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Greater neuronal spine density has been found in temporal lobe areas of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than in healthy children, but the mechanism remains unknown.
Researchers examined postmortem specimens from four groups: eight young children with ASD and seven without (age range, 2–9 years) and five adolescent boys with ASD and nine without (age range, 13–20).The groups were matched on numerous indexes (e.g., postmortem interval). Among adolescents, ASD was associated with significantly greater mean spine density. Normal developmental pruning (which decreases neuronal density and allows for maturation and development of new functions) occurred in control adolescents, but not in those with ASD (mean decreases, 45% vs. 16%). A…