Asperger’s syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder, where the distinct cause is still unknown. A study conducted by Timothy P.L. Roberts, Ph.D., and vice chair of Radiology Research at Children’s Hospital, where he utilized brain imaging using magnets:



Functional magnetic resonance imaging provides some evidence for both underconnectivity and mirror neuron theories

“…they took 25 children with Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), with an average age of 10 years, to 17 age-matched children who were in the initial stages of developing the disorder. They used Magnetoencephalography (MEG), which uses magnetic fields in the brain to detect delayed brain response. The team analyzed the response of children to a series of recorded beeps, vowels and sentences. As the child’s brain responds to each sound, noninvasive detectors in the MEG machine analyze the brain’s changing magnetic fields. The children with ASDs had an average delay of 11 milliseconds (about 1/100 of a second) in their brain responses to sounds, compared to the control children. Among the group with ASDs, the delays were similar, whether or not the children had language impairments.

The 11 millisecond delay may sound as relatively short delay however the delay may cascade as a conversation progresses, and the child may lag behind typically developing peers. Robert suggests that the delayed response could be a sign of slow auditory system development and matures in children with ASDs.

Previous studies conducted by Robert demonstrated how the anatomy of the brain was involved in delayed auditory responses. They analyzed development of white matter in the brains of 26 typically developing children and adolescents. Because white matter carries electrical signals in the brain, signaling speed improves when neurons are better protected with an insulating sheath of a membrane material called myelin. Normal age-related development of greater myelination accounts for faster auditory responses However in children with ASD there is delay in white matter development which is key to their display of a slow auditory response. Roberts says his team’s hope to improve their imaging techniques to determine the specificity of their new biomarker to ASD, and will work on other MEG patterns found in children with ASDs in addition to auditory delays.