Original Articles

Localization of white matter volume increase in autism and developmental language disorder

  1. Martha R. Herbert MD, PhD1,2,*,
  2. David A. Ziegler BS1,2,
  3. Nikos Makris MD, PhD1,2,
  4. Pauline A. Filipek MD4,
  5. Thomas L. Kemper MD5,
  6. Joseph J. Normandin BA1,2,
  7. Heather A. Sanders BA6,
  8. David N. Kennedy PhD1,2,3,
  9. Verne S. Caviness Jr MD, DPhil1,2

Article first published online: 22 MAR 2004

DOI: 10.1002/ana.20032

Issue

Annals of Neurology

Annals of Neurology

Volume 55, Issue 4, pages 530–540, April 2004

Additional Information

How to Cite

Herbert, M. R., Ziegler, D. A., Makris, N., Filipek, P. A., Kemper, T. L., Normandin, J. J., Sanders, H. A., Kennedy, D. N. and Caviness, V. S. (2004), Localization of white matter volume increase in autism and developmental language disorder. Annals of Neurology, 55: 530–540. doi: 10.1002/ana.20032

Author Information

  1. 1

    Center for Morphometric Analysis, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA

  2. 2

    Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA

  3. 3

    Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA

  4. 4

    Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, University of California College of Medicine, Irvine, CA

  5. 5

    Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA

  6. 6

    University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA

*Center for Morphometric Analysis, 149 13th Street, Room 6012, Charlestown, MA 02129

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 22 MAR 2004
  2. Article first published online: 22 MAR 2004
  3. Manuscript Revised: 1 DEC 2003
  4. Manuscript Accepted: 1 DEC 2003
  5. Manuscript Received: 18 AUG 2003

Funded by

  • NIH (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke). Grant Numbers: NS 20489, NS02126, NS27950, NS34189
  • National Institute on Drug Abuse. Grant Number: DA34189
  • Cure Autism Now Foundation. Grant Numbers: NS02126, NS27950, DA09467
  • Human Brain Project. Grant Number: NS34189
  • Fairway Trust
  • Giovanni Armenise-Harvard Foundation

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Abstract

Increased brain volume in autism appears to be driven mainly by an unexplained white matter enlargement, and we have reported a similar phenomenon in developmental language disorder (DLD). Localization of this enlargement would strongly guide research into its cause, tissue basis, and functional implications. We utilized a white matter parcellation technique that divides cerebral white matter into an outer zone containing the radiate compartment and an inner zone containing sagittal and bridging system compartments. In both high-functioning autism and DLD, enlargement localized to the radiate white matter (all lobes in autism, all but parietal in DLD), whereas inner zone white matter compartments showed no volume differences from controls. Furthermore, in both autism and DLD, later or longer-myelinating regions showed greater volume increases over controls. Neither group showed cerebral cortex, corpus callosum, or internal capsule volume differences from control. Radiate white matter myelinates later than deep white matter; this pattern of enlargement thus is consistent with striking postnatal head circumference percentile increases reported in autism. These findings suggest an ongoing postnatal process in both autism and DLD that is probably intrinsic to white matter, that primarily affects intrahemispheric and corticocortical connections, and that places these two disorders on the same spectrum.

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