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The journey to autism: Insights from neuroimaging studies of infants and toddlers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 June 2017

Jason J. Wolff Open the ORCID record for Jason J. Wolff [Opens in a new window] ,
Suma Jacob  and
Jed T. Elison
Jason J. Wolff*
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Suma Jacob
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
Jed T. Elison*
Affiliation:
University of Minnesota
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jason J. Wolff or Jed T. Elison, University of Minnesota, 250 EdSciB, 56 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455; E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected].
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Jason J. Wolff or Jed T. Elison, University of Minnesota, 250 EdSciB, 56 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455; E-mail: [email protected] or [email protected].
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Abstract

By definition, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that emerges during early childhood. It is during this time that infants and toddlers transition from appearing typical across multiple domains to exhibiting the behavioral phenotype of ASD. Neuroimaging studies focused on this period of development have provided crucial knowledge pertaining to this process, including possible mechanisms underlying pathogenesis of the disorder and offering the possibility of prodromal or presymptomatic prediction of risk. In this paper, we review findings from structural and functional brain imaging studies of ASD focused on the first years of life and discuss implications for next steps in research and clinical applications.

Type
Regular Articles
Information
Development and Psychopathology , Volume 30 , Issue 2 , May 2018 , pp. 479 - 495
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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Footnotes

This work was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health under Grants K01 MH101653 (to J.J.W.) and RO1 MH104324 (to J.T.E.) and by a University of Minnesota/Mayo Clinic Partnership Grant (to S.J.)

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