Friday, February 7, 2025
56.7 F
Roseville

Striking New Finding in Autism Research

Amygdala Neurons Increase as Children Become Adults – Except in Autism

Sacramento, Calif. – In a striking new finding, researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute found that typically-developing children gain more neurons in a region of the brain that governs social and emotional behavior, the amygdala, as they become adults. This phenomenon does not happen in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Instead, children with ASD have too many neurons early on and then appear to lose those neurons as they become adults. The findings were published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The amygdala is a small almond-shaped group of 13 regions (nuclei) that work as a danger detector in the brain to regulate anxiety and social interactions. Amygdala dysfunction has been linked to many psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders, including ASD, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression.

“The amygdala is a unique brain structure in that it grows dramatically during adolescence, longer than other brain regions, as we become more socially and emotionally mature,” said Cynthia Schumann, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the UC Davis MIND Institute and senior author of the paper. “Any deviation from this normal path of development can profoundly influence human behavior.”

To understand what cellular factors underlie amygdala development, the team studied 52 postmortem human brains, both neurotypical and ASD, ranging from 2 to 48 years of age.

“We were surprised to find that the number of neurons in one of the amygdala regions increased by more than 30% from childhood to adulthood in typically-developing individuals,” said Schumann.
The picture was quite different in people with ASD. There were more neurons in young children with ASD, but as they got older, those numbers went down.

“We don’t know if having too many amygdala neurons early in development in ASD is related to the apparent loss later on,” said Schumann. “It’s possible that having too many neurons early on could contribute to anxiety and challenges with social interactions. However, with time, that constant activity could wear on the system and lead to neuron loss.”

Schumann and her team believe that if they can explain how the cells are changing throughout adolescence in the amygdala, it might be possible to intervene and treat symptoms such as anxiety that develop in people with autism and other neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders.

Other authors included Thomas A. Avino, Nicole Barger, Martha V. Vargas, Erin L. Carlson, David G. Amaral and Melissa D. Bauman.

Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health (R01MH097236).



Brighter Side

Trending

Roseville welcomes US Quadball West Coast National Qualifier this weekend

Roseville, Calif. - Quadball, an action-packed sport that evolved from the Harry Potter novels, will hold its only West Coast national qualifier Saturday, Feb. 8, and Sunday, Feb. 9 at Maidu Regional Park in Roseville.

Lowest Gas Prices in Roseville, Rocklin, & Lincoln

Roseville, Calif. - Gas prices continue to push higher above the $4 per gallon mark at many locations around South Placer County. Roseville consistently remains the low price leader while Rocklin and Lincoln residents consistently pay higher energy costs across the board.

Beryozka – European Market in Rocklin

Beryozka European Market in Rocklin, Calif.

El Burrito Taqueria in Roseville

El Burrito Taqueria in Roseville. Our goal is to provide a fantastic experience for our guests. We use the best ingredients to create all of our authentic Mexican dishes.

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy

As we age, we approach the "pausal" years. For women, it's known as Menopause. For men, it's known as Andropause. During these transitional times in life, it's as if the sex glands go into retirement and there can be a lot of changes,

Topics

Roseville welcomes US Quadball West Coast National Qualifier this weekend

Roseville, Calif. - Quadball, an action-packed sport that evolved from the Harry Potter novels, will hold its only West Coast national qualifier Saturday, Feb. 8, and Sunday, Feb. 9 at Maidu Regional Park in Roseville.

Lowest Gas Prices in Roseville, Rocklin, & Lincoln

Roseville, Calif. - Gas prices continue to push higher above the $4 per gallon mark at many locations around South Placer County. Roseville consistently remains the low price leader while Rocklin and Lincoln residents consistently pay higher energy costs across the board.

Beryozka – European Market in Rocklin

Beryozka European Market in Rocklin, Calif.

El Burrito Taqueria in Roseville

El Burrito Taqueria in Roseville. Our goal is to provide a fantastic experience for our guests. We use the best ingredients to create all of our authentic Mexican dishes.

Bio-identical hormone replacement therapy

As we age, we approach the "pausal" years. For women, it's known as Menopause. For men, it's known as Andropause. During these transitional times in life, it's as if the sex glands go into retirement and there can be a lot of changes,

Placer Conservation Authority takes step toward securing 4,245 acres of land easement acquisitions north of Lincoln

Auburn, Calif. - Approximately 4,245 acres of prime farmland, natural open space and environmental resources north of Lincoln is a step closer to being secured in perpetuity as part of the Placer County Conservation Program.

Boot Juice and Blü Egyptian in Auburn at Foothills Fillmore Feb 22

Auburn, Calif.- Keep Smilin' Promotions is bringing the much sought after Boot Juice to the Foothill Fillmore. The co-billed event also includes Blü Egyptian which has been described as "somewhere where Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia, Joe Satriani & Buckethead are all infused in a Talking Heads state of mind."

Rocklin Unified and Rocklin Teachers Professional Association reach tentative agreement

Rocklin, Calif. - The Rocklin Unified School District (RUSD) and the California School Employees Association (CSEA), Chapter #773, are pleased to announce a tentative agreement for the 2024-25 academic year.

Related Articles

Local Spotlight

Paul Black’s Window Cleaning serving Roseville and South Placer County for over 30 years

Paul Black’s Window Cleaning Inc. has been serving Placer County’s commercial and residential window cleaning needs since 1990.

Making a Splash in Roseville at Steve Wallen Swim School

Roseville, Calif. - Steve Wallen Swim School in Roseville teaches swim lessons and water safety for infants, kids, and adults of all skill levels.

Paul Black’s Solar Panel Cleaning in Roseville serving the region for over 30 years

Roseville, Calif. - Money-saving solar panels in Roseville, Rocklin and throughout South Placer County have become ubiquitous From new residential solar communities continue to big business and after market installation, solar seems to be a smart choice to shred those high monthly electric costs.