Simple MRI brain scan offers autism diagnosis in 15 minutes

Published on Tuesday 10 August 2010 14:04

A SIMPLE brain scan could help diagnose autistic adults and children in just 15 minutes, researchers believe.

Scientists have developed a pioneering new method to identify areas in the brain that indicate if someone has autism, which can be a lengthy process to diagnose using current methods.

Tests in adults found the technique picked up the condition with more than 90 per cent accuracy.

The team, from King's College London, hope that in future the method could lead to screening for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in children, making sure they can then be directed to the best services and support at an early stage.

The researchers, writing in the Journal of Neuroscience, studied 20 healthy adults, 20 adults with ASD, and 19 adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which shares some symptoms with ASD. After being diagnosed by traditional methods - including an IQ test, psychiatric interview and physical examination - the scientists used the brain scanning technique as a comparison.

The team first used an MRI scanner to take pictures of the brain. They then used software to reconstruct these scans into 3D images which are assessed by computer to look at the structure, shape and thickness of different parts of the brain.

Intricate measurements in the brain can reveal if someone has an autism spectrum disorder, which includes conditions such as Asperger's syndrome, which are caused by abnormalities in brain development.

The condition affects about 1 per cent of people in the UK - more than half a million people - but many of these have not been diagnosed.

Until now, diagnosis has mainly relied on personal accounts from friends or relatives close to the patient, which scientists said was a long and drawn-out process hinged on the reliability of this account and required a team of experts to interpret the information.

Researcher Dr Christine Ecker said: "The value of this rapid and accurate tool to diagnose ASD is immense. It could help to alleviate the need for the emotional, time-consuming and expensive diagnosis process which ASD patients and families currently have to endure. We now look forward to testing if our methods can also help children."

Professor Declan Murphy, who led the research, added: "We think that our new method will help people with ASD to be diagnosed more quickly and cost effectively. Most importantly their diagnosis will be based on an objective 'biomarker' and not simply on the opinion of a clinician which is formed after an interview.

"Being diagnosed means patients can take the next steps to get help and improve their quality of life. People with autism are affected in different ways; some can lead relatively independent lives while others need specialist support."

Uta Frith, emeritus professor of cognitive development at University College London, said: "This study shows that the subtle brain abnormalities associated with autism show a distinctive pattern. However, it will need many more studies before the technique used in this study can be used for diagnosis."

Case Study: James Christie, 45

James Christie was not diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome - a form of autism - until he was 37.

Now 45, he has experienced prejudice and work problems due to his condition. He said he was almost pushed into a nervous breakdown in one job.

"Autism is a broad spectrum disorder," he said. "The symptoms vary and in my case I have very few external symptoms. "I can look people in the eye, I can shake their hand.

"However, what they found in my case was that my information processing abilities were completely stuffed," said Mr Christie, who lives in Glasgow.

But like many people with Asperger's, he is articulate, has excellent writing ability and had a high IQ.