Autism could be spotted in the WOMB, study suggests

Could autism be spotted in the WOMB? Babies later diagnosed with the social disorder have a bigger insular lobe, study claims

Autism can be spotted in womb through scans of babies’ brains, scientists say
Babies who went on to develop autism had three larger parts of the brain
Findings suggest increase could predict which babies develop autism later in life

By Emily Craig Health Reporter For Mailonline

Published: 08:30 EDT, 5 April 2022 | Updated: 08:30 EDT, 5 April 2022

Autism could be spotted in the womb — by analysing the brain scans of developing babies, a study suggests.

Harvard Medical School researchers examined ultrasound scans of 39 babies before they were born.

Nine youngsters, who went on to be diagnosed with autism, had a larger than normal insular lobe, results showed.

The area of the brain oversees social behaviour and decision-making, two things that autistic people can struggle with.

The findings suggest a larger insular lobe is a ‘strong’ biomarker which could predict which babies go on to develop autism later in life.

Researchers at Boston Children’s Hospital examined ultrasound scans taken of 40 babies before they were born. Pictured: ultrasound scan of unborn baby’s brain (a and b); a processed image of the scan to remove from other parts of the baby’s and mother’s bodies (c); the brain scan segmented by colours to show the different parts (d); 3D versions of the brain based on the scan results

Scientists do not know exactly what causes autism — but it is sometimes passed on to children from their parents.

And studies suggest that it is more common in children of older parents, as well as mothers who are overweight or suffer pregnancy complications.

What are the signs of autism?

Signs of autism in young children include:

Not responding to their name
Avoiding eye contact
Not smiling when you smile at them
Getting very upset if they do not like a certain taste, smell or sound
Repetitive movements, such as flapping their hands, flicking their fingers or rocking their body
Not talking as much as other children
Repeating the same phrases

Signs of autism in older children include:

Not seeming to understand what others are thinking or feeling
Finding it hard to say how they feel
Liking a strict daily routine and getting very upset if it changes
Having a very keen interest in certain subjects or activities
Getting very upset if you ask them to do something
Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on their own
Taking things very literally – for example, they may not understand phrases like ‘break a leg’

Common signs of autism in adults include:

Finding it hard to understand what others are thinking or feeling
Getting very anxious about social situations
Finding it hard to make friends or preferring to be on your own
Seeming blunt, rude or not interested in others without meaning to
Finding it hard to say how you feel
Taking things very literally – for example, you may not understand sarcasm or phrases like ‘break a leg’
Having the same routine every day and getting very anxious if it changes

Source: NHS

Affected children can find it hard to make eye contact, understand how others feel, or have a keen interest in certain topics. Autistic youngsters may also take longer to get their head around information, or repeat things.

Around one in 50 youngsters fall on the spectrum. However, it can currently only be diagnosed from 18 months at the earliest.

To diagnose a child, medics ask their parents about problems their child is having, watches how they interact with others and speaks to their family, friends or teachers.

An early diagnosis can help parents understand their child’s needs and get them support in school.

Researchers, led by Dr Alpen Ortug, retrospectively examined 39 foetal brain scans taken six months after conception.

Nine of the children were later diagnosed with autism and 20 had no developmental problems.

Ten other youngsters also did not have autism, but had other underlying conditions that were common autistic participants had.

The team then segmented the different parts of the brain on each scan, to compare them between the different groups.

Children with autism had a ‘significantly larger’ insular lobe compared with the other three groups, according to the findings.

This part of the brain is thought to play a crucial role in perceptual awareness, social behaviour and decision-making.

Youngsters with autism also had a larger amygdala (which processes emotions and memories associated with fear) and hippocampal commissure (needed for memory and learning), compared to children without.

Academics said their finding aligns with other recent studies, which have detected differences in some of these parts of the brain among adults with autism.

Dr Ortug said ‘it is ideal’ to spot the earliest sign of brain abnormalities in prospective autism patients to understand the ‘many genetic and environmental factors that could be behind it’.

‘Earlier detection means better treatment,’ she said.

‘To the best of our knowledge, this is the first attempt to semi-automatically segment the brain regions in the prenatal stage in patients who are diagnosed with autism later and compare different groups of controls.’

The study will be presented today at the American Association for Anatomy annual meeting in Philadelphia.