Emil Roy

Minicolumnar pathology in autism

ObjectiveTo determine whether differences exist in the configuration of minicolumns between the brains of autistic and control patients. Background Autism is a severe and pervasive developmental disturbance of childhood characterized by disturbances in both social interactions and communication, as well as stereotyped patterns of interests, activities, and behaviors. Postmortem neuropathologic studies remain inconclusive. MethodsThe authors used a computerized imaging program to measure details of cell column morphologic features in area 9 of the prefrontal cortex and areas 21 and posterior 22 (Tpt) within the temporal lobe of nine brains of autistic patients and controls. ResultsThe authors found significant differences between brains of autistic patients and controls in the number of minicolumns, in the horizontal spacing that separates cell columns, and in their internal structure, that is, relative dispersion of cells. Specifically, cell columns in brains of autistic patients were more numerous, smaller, and less compact in their cellular configuration with reduced neuropil space in the periphery. ConclusionsIn autism, there are minicolumnar abnormalities in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain.

Lateralization of Minicolumns in Human Planum temporale Is Absent in Nonhuman Primate Cortex

Gross analyses of large brain areas, as in MRI studies of macroanatomical structures, average subtle alterations in small regions, inadvertently missing significant anomalies. We developed a computerized imaging program to microscopically examine minicolumns and used it to study Nissl-stained slides of normal human, chimpanzee, and rhesus monkey brains in a region of the planum temporale. With this method, we measured the width of cell columns, the peripheral neuropil space, the spacing density of neurons within columns, and the Gray Level index per minicolumn. Only human brain tissue revealed robust asymmetry in two aspects of minicolumn morphology: wider columns and more neuropil space on the left side. This asymmetry was absent in chimpanzee and rhesus monkey brains.

Neuronal Density and Architecture (Gray Level Index) in the Brains of Autistic Patients

Although neuropathologic studies have centered on small samples, it is accepted that brains of autistic individuals tend to be large, on average. Knowledge regarding the cause of this macrocephaly is limited. Postmortem studies reveal little in terms of cortical dysplasia. Some of these studies suggest increased cell-packing density in subcortical structures. These neuronomorphometric studies have been subjective or based their conclusions on measures of neuronal density. Our study sought the possible presence of increased cell-packing density by using the Gray Level Index. The Gray Level Index is defined as the ratio of the area covered by Nissl-stained elements to unstained area in postmortem samples. Analyzed images included Brodmanns cortical areas 9, 21, and 22 of 9 autistic patients (7 males, 2 females; mean age of 12 years, with a range of 5 to 28 years) and 11 normal controls (7 males, 4 females; mean age of 14 years, with a range of 3 to 25 years). The overall multivariate test revealed significant differences both between autistic patients and controls (P = .001) and between hemispheres (P = .025). Follow-up univariate tests showed significant diagnosis-dependent effects in feature distance (P = .005), the standard deviation in distance (P = .016), and feature amplitude (P = .001). The overall mean Gray Level Index was 19.4% in controls and 18.7% in autism (P = .724). In autism, an increased number of minicolumns, combined with fewer cells per column (or their greater dispersion), results in no global difference in neuronal density. (J Child Neurol 2002;17:515-521).

Asperger's Syndrome and Cortical Neuropathology

Aspergers disorder or syndrome is characterized by impaired social interaction, normal intelligence, and adequate language skills in the areas of grammar and vocabulary. The symptoms are pervasive in nature and usually manifested in childhood. Despite the gravity and chronicity of the condition, the medical literature remains sparse and offers no information about possible neuropathologic underpinnings. The present study is a case report on two patients with Aspergers syndrome. Neuropathologic examination revealed no degenerative changes or gliosis. A more detailed assessment with computerized image analysis indicated abnormalities in the minicolumnar organization of the three areas examined (9, 21, 22) (P = .032). Specifically, minicolumns were smaller, and their component cells were more dispersed than normal. A similar neuropathology has recently been reported for autism and disputes the uniqueness of these findings. The minicolumnar changes provide a possible link to receptive field abnormalities and a useful clinicopathologic correlate to Aspergers syndrome. (J Child Neurol 2002;17:142-145).

Minicolumnar pathology in dyslexia.

The minicolumn is an anatomical and functional unit of the brain whose genesis accrues from germinal cell divisions in the ventricular zone of the brain. Disturbances in the morphometry of minicolumns have been demonstrated recently for both autism and Downs syndrome. We report minicolumnar abnormalities in the brain of a dyslexic patient. The corresponding developmental disturbance (ie, large minicolumns) could account for the perceptual errors observed in dyslexia.

Quantitative analysis of cell columns in the cerebral cortex.

We present a quantified imaging method that describes the cell column in mammalian cortex. The minicolumn is an ideal template with which to examine cortical organization because it is a basic unit of function, complete in itself, which interacts with adjacent and distance columns to form more complex levels of organization. The subtle details of columnar anatomy should reflect physiological changes that have occurred in evolution as well as those that might be caused by pathologies in the brain. In this semiautomatic method, images of Nissl-stained tissue are digitized or scanned into a computer imaging system. The software detects the presence of cell columns and describes details of their morphology and of the surrounding space. Columns are detected automatically on the basis of cell-poor and cell-rich areas using a Gaussian distribution. A line is fit to the cell centers by least squares analysis. The line becomes the center of the column from which the precise location of every cell can be measured. On this basis several algorithms describe the distribution of cells from the center line and in relation to the available surrounding space. Other algorithms use cluster analyses to determine the spatial orientation of every column.

The History of Child Pornography on the Internet

The Internet is a network of interconnected computers used primarily for commerce, communication, and information exchange. As of July 1998, the Internet consisted of nearly 37 million connected computers, and it is growing at a rate of 40% to 50% annually. Although commercial sites now dominate the information superhighway, some potholes mar the openness of the Internets information exchange. The authors found a veritable explosion of gigabytes of pornographic material on the Internet when using several search engines or portals (Netscape, Internet Explorer, and so on). Some of these activities, especially those depicting the sexual exploitation of children, are both unsavory and illegal. Globally, governments, policing agencies, and commercial organizations have attempted with growing success to limit access to child pornography. To cope with the growing technological sophistication of childporn purveyors, greater interagency and international cooperation will be needed.

Autistic poetry as therapy

This brief report provides a narrative perspective on autism and poetry. A brief review of selected poets identifies how each one was able to use his/her writing to break out of isolation and influence societys perception of autism.

503. Lateralization of TPT minicolumns in patients with schizophrenia

these units. Initial studies have focused on prefrontal cortex, areas 9 and 46. We investigated a small population of normal controls (n 5 13) and schizophrenia patients (n 5 7), diagnosed according to DSM III—R criteria. Patients and controls were age and sex matched. Photomicrographs of the posterior portion of the superior temporal gyrus (area Tpt) were taken at 1003 magnification. Among the features examined was the amount of neuropil space in the periphery of cell columns where local circuits, synapses, and dendritic branches predominate. We also measured the amount of spacing between cell soma within the cell-dominant portion of the columns, and the distance separating cell columns in the horizontal plane. All the values for spacing distances and neuropil space were less in schizophrenic brains. Significant findings resulted when we combined the data for the right and left sides of both schizophrenics and controls. We conclude that neuropil space is decreased in Tpt in schizophrenia patients, with the greatest reduction occurring within the core of the cell column. The finding infers a generalized distribution of interneuronal space reduction in the schizophrenic brain.