Childhood autism from the point of view of behavioral neurology

Abstract

Analysis of the abnormalities present in autistic patients, using standard methods of clinical inference, leads to the conclusion that the manifestations of childhood autism correlate best with the manifestations of dysfunction in the frontal tier of the ring of phylogenetically older cortex located on the mesial surface of the frontal and temporal lobes ("mesocortex" or "mesolimbic cortex") and with the manifestations of dysfunction in the striatum. These structures are distinctive in ways that suggest possible etiologies. The observations and inferences that lead to these conclusions are outlined and are supplemented by data from recent studies by the authors. Emphasis is placed on disorders of motility, communication, and attention and perception.