New Imaging Techniques for Autism

Harvard researchers recently reported that children with autism have a wide range of genetic defects. This makes it nearly impossible to develop a simple genetic test to identify the disorder, but there are some University of Missouri researchers studying 3-D imaging to reveal correlations in the facial features and brain structures of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The goal is to help them enable a formula for earlier detection of the disorder.

The multi-disciplinary researchers are using 3-D representations of brain structures and facial features with technology under development in the University of Missouri-Columbia’s Computer Graphics and Image Understanding Lab. They will focus on two autism spectrum disorder subgroups; complex and essential autism.

The Computer Graphics and Image Understand Lab has a variety of different projects underway, including medical image analysis and a brain data explorer/information miner.

Although this still sounds like science-fiction, we are seeing more parents choosing not to vaccinate their children because of the fear of autism. But someday we’ll have a breakthrough that will enable our society to move past the suspicions surrounding vaccinations and autism