Detecting autism in children is an inexact science, relying on behavioral analysis by experts.
A diagnosis of autism is typically not made before the age of four, and it's often not decided to wait until the age of six. Before this point, children with autism may suffer in silence, with no understanding from their families, due to their lack of knowledge.
However, on August 15, new research by Robertson et al., published in the scientific journal Current Biology, informs us of a test that uses a phenomenon called binocular rivalry to facilitate early detection: it has been analyzed that each eye is presented with a different image, and that the perception of this image moves differently. Furthermore, the authors of the research had previously discovered that the brains of children with autism change images more slowly.
They link this to a shortage of the neurotransmitter GABA, which filters sensory stimuli. Therefore, the researchers analyzed brain waves from an electrode placed on the visual cortex and were able to identify adults with autism with 87% accuracy. They also predicted that the severity of autism could be determined based on the speed of image change. The authors acknowledge that autistic individuals have different visual sensitivities, but the test is encouraging. The next step will be to develop it for preverbal children and possibly also for the 30% accuracy of nonverbal autistic adults.
Article summary: SLOWER BINOCULAR RIVALRY IN THE AUTISTIC BRAIN – Text adapted by MARIONA ALSEDÀ FLORENSA
https://www.cell.com/current-biology/pdfExtended/S0960-9822(19)30871-1