I-amygdala—isakhiwo sobuchopho esakhuliswa ezinganeni ezineminyaka emibili ubudala okutholwe ukuthi zine-autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—iqala ukukhula ngokushesha phakathi kwezinyanga eziyisi-6 neziyi-12 ubudala, iphakamisa ucwaningo oluxhaswe yiNational Institutes of Health. I-amygdala ihileleke ekucubunguleni imizwa, njengokuhumusha isimo sobuso noma ukuzwa ukwesaba lapho ubhekene nosongo. Okutholakele kubonisa ukuthi izindlela zokwelapha zokunciphisa izimpawu ze-ASD zingase zibe nethuba elikhulu lokuphumelela uma ziqala onyakeni wokuqala wokuphila, ngaphambi kokuba i-amygdala iqale ukukhula kwayo ngokushesha.
Ucwaningo lwaluhlanganisa izingane ezingu-408, ezingu-270 zazo ezazisemathubeni aphezulu okuba ne-ASD ngenxa yokuthi zinezingane zakubo ezindala ezine-ASD, ezingu-109 ngokuvamile ezisakhula, kanye nezinsana ezingu-29 ezine-Fragile X syndrome, uhlobo oluzuzwe njengefa lokukhubazeka kokukhula nokuhlakanipha. Abacwaningi benza ama-MRI scans wezingane ezineminyaka engu-6, 12 kanye nezinyanga ezingu-24 ubudala. Bathole ukuthi izingane ezingu-58 eziqhubeke nokuba ne-ASD zine-amygdala enosayizi ojwayelekile ezinyangeni eziyisi-6, kodwa i-amygdala ekhulisiwe ezinyangeni eziyi-12 nezinyanga ezingama-24. Ngaphezu kwalokho, ukushesha kwesilinganiso sokukhula kwe-amygdala, bukhulu ubunzima bezimpawu ze-ASD ezinyangeni ezingama-24. Izingane ezine-Fragile X syndrome zinephethini ehlukile yokukhula kobuchopho. Babengenawo umehluko ekukhuleni kwe-amygdala kodwa ukwandiswa kwesinye isakhiwo sobuchopho, i-caudate, eyayixhunywe ekukhuleni kokuziphatha okuphindaphindayo.
Ithimba labacwaningi, eliyingxenye yenethiwekhi ye-NIH Autism Centers of Excellence Infant Brain Imaging Study, laliholwa ngu-Mark Shen, Ph.D., waseNyuvesi yaseNorth Carolina e-Chapel Hill kanye ne-Infant Brain Imaging Study. Ucwaningo luvela ku-American Journal of Psychiatry. Uxhaso lunikezwe i-NIH's Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences kanye neNational Institute of Mental Health.
Abalobi basikisela ukuthi ubunzima bokucubungula ulwazi lwezinzwa ngesikhathi sobusana kungase kugcizelele i-amygdala, okuholela ekukhuleni kwayo.
I-ASD iwukuphazamiseka kokukhula okuyinkimbinkimbi okuthinta indlela umuntu aziphatha ngayo, asebenzelana ngayo nabanye, ukuxhumana nokufunda.
LOKHO ONGAKUTHATHE KULESI SIHLOKO:
- The findings indicate that therapies to reduce the symptoms of ASD might have the greatest chance of success if they begin in the first year of life, before the amygdala begins its accelerated growth.
- They found that the 58 infants who went on to develop ASD had a normal-sized amygdala at 6 months, but an enlarged amygdala at 12 months and 24 months.
- The study included 408 infants, 270 of whom were at higher likelihood of ASD because they had an older sibling with ASD, 109 typically developing infants, and 29 infants with Fragile X syndrome, an inherited form of developmental and intellectual disability.
