|Lindsay Oberman of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center used
transcranial magnetic stimulation on John Elder Robison, who has
Asperger syndrome. (Photo Courtesy of John Elder Robinson)|
Magnetic fields test 'reflexes' of autism Method may pave way
for treatment Scientists are trying a new approach to unravel
the workings of the autistic brain: the neurological equivalent
of banging a patient's knee with a hammer to test reflexes.
Instead of a hammer, though, researchers are pressing a flat
paddle against patients' heads and creating a magnetic field
that triggers brain cell activity. As the quest to understand
autism has grown more urgent, researchers have used brain
scanners to peer into autistic minds, searched for faulty genes,
and scrutinized the play of 1-year-olds. The work has provided
theories - but few concrete answers - about what goes awry to
cause social isolation, repetitive behaviors, and communication
problems that afflict an estimated one in 150 children with
autism spectrum disorders. The hu