Autism Spectrum Disorder: Diffusion Weighted MRI to Rule Out Hypoxic Injuries

Study links prenatal hypoxia to larger third ventricle volumes and sensory issues in ASD, emphasizing early diagnosis and intervention for at-risk children.

SANTA BARBARA, CA, UNITED STATES, March 21, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- “We are investigating cases that involve children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder who had a diagnosis of neonatal encephalopathy, low Apgar’s at birth, and acidosis on the cord blood gas following a complicated delivery, with or without therapeutic cooling,” states Greg Vigna, MD, JD, national neurological injury attorney.

What did Dr. Perciado report in her article published in Autism Research, “Prenatal exposure to hypoxic risk conditions in autistic neurotypical youth; Associated ventricular differences, sleep, disturbance, and sensory processing” (2024; 17:2547-2557)?:

“Results from a cohort of 104 youth revealed a higher incidence of exposure to prenatal hypoxic conditions in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) group.

Additionally, ASD individuals with prenatal hypoxic exposure demonstrated larger third ventricle volumes compared with both autism spectrum disorder and neurotypical control individuals without such exposure, respectively.

Furthermore, associations were identified between prenatal hypoxic exposure, third ventricle volume, sensory dysfunction, and severity of sleep disturbances. These findings suggest exposure to prenatal hypoxic risk conditions may exacerbate or modify the neurodevelopmental trajectory and symptom severity in ASD."

Read Dr. Perciado's article: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/aur.3250

Dr. Greg Vigna, MD, JD, national birth injury lawyer, “Diffusion weighted MRI and volumetric analysis can assist early diagnosis and early intervention for children at risk. We have always known there is a subset of children with normal standard MRIs who had neonatal encephalopathy, many of which required therapeutic cooling, where objective findings of hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy are lacking. Now, children can be diagnosed early and treated for the diagnosis.”

Dr. Vigna adds, “We also know about 20% of children with autism spectrum disorder have a genetic component that can be tested by either exome or genome sequencing with copy analysis, and this is recommended for all children with autism spectrum disorder or other diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorders.”

Dr. Vigna concludes, “Our criteria for representation includes the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, objective findings with DTI MRI and volumetric evaluation, and a negative genetic component on diagnostic genetic testing that can be ordered by psychiatrist.”

Read “Mainstreaming Diagnostic Genetic Testing and Precision Medicine for Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Role of Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists”: https://www.psych.theclinics.com/article/S0193-953X(25)00010-3/abstract

Click here to read Dr. Vigna’s book, ‘The Mother’s Guide to Birth Injury.’

Dr. Vigna is a California and Washington DC lawyer who focuses on neurological injuries caused by medical negligence including birth injury. He is Board Certified in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Dr. Vigna co-counsels with Ben Martin Law Group, a national pharmaceutical injury law firm and birth injury lawyer in Dallas, Texas, on a non-exclusive basis.

To learn more about birth injuries, click here.

Greg Vigna, MD, JD
Vigna Law Group
+1 8178099023
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