Eric Courchesne, Ph.D.
M.I.N.D. Institute Distinguished Lecturer Series- December 8, 2004
Biographical Information
Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., is a professor in the Department of Neurosciences, University of
California, San Diego. He is also Director of the Center for Autism Research at Children’s Hospital
Research Center, San Diego, California. His Center is dedicated to uncovering the brain bases and
biological causes of autism. Current MRI studies of autism aim to identify the brain structures that are
abnormal at infancy in autism and to discover patterns of abnormal growth from infancy through
adulthood. Current functional brain imaging techniques (“fMRI” and “ERP”) are used to establish links
between autistic symptoms and the brain sites responsible for them. Dr. Courchesne’s studies have
resulted in over 145 publications. His research is supported through grants from the National Institutes of
Health.
Presentation Abstracts
Early Brain Overgrowth and Arrest of Growth in Autism: Microstructural Defects and Disrupted Circuit
Formation (4 pm presentation)
Due to the relatively late age of clinical diagnosis of autism, the early brain pathology of children with
autism has remained largely unstudied. The increased use of retrospective measures such as head
circumference along with a surge of MRI studies of toddlers with autism, have opened a whole new area
of research and discovery. Recent studies have now shown that abnormal brain overgrowth occurs during
the first 2 years of life in children with autism. By 2–4 years of age, the most deviant overgrowth is in
cerebral, cerebellar, and limbic structures that underlie higher-order social, emotional, cognitive, speech
and language functions. Excessive growth is followed by abnormally slow or arrested growth. New
postmortem studies have identified neuronal defects and unexpected abnormal processes that could
underlie the early brain growth pathology. Early brain growth pathology in autism occurs at the very
time when the formation of cerebral circuitry is at its most exuberant and vulnerable stage, and it may
signal disruption of this process of circuit formation. Studies of early brain growth pathology in autism
may lead to the discovery of early-warning signs, effective treatments and causes of the disorder.
What Goes Wrong in Brain Development in Autism (6 pm presentation)
Due to the relatively late age of clinical diagnosis of autism, the early brain pathology of children with
autism has remained largely unstudied. New brain imaging and postmortem studies show that in the first
years of life, there is pronounced brain growth pathology in autism. This growth pathology may underlie
the emergence of autistic behavior because it is most evident in those specific brain regions that are
responsible for high-order social, emotional, cognitive, speech and language development. Studies of
early brain growth pathology in autism may lead to the discovery of early-warning signs, effective
treatments and causes of the disorder.
Recent Publications
Courchesne E. Brain development in autism: early overgrowth followed by premature arrest of growth.
Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev 10: 106-11, 2004.
Muller RA, Cauich C, Rubio MA, Mizuno A, Courchesne E. Abnormal activity patterns in premotor
cortex during sequence learning in autistic patients. Biol Psychiatry 56: 323-32, 2004.
Pierce K, Haist F, Sedaghat F, Courchesne E. The brain response to personally familiar faces in autism:
findings of fusiform activity and beyond. Brain 127: 2703-16, 2004.
Allen G, Muller RA, Courchesne E. Cerebellar function in autism: functional magnetic resonance image
activation during a simple motor task. Biol Psychiatry 56: 269-78, 2004.
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