New study identifies potential autism biomarker

New research involving autism patients and their close relatives has identified a possible biomarker associated with the developmental disability.

A team from the University of Cambridge has used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to analyse the brains of autism sufferers and their siblings when asked to assess emotional facial expressions.

It was found that both groups experienced common brain activity in areas relating to empathy, visual processing and emotional understanding which was not observed among a control group with no family history of autism.

The scientists believe that these differences are related to the genes that code for autism risk, which could lead to new understanding of how the condition is passed down through families.

Dr Michael Spencer, the study's leader, said: "The findings provide a springboard to investigate what specific genes are associated with this biomarker."

Last month, a separate Cambridge University paper suggested that autism diagnoses are more common in IT-rich regions, due to the link between the condition and the ability to systemise, a beneficial trait in technology-oriented cultures.