Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Brief Report: Abnormal Association Between the Thalamus and Brain Size in Asperger’s Disorder

  • Brief Report
  • Published:
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between thalamic volume and brain size in individuals with Asperger’s disorder (ASP). Volumetric measurements of the thalamus were performed on MRI scans obtained from 12 individuals with ASP (age range: 10–35 years) and 12 healthy controls (age range: 9–33 years). A positive correlation was found between total brain volume and thalamic size in controls, but not in ASP subjects. This occurred in the absence of differences in mean thalamic volumes between the study groups. Findings from this investigation point to an abnormal relationship between the thalamus and its projection areas in ASP and are consistent with similar studies in autism, supporting that these disorders are qualitatively similar and possibly quantitatively different.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • American Psychiatric Association (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Aylward, E. H., Anderson, N. B., Bylsma, F. W., Wagster, M. V., Barta, P. E., Sherr, M., Feeney, J., Davis, A., Rosenblatt, A., Pearlson, G. D., & Ross, C. A. (1998). Frontal lobe volume in patients with Huntington’s disease. Neurology, 50, 252–258.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Aylward, E. H., Minshew, N. J., Field, K., Sparks, B. F., & Singh, N. (2002). Effects of age on brain volume and head circumference in autism. Neurology, 59, 175–183.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Casanova, M. F., Buxhoeveden, D. P., Switala, A. E., & Roy, E. (2002). Asperger’s syndrome and cortical neuropathology. Journal of Child Neurology, 17, 142–145.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cederlund, M., & Gillberg, C. (2004). One hundred males with Asperger syndrome: A clinical study of background and associated factors. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 46, 652–660.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cicchetti, D. V. (1994). Multiple comparison methods: Establishing guidelines for their valid application in neuropsychological research. Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, 16, 55–161.

    Google Scholar 

  • Damasio, A. R., & Maurer, R. G. (1978). A neurological model for childhood autism. Archives of Neurology, 35, 777–786.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Frith, U. (2004). Emanuel Miller lecture: Confusions and controversies about Asperger syndrome. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 672–686.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Gilbert, A. R., Rosenberg, D. R., Harenski, K., Spencer, S., Sweeney, J. A., & Keshavan, M. S. (2001). Thalamic volumes in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychiatry, 158, 618–624.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gillberg, C., & de Souza, L. (2002). Head circumference in autism, Asperger syndrome, and ADHD: A comparative study. Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology, 44, 296–300.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hardan, A. Y., Girgis, R. R., Adams, J., Gilbert, A. R., Keshavan, M. S., & Minshew, N. J. (2006). Abnormal brain size effect on the thalamus in autism. Psychiatry Research: Neuroimaging, 147, 145–151.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hardan, A. Y., Minshew, N. J., Mallikarjuhn, M., & Keshavan, M. S. (2001). Brain volume in autism. Journal of Child Neurology, 16, 421–424.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hardan, A. Y., Kilpatrick, M., Keshavan, M. S., & Minshew, N. J. (2003). Motor performance and anatomic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the basal ganglia in autism. Journal of Child Neurology, 18, 317–324.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haznedar, M. M., Buchsbaum, M. S., Hazlett, E. A., LiCalzi, E. M., Cartwright, C., & Hollander, E. (2006). Volumetric analysis and three-dimensional glucose metabolic mapping of the striatum and thalamus in patients with autism spectrum disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 1252–1263.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Haznedar, M. M., Buchsbaum, M. S., Wei, T. C., Hof, P. R., Cartwright, C., Bienstock, C. A., & Hollander, E. (2000). Limbic circuitry in patients with autism spectrum disorders studied with positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance imaging. American Journal of Psychiatry, 157, 1994–2001.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Hollingshead, A. B. (1975). Four factor index of social status. New Haven, CT: Yale University Department of Sociology.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Rutter, M., Goode, S., Heemsbergen, J., Jordan, H., Mawhood, L., & Schopler, E. (1989). Autism diagnostic observation schedule: A standardized observation of communicative and social behavior. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 19, 185–212.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lord, C., Rutter, M., & LeCouteur, A. (1994). Autism diagnostic interview-revised: A revised version of a diagnostic interview for caregivers of individuals with possible pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 24, 659–685.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lotspeich, L. J., Kwon, H., Schumann, C. M., Fryer, S. L., Goodlin-Jones, B. L., Buonocore, M. H., Lammers, C. R., Amaral, D. G., & Reiss, A. L. (2004). Investigation of neuroanatomical differences between autism and Asperger syndrome. Archives of General Psychiatry, 61, 291–298.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Loukusa, S., Leinonen, E., Jussila, K., Mattila, M. L., Ryder, N., Ebeling, H., & Moilanen, I. (2006). Answering contextually demanding questions: Pragmatic errors produced by children with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism. Journal of Communication Disorders [Epub].

  • McAlonan, G. M., Daly, E., Kumari, V., Critchley, H. D., van Amelsvoort, T., Suckling, J., Simmons, A., Sigmundsson, T., Greenwood, K., Russell, A., Schmitz, N., Happe, F., Howlin, P., & Murphy, D. G. (2002). Brain anatomy and sensorimotor gating in Asperger’s syndrome. Brain, 125, 1594–1606.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nieminen-von Wendt, T., Metsahonkala, L., Kulomaki, T., Aalto, S., Autti, T., Vanhala, R., & von Wendt, L. (2003). Changes in cerebral blood flow in Asperger syndrome during theory of mind tasks presented by the auditory route. European Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 12, 178–189.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • O’Leary, D. D., & Nakagawa, Y. (2002). Patterning centers, regulatory genes and extrinsic mechanisms controlling arealization of the neocortex. Current Opinion in Neurobiology, 12, 14–25.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ongur, D., & Price, J. L. (2000). The organization of networks within the orbital and medial prefrontal cortex of rats, monkeys and humans. Cerebral Cortex, 10, 206–219.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Piven, J., Arndt, S., Bailey, J., & Andreasen, N. (1996). Regional brain enlargement in autism: A magnetic resonance imaging study. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 35, 530–536.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rasband, W. (1997). NIH image manual. Bethesda, MD: National Institutes of Health.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schumann, C. M., Hamstra, J., Goodlin-Jones, B. L., Lotspeich, L. J., Kwon, H., Buonocore, M. H., Lammers, C. R., Reiss, A. L., & Amaral, D. G. (2004). The amygdala is enlarged in children but not adolescents with autism; the hippocampus is enlarged at all ages. Journal of Neuroscience, 24, 6392–6401.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sherman, S. M., & Guillery, R. W. (1998). On the actions that one nerve cell can have on another: Distinguishing “drivers” from “modulators”. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 95, 7121–7126.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sherman, S. M., & Guillery, R. W. (2002). The role of the thalamus in the flow of information to the cortex. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences, 357, 1695–1708.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tsatsanis, K. D., Rourke, B. P., Klin, A., Volkmar, F. R., Cicchetti, D., & Schultz, R. T. (2003). Reduced thalamic volume in high-functioning individuals with autism. Biological Psychiatry, 53, 121–129.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Volkmar, F. R., Lord, C., Bailey, A., Schultz, R. T., & Klin, A. (2004). Autism and pervasive developmental disorders. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 45, 135–170.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by NIMH grant MH 64027 (to Dr. Hardan), and NICHD grant HD 35469 and NINDS grant NS 33355 (to Dr. Minshew). This study was also supported by an NICHD Collaborative Program of Excellence in Autism (CPEA). We would like to gratefully acknowledge the effort and commitment of the participants and their families in this study.

Author information

Author notes

  1. Ragy R. Girgis

    Present address: Department of Psychiatry, College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, and New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA

  2. Matcheri S. Keshavan

    Present address: Department of Psychiatry, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychiatry, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Antonio Y. Hardan, Ragy R. Girgis, Jason Adams, Andrew R. Gilbert, Nadine M. Melhem, Matcheri S. Keshavan & Nancy J. Minshew

  2. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Antonio Y. Hardan

Authors
  1. Antonio Y. Hardan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Ragy R. Girgis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Jason Adams
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Andrew R. Gilbert
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nadine M. Melhem
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Matcheri S. Keshavan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Nancy J. Minshew
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Antonio Y. Hardan.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Hardan, A.Y., Girgis, R.R., Adams, J. et al. Brief Report: Abnormal Association Between the Thalamus and Brain Size in Asperger’s Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 38, 390–394 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0385-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-007-0385-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation