Evaluation of cerebral perfusion in autism aged 2-4 with different severity using three‑dimensional pseudo‑continuous arterial spin labelling

Motivation: Develop an imaging technology for early identification and severity classification of young children with autism, to assist in timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment plan formulation. Goal(s): To quantitatively assess and compare cerebral blood flow values among three groups: mild-moderate autism, severe autism and typically developing children. Approach: We utilized three-dimensional pseudo-continuous arterial spin labelling (3D-pCASL) for the assessment. Results: Compared to typically developing children, mild-moderate autism demonstrated reduced cerebral blood flow in two brain regions, while severe autism showed significantly decreased blood flow in five regions. Additionally, severe autism exhibited reduced blood flow in two regions compared to mild-moderate autism. Impact: This study helps clinicians in recognizing differences in cerebral blood perfusion in children with autism of different severity. It facilitates timely identification of autism severity and enables prompt diagnosis and intervention to mitigate the severity of the condition.