Boys more often autistic?
- Article
- 2023-04-29
According to researchers at the Yale School of Medicine, boys are much more likely to develop autism than girls. This is because fewer genetic mutations are required in boys for the condition to occur. Girls, on the other hand, require more genetic mutations in the brain before they are predisposed to the disorder.
Autism also affects different brain regions in boys and girls. Previous studies have shown that in boys, the brain region called the posterior superior temporal sulcus appears to be less active. This area helps process auditory and visual stimuli and is more active in children without autism. In girls, however, another area, the striatum, appears to be more prone to the condition. The striatum controls cognition, reward, and coordinated movement, and girls with autism have many more genetic mutations, known as copynumber variations, in this area. The researchers studied the brains of 45 girls and 47 boys with autism to arrive at these findings.
Source: Brain 2021;awab06a
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