We share with Dr. Marazziti and colleagues interest in their intriguing hypothesis
regarding a possible link between serotonin and cerebellar pathology in autism. Although
cerebellar pathology is virtually ubiquitous in autism and underlies aspects of neurobehavioral
deficits in the disorder, it is only one of several sites of pathology in this disorder.
Our recent magnetic resonance imaging investigations of autism reveal striking anatomic
growth defects in cerebral and limbic as well as cerebellar structures, and growth
defects in each region are present by 2 years of age. A major question is: what molecular
mechanisms underlie these early neural growth abnormalities? We agree that serotonin,
which influences brain development, could play a role.
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© 2002 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
