Researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute and Stanford University have found that brain regions responsible for memory and emotion are larger in children with autism. This study appeared in the July 14th issue of the Journal of Neuroscience.

David Amaral, the principal investigator on the project, said, "Our study shows that the amygdala develops abnormally in autism. This brain region grows too quickly in boys with autism and does not seem to have the opportunity to benefit from information derived from the environment for normal development."

The data support the growing view that autism is associated with a precocious growth of the brain, or at least of certain brain regions.