Brain scans of premature babies reveal changes that may raise risk of autism

Brain scans of both pre-and full term infants showed striking differences in the salience network, which is disrupted in adults with ADHD and autism

Brain scans of children who were born prematurely have revealed differences in the connectivity of key regions that may play a role in developmental disorders.

Previous studies have already highlighted that children who are born preterm are more at risk of autism and other behavioural conditions, such as the poor attention that is associated with ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.