A range of brain developmental disorders that are characterized by qualitative abnormalities in behavior and higher cognitive functions, which affect the development of social interaction and/or communication skills.
Published in Chapter:
Analysis of 3D Corpus Callosum Images in the Brains of Autistic Individuals
Ahmed Elnakib (University of Louisville, USA & Masnoura University, Egypt), Manuel F. Casanova (University of Louisville, USA), Ahmed Soliman (University of Louisville, USA), Georgy Gimel'farb (The University of Auckland, New Zealand), and Ayman El-Baz (University of Louisville, USA)
Copyright: © 2016
|Pages: 26
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-4666-8828-5.ch008
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by abnormalities in behavior and higher cognitive functions. The corpus callosum (CC) is the largest fiber bundle that connects the left and the right cerebral hemispheres of the human brain. Several studies have revealed an abnormal anatomy of the CC in the brains of autistic individuals that associates this neurodevelopmental condition with impaired communication between the hemispheres. In this chapter, we develop a framework to analyze the CC of autistic individuals in order to provide a diagnostic tool for autism. The key advantage of this approach is the development of a cylindrical mapping that offers simplified coordinates for comparing the brains of autistic individuals and neurotypicals. Experimental results showed significant differences (at the 95% confidence level) between 17 normal and 17 autistic subjects in four anatomical divisions, i.e. splenium, rostrum, genu, and body of their CCs. Moreover, the initial centerline-based shape analysis of the CC documented a promising supplement to the current techniques for diagnosing autism.