Main description:

Data compiled by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention indicates an alarming and continuing increase in the prevalence of autism. Despite intensive research during the last few decades, autism remains a behavioral defined syndrome wherein diagnostic criteria lack in construct validity. And, contrary to other conditions like diabetes and hypertension, there are no biomarkers for autism. However, new imaging methods are changing the way we think about autism, bringing us closer to a falsifiable definition for the condition, identifying affected individuals earlier in life, and recognizing different subtypes of autism.

The imaging modalities discussed in this book emphasize the power of new technology to uncover important clues about the condition with the hope of developing effective interventions. Imaging the Brain in Autism was created to examine autism from a unique perspective that would emphasize results from different imaging technologies. These techniques show brain abnormalities in a significant percentage of patients, abnormalities that translate into aberrant functioning and significant clinical symptomatology. It is our hope that this newfound understanding will make the field work collaborative and provide a path that minimizes technical impediments.

Contents:

1. Introduction to Neuropathology

Manuel F. Casanova, Paul H. Patterson, and Eric London

2. The Neuropathology of Autism

Manuel F. Casanova and Jane Pickett

3. QEEG-Guided Neurofeedback for the Autism: Clinical Observations and Outcomes

Michael Linden and Jay Gunkelman

4. Event-Related Potential Studies of Cognitive Processing Abnormalities in Autism

Estate M. Sokhadze, Joshua Baruth, Allan Tasman, and Manuel F. Casanova

5. Evoked and Induced Gamma Frequency Oscillations in Autism

Manuel F. Casanova, Joshua Baruth, Ayman S. El-Baz, Guela E. Sokhadze, Marie Hensley, and Estate M. Sokhadze

6. Neurofeedback for Autistic Disorders: Emerging Empirical Evidence

Robert Coben

7. Structural Imaging in Autism

Brandon Zielinski, Molly Prigge, Jared A. Nielsen, and Janet E. Lainhart

8. Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Autism

Brittany G. Travers and Andrew L. Alexander

9. Spectroscopic Brain Imaging in Autism

Janet E. Lainhart, Jason Cooperrider, and June S. Taylor, and Stephen R. Dager

10. Functional MRI in Autism

Jeffrey S. Anderson, Michael A. Ferguson, and Jared A. Nielsen

11. Functional Connectivity MRI in Autism

Jeffrey S. Anderson

12. EEG Analyses in the Assessment of Autistic Disorders

Robert Cohen, Robert J. Chabot, and Laurence Hirshberg

13. Behavior Imaging (R)'s Assessment Technology

Rob Oberleitner and Jasjit S. Suri