A preliminary comparison of volumetric changes between dyslexia and Asperger syndrome

Abstract

Although shared neuropsychological characteristics between dyslexia and autistic spectrum disorder have been identified, no comparisons at anatomical brain level have been reported. In this study, we examined global and regional grey and white matter changes in adults with dyslexia and patients with Asperger syndrome (AS) in comparison to healthy controls, using voxel-based-morphometry. Results revealed higher levels of global grey matter volume in the Asperger syndrome group in comparison to normal controls but not dyslexia. Further comparisons of grey and white matter could not detect any regional differences between the three groups. From the current data, the hypothesis that regional anatomical abnormalities are strongly implicated in AS and dyslexia could not be supported with the technique used