{"id":14354,"date":"2022-01-03T14:55:54","date_gmt":"2022-01-03T19:55:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/last-drum.flywheelsites.com\/?p=14354"},"modified":"2024-04-28T17:42:12","modified_gmt":"2024-04-28T22:42:12","slug":"role-of-the-habenula-in-autism-spectrum-disorders-explored","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/autism.org\/role-of-the-habenula-in-autism-spectrum-disorders-explored\/","title":{"rendered":"Role of the habenula in autism spectrum disorders explored"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A new study suggests that a small brain region called the habenula may play a role in autism spectrum disorders (ASD).<\/p>\n

The habenula is a pea-sized structure located near the thalamus. This structure, J\u00fcrgen Germann and colleagues say, \u201chas been identified as the central structure modulating the reward value of social interactions, behavioral adaptation, sensory integration, and circadian rhythm.\u201d All of these, they note, are altered in ASD.<\/p>\n<\/div>

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To examine the volume of the habenula in individuals with and without ASD, the researchers analyzed magnetic resonance imaging data on 220 individuals with ASD and 303 age-matched controls. Subjects were between 6 years and 30 years of age.<\/p>\n

The researchers found that the habenula was significantly enlarged in individuals with ASD compared to controls, a finding seen across the entire age range. Thus, they say, \u201cthe habenula volume difference did not show any evidence of being the product of an altered developmental trajectory.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition, there was no evidence of an association between habenula enlargement and sex or symptom severity on the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). \u201cThe fact that there is a strong effect of diagnosis independent of age, sex, or symptoms severity as assessed by the SRS score,\u201d they say, \u201cmight point to the habenula being implied in a broader range of behavioral symptoms, beyond the classic deficits of social behavior and social interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n

The researchers also report that machine modeling based on habenula volume, age, and sex classified ASD with 85% accuracy and 64% accuracy in cross validation. Germann and colleagues caution that their study has a number of limitations. For instance, it did not include very young children, and the number of female subjects was relatively small. However, they say, \u201cthe robust finding of increased habenula volume in ASD compared to typically developing control subjects provides the first evidence in human subjects of an involvement of the
\nhabenula in some aspect of the pathophysiology of ASD.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014<\/p>\n

\u201cInvolvement of the habenula in the pathophysiology of autism spectrum disorder,\u201d J\u00fcrgen Germann, Flavia Venetucci Gouveia, Helena Brentani, Saashi A. Bedford, Stephanie Tullo, M. Mallar Chakravarty, and Gabriel A. Devenyi, Nature Scientific Reports<\/em>, October 27, 2021 (free online). Address: J\u00fcrgen Germann, University Health Network, 399 Bathurst Street, Toronto, ON, Canada. Address: J\u00fcrgen Germann, germannj@gmail.com<\/p>\n

This article originally appeared in Autism Research Review International, <\/em><\/a>Vol. 35, No. 4, 2021<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>

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