,Neuroimaging,Structural MRI,Diffusion tensor imaging,Resting-state functional MRI,Magnetic resonance spectroscopy,Children,Human

[SpringerLink]