UN World Autism Awareness Day took place on the 2nd April. This day is designated to promote international awareness for Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Over the past decade, major progress has been made towards removing inequalities for people with autism. However, in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, a majority of countries announced lockdowns, impacting more than 90% of people worldwide. Many people with autism have been especially hard hit and studies show that they have been disproportionately affected by disruptions to routines, as well as services and supports that they rely on. This Research Topic will focus on New insights into Neurodevelopmental Biology and Autistic Spectrum Disorders.
Autistic Spectrum Disorder has been known as a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder for many decades, which has been shown to have profound effects on intellectual ability and psychological functioning as well as general ability. ASD often emerges during early childhood and is marked through infants transitioning from exhibiting normative behavioural profiles to displaying the defining features of the ASD phenotype. Infants who go on to develop ASD often exhibit a range of brain phenotypes, including brain overgrowth, increased extra-axial fluid volumes, abnormal development of the corpus callosum and other white matter pathways, and altered functional brain connectivity patterns. This Topic focuses on, but is not limited to, highlighting research on brain imaging studies in the context of autism, unravelling important insights into the neurobiology and developmental unfolding of ASD. Furthermore, how these brain phenotypes are related in individuals, or how they link to behaviour. In addition to this, evaluating the familial nature of ASD is well suited to explore these associations. Reviewing brain development and relating these findings to candidate neurobiological mechanisms, and discuss implications for future research and translation to clinical practice.
UN World Autism Awareness Day took place on the 2nd April. This day is designated to promote international awareness for Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Over the past decade, major progress has been made towards removing inequalities for people with autism. However, in 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic spread across the globe, a majority of countries announced lockdowns, impacting more than 90% of people worldwide. Many people with autism have been especially hard hit and studies show that they have been disproportionately affected by disruptions to routines, as well as services and supports that they rely on. This Research Topic will focus on New insights into Neurodevelopmental Biology and Autistic Spectrum Disorders.
Autistic Spectrum Disorder has been known as a lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder for many decades, which has been shown to have profound effects on intellectual ability and psychological functioning as well as general ability. ASD often emerges during early childhood and is marked through infants transitioning from exhibiting normative behavioural profiles to displaying the defining features of the ASD phenotype. Infants who go on to develop ASD often exhibit a range of brain phenotypes, including brain overgrowth, increased extra-axial fluid volumes, abnormal development of the corpus callosum and other white matter pathways, and altered functional brain connectivity patterns. This Topic focuses on, but is not limited to, highlighting research on brain imaging studies in the context of autism, unravelling important insights into the neurobiology and developmental unfolding of ASD. Furthermore, how these brain phenotypes are related in individuals, or how they link to behaviour. In addition to this, evaluating the familial nature of ASD is well suited to explore these associations. Reviewing brain development and relating these findings to candidate neurobiological mechanisms, and discuss implications for future research and translation to clinical practice.
