Following a recent Stanford study using AI to analyze brain scans, researchers discovered distinctive patterns in the brains of girls with autism that aren’t observed in other developing brains. The recognition of these symptomatic differences could lead to more effective treatments and diagnostics for these young girls.
ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) is defined as a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects ones language, behaviour, social skills, and learning abilities. The first description of this disorder was published by Leo Kanner in 1943. However, this description was biased towards male patients with ASD, and the symptoms found in males. Most young girls with autism often have more “camouflaged” symptoms, meaning they typically don’t have as many overt autistic behaviours as young boys with autism. As a result, many young girls and women have delayed diagnoses.
Through analyzing 678 brain scans from children with autism, the researchers created an algorithm that could differentiate the male and female scans with 86% accuracy. The accuracy maintained it’s consistency when tested on an additional 95 scans. However, when this algorithm was applied to 976 brain scans of neurotypical children, it couldn’t distinguish between male and female scans. This confirmed that the dissimilarities found were unique to autistic brains.
It was discovered that girls with autism have unique brain connectivity patterns when compared to boys. These differences were found in many neurological regions, including those relation to motor function, language, and visuospatial attention. However, the largest differences were found in motor areas of the brain, including the primary motor cortex, supplementary motor area, parietal and lateral occipital cortex, and middle and superior temporal gyri. This indicates that girls whose brain connectivity patterns were most similar to boys with autism experienced more severe overt motor symptoms.
The results of this study were posted in The British Journal of Psychiatry. Vinod Menon, the study’s senior author, stated that this study helped detect notable brain differences between autistic boys and girls, and they “…obtained individualized predictions of clinical symptoms in girls.” (Menon, 2022).
Supekar, the study’s lead author, stated that “when you see that there are differences in regions of the brain that are related to clinical symptoms of autism, this seems more real,”. (Supekar, 2022). Researchers suggest these results should shape future strategies when it comes to diagnosing and treating girls with autism.
Supekar added that “We may need to have different tests for females compared with males. The artificial intelligence algorithms we developed may help to improve diagnosis of autism in girls.” (Supekar, 2022.).
Supekar also stated that treatment interventions could be initiated earlier for girls following this research. This is incredibly beneficial, as autism treatments are most effective during the toddler years when the brain’s motor and language regions are still developing.
Sophie is a second year Psychology student at the University Of Alberta. She is excited for the opportunity to write about women's issues, especially involving women's health. In her spare time, she enjoys writing poetry, reading, and painting.
