Browsing by Author "Brinster, Meredith Irene"
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Item The assessment of autism risk and severity using prenatal ultrasound measures of the cerebellum(2012-05) Brinster, Meredith Irene; Allen, Greg, doctor of clinical psychology; Stark, KevinThe purpose of the current study is to contribute to the understanding of prenatal cerebellar pathology in autism. Reduction of Purkinje neurons is well reported in the cerebella of individual’s with autism. While there is evidence to suggest that this abnormality may be evident as early as prenatal development, no study to date has examined in the anataomical prenatal development of the cerebella in children later diagnosed with autism. The primary prediction being made is that a reduction of Purkinje neurons during prenatal development will present as reduced cerebellar size in the reports from mother’s prenatal ultrasound records. It is hypothesized that this reduction will be greater in children with an autism diagnosis compared to the records of children without an autism diagnosis. The secondary prediction will attempt to further support the link between aberrant cerebellar development and increased stereotyped behavior and repetitive interests. A retrospective analysis of prenatal ultrasound records and autism diagnostic information will test these hypotheses, predicting that records from children who have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder will show reductions in transverse cerebellar diameter measurements when compared to TD peers, and that greater reductions will correlate with increased stereotypical and repetitive behaviors as measured by a standard diagnostic tool.Item Prenatal head circumference in autism spectrum disorder(2015-08) Brinster, Meredith Irene; Allen, Greg, doctor of clinical psychology; Landa, Rebecca; ; Keith, Tim; Cawthon, Stephanie; Levine, Ann; Ridgeway, JeffreyResearch has documented a phenomenon of early brain overgrowth in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although the most significant overgrowth seems to occur within the first few years of life, the exact timeline, clinical correlates, and relation to earlier brain development are not well understood. A growing body of research points to a prenatal origin, yet few studies have examined prenatal head circumference (HC) in children diagnosed with ASD. Previous investigations have been limited to comparing HC measurements at the second trimester, neglecting later points in gestation when critical regulatory and developmental processes may be going awry. In addition, these analyses may be influenced by biased normative data, as has been recently suggested by various research groups. Finally, the connection between prenatal HC and later developmental outcomes has yet to be explored. The current study sought to expand upon current literature by examining both second and third trimester prenatal HC measurements in children with ASD, as well as the rate of growth between trimesters. Additionally, the current study explored the relation between prenatal HC growth and later symptom severity. Examining HC later in gestation contributes to a more complete understanding of how and when brain growth dysregulation occurs in the development of ASD. Analyses indicated an unanticipated finding of significantly smaller mean standardized HC for ASD participants as compared to normative growth charts. In addition, second and third trimester HC measurements suggested an accelerated rate of neural growth for children who later developed ASD.