Neurobiology of Autism

Abstract

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder which begins in childhood. The prevalence has increased in the last years so is no longer considered a rare disease. It is probably motivated by genetic alterations and affects both cortical and subcortical structures which undergo inappropriate development. These anatomic changes include a great number of brain regions so autism can be considered as an example of diffuse brain disorder. While we do not know a neuropsychological profile of autism, complex psychological functions displayed a deficit like: attention, memory, language and executive functions. This set of neuropsychological deficits is consistent with the pathogenetic mechanisms identified in this population. This is a review of recent scientific literature on the neurobiological and neuropsychological characteristics of the disorder. We propose a deeper neuropsychological study of autism to improve therapeutic approaches for these patients. All work presented is part  of the scientific discipline of Developmental Neuropsychology and their interest in exploring the relationships between brain and behavior in the dynamic context of brain development.