Neurobiological Concomitants of Autism as Informers of Clinical Practice: a Status Review

Abstract

Objectives

Although a great deal of research is conducted into the neurobiological correlates of autism, there has been no recent overview of the findings from this research in terms of how they translate to clinical practice. To provide an overview of recent literature in the fields of head size, brain volume, brain region, connectivity between brain regions, and synaptic function, as they apply to autism, with a view to informing clinical practice.

Methods

Major empirical and review papers on these topics from the last 30 years were identified via a search of PubMed, Google Scholar, and PsychInfo, using the descriptors ‘autism’, ‘head size’, ‘brain volume’, ‘brain region’, ‘connectivity between brain regions’, and ‘synaptic function’. To distil the key findings relevant to clinical practice, both authors conducted blind reviews, producing a set of ‘key’ papers for this purpose.

Results

Each field produced a number of major findings, which were then described and discussed, and translated into a table of ‘Findings’, ‘Diagnostic suggestions’ (for the clinician’s protocols), and ‘Clinical actions’ (suggestions for interactions with carers of autistic children and adults).

Conclusions

The stability of the research within each field varies, with some clear findings and others that are yet to be consistently verified. Despite this, some specific clinical implications for diagnosis and treatment (particularly clinician-carer interactions) are described.