Abstract Specific biological markers for Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD) have not yet been established.
Functional studies have shown abnormalities in the anatomo-
functional connectivity of the limbic-striatal ''social''
brain. This study aimed to investigate regional cerebral
blood flow (rCBF) at rest. Thirteen patients with ASD of
normal intelligence and ten IQ-, sex- and age-matched
healthy controls (HC) underwent PET/CT using
[1-11C]butanol, a perfusion tracer. As compared to HC,
ASD showed significant CBF increases in the right parahippocampal,
posterior cingulate, primary visual and temporal
cortex, putamen, caudatus, substantia nigra and
cerebellum. No statistically significant correlation between
CBF and IQ was found. The limbic, posterior associative
and cerebellar cortices showed increased blood flow in
ASD, confirming previous findings about the neurobiology
of ASD.
