We’ve come a long way in our understanding of autism since it was first used as a clinical description in 1943. Scientists have identified some of the genes that seem to play a role, and have developed therapies that can improve an autistic individual’s quality of life. Despite these achievements, modern science has only uncovered the tip of the neurodevelopmental disorder’s iceberg. For instance, scientists still haven’t mapped out all the parts of the brain affected and how these structural differences give rise to myriad symptoms and behaviors.
A major challenge standing in the way is autism itself—there’s a mountain of individual variation when it comes to the disorder’s underlying biology. However, one group of neuroscientists is aiming to find all the dots in the autistic brain and connect them with a bit of help from AI.
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