Study Links Extra Brain Cells with Autism

By JANICE WOOD Associate News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on November 10, 2011

A study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego Autism Center of Excellence reveals that boys with autism have an abnormal, excessive number of neurons in areas of the brain associated with social, communication and cognitive development.

The scientists discovered a 67 percent excess of cortical cells — a type of brain cell only made before birth — in children with autism. The findings suggest that the disorder may arise from prenatal processes gone awry, according to lead researcher Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., professor of neurosciences at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of the Autism Center of Excellence.

http://psychcentral.com/news/2011/11/10/study-links-extra-brain-cells-with-autism/31285.html