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Unfavourable Left-Right Asymmetries of the Brain and Autism: A Question of Methodology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Luke Tsai ,
Charles G. Jacoby ,
Mark A. Stewart  and
Jean M. Beisler
Luke Tsai
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry
Charles G. Jacoby
Affiliation:
Department of Radiology
Mark A. Stewart
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry
Jean M. Beisler
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry University of Iowa College of Medicine, 500 Newton Road, Iowa City, Iowa 52242- U.S.A.
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Summary

Thirty-six patients with infantile autism and various neurological disorders underwent computerized tomographic (CT) scanning of the brain. All CT scans were assessed blindly and independently by a diagnostic radiologist. Two techniques modified from two previous studies were used for measuring parieto-occipital asymmetry. The frequency of reversed asymmetry in autistic patients was the same as that in patients with various neurological disorders, and there was no significant association between reversed asymmetry and delayed language development. The study does not support the concept that unfavourable morphological asymmetries of the brain near the posterior language zone may contribute to the difficulties autistic children experience in acquiring language. Methodological difficulties and the design of new studies are discussed.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 140 , Issue 3 , March 1982 , pp. 312 - 319
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1982 

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