Assessment of white matter integrity of autistic preschool children with diffusion weighted MR imaging

The purpose was to assess white matter integrity of autistic preschool children with diffusion weighted MR imaging. Prospective study was carried on 19 autistic children (mean age 55.2 ms, IQ of 86.5) and 10 sex, age and IQ matched control (mean age 53.2 ms, IQ 84.5). The childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), social age and language age were calculated. Patients and controls underwent diffusion weighted MR imaging of the brain with b factor of 0, 500 and 1000 s/mm2. The apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) value at different regions of the white matter were calculated and correlated with CARS, social age and language age. There were significant differences at the ADC value of the white matter between autistic and control children at genu (P = 0.043), splenium (P = 0.003) of the corpus callosum, frontal white matter (P = 0.015) and temporal white matter (P = 0.020). There was positive correlation of CARS score with ADC value of the genu (r = 0.63, P = 0.001), splenium (r = 0.59, P = 0.005), frontal white matter (r = 0.81, P = 0.001) and temporal white matter (r = 0.74, P = 0.001). The social age well correlated with ADC value of the frontal white matter (r = 0.81, P = 0.001) and language age well correlated with ADC value of the temporal white matter (r = 0.78, P = 0.001). We concluded that ADC value can be helpful in assessment of integrity of the white matter in autistic preschool children and well correlated with CARS score, social age and language age.