Skip to main content

Study Debunks Theory Linking Autism to Changes in Brain's Amygdala

By Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on Sep 4, 2024.

via HealthDay

WEDNESDAY, Sept. 4, 2024 -- A new brain imaging study has concluded that autism likely isn’t caused by faulty connections to the amygdala.

A prevailing hypothesis of autism spectrum disorder has held that people with the condition have poorer neural connections in certain brain regions, including the amygdala.

However, researchers found no evidence that people with autism had amygdala connections that differed substantially to those found in people without autism.

The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped structure in the brain that plays a key role in processing emotions and social cues, researchers explained.

For the study, researchers analyzed high-quality MRI brain scans from 488 people, including 212 with autism.

The team focused on the neural connections emanating from the amygdala when the participants were not actively engaged in any tasks.

Average variation in connectivity to the amygdala was similar in people with and without autism, results showed.

The results were the same when researchers looked at specific subregions of the amygdala, researchers added.

The new study was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.

“It is important to note that we do not conclude that amygdala [connectivity] is generally typical in autism. Instead, we conclude that the evidence for atypical [connectivity] of the amygdala in autism is weak at best, and unreliable,” concluded the researchers led by Dorit Kliemann, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences with the University of Iowa.

The researchers said in a news release from the American Psychiatric Association that more brain scan research should be done to further understand the differences in people with and without autism, calling it “an investment worth prioritizing if we are to better understand and delineate the neurobiological substrates of autism.”

Sources

  • American Psychiatric Association, news release, Aug. 29, 2024

Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted September 2024

Read this next

Ritz Peanut Butter Crackers Recalled Over Labeling Mistake

FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 — A labeling mistake has led to a nationwide recall of four different types of Ritz Peanut Butter Cracker Sandwich cartons, federal health officials...

RFK Jr. Cancels Key U.S. Health Panel Meeting Without Warning, Raising Concerns

FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. canceled a meeting of government health panel that helps guide what preventive care is covered by...

U.S. Cuts to HIV Aid Could Lead to 4 Million Deaths, U.N. Warns

FRIDAY, July 11, 2025 — Global deaths from AIDS have dropped to their lowest levels in more than 30 years, in part due to efforts to fight HIV. But U.S. funding cuts could...

More news resources

Subscribe to our newsletter

Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.