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Brief Report: Life History and Neuropathology of a Gifted Man with Asperger Syndrome

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Abstract

Despite recent interest in the pathogenesis of the autism spectrum disorders (pervasive developmental disorders), neuropathological descriptions of brains of individuals with well documented clinical information and without potentially confounding symptomatology are exceptionally rare. Asperger syndrome differs from classic autism by lack of cognitive impairment or delay in expressive language acquisition. We examined the 1,570 g brain of a 63 year old otherwise healthy mathematician with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder of Asperger subtype. Except for an atypical gyral pattern and megalencephaly, we detected no specific neuropathologic abnormality. Taken together, the behavioral data and pathological findings in this case are compatible with an early neurodevelopmental process affecting multiple neuroanatomic networks, but without a convincing morphologic signature detectable with routine neuropathologic technology.

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Acknowledgments

We thank Dr. Judit Miklossy for performing the autopsy and allowing us access to the tissue, and two anonymous reviewers for their suggestions. Jorge Bermudez, Diana Sazan and Glenna Smith provided expert technical assistance. We thank Barry Mordin for photographic assistance. Supported in part by the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pathology, Montefiore Medical Center, 111 East 210th Street, Bronx, NY, 10467, USA

    Karen M. Weidenheim

  2. Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas, Universidad National Autónoma de Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico

    Alfonso Escobar

  3. Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, Montefiore Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA

    Karen M. Weidenheim & Isabelle Rapin

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA

    Isabelle Rapin

  5. Rose F. Kennedy Center for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, 10461, USA

    Isabelle Rapin

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  1. Karen M. Weidenheim
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  2. Alfonso Escobar
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  3. Isabelle Rapin
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Correspondence to Karen M. Weidenheim.

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Weidenheim, K.M., Escobar, A. & Rapin, I. Brief Report: Life History and Neuropathology of a Gifted Man with Asperger Syndrome. J Autism Dev Disord 42, 460–467 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-011-1259-0

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