Early visual cortex organization in autism: An fMRI study

Nouchine Hadjikhani; Christopher F. Chabris; Robert M. Joseph; Jill Clark; Lauren McGrath; Itzhak Aharon; Eric Feczko; Helen Tager-Flusberg; Gordon J. Harris

doi:10.1097/00001756-200402090-00011

Early visual cortex organization in autism: An fMRI study

Nouchine Hadjikhani, Christopher F. Chabris, Robert M. Joseph, Jill Clark, Lauren McGrath, Itzhak Aharon, Eric Feczko, Helen Tager-Flusberg, Gordon J. Harris

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49 Scopus citations

Abstract

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by preserved visual abilities as well as a special profile for visual cognition. We examined the visual cortex of high-ability individuals with autism in order to assess whether the presence of abnormalities at the primary sensory level in autism could be the basis of their unusual pattern of visual cognitive abilities. We found that the early sensory visual areas are normally organized in individuals with autism, with a normal ratio between central versus peripheral visual field representation. We conclude that the differences observed in the visual capacities of individuals with autism are likely to arise from higher-level cognitive areas and functions, and are the result of top-down processes.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	267-270
Number of pages	4
Journal	Neuroreport
Volume	15
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1097/00001756-200402090-00011
State	Published - Feb 9 2004
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Asperger syndrome
Autism
Brain imaging
Retinotopy
Visual processing

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10.1097/00001756-200402090-00011

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AU - Hadjikhani, Nouchine

AU - Chabris, Christopher F.

AU - Joseph, Robert M.

AU - Clark, Jill

AU - McGrath, Lauren

AU - Aharon, Itzhak

AU - Feczko, Eric

AU - Tager-Flusberg, Helen

AU - Harris, Gordon J.

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Early visual cortex organization in autism: An fMRI study

Abstract

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