Autism is a problem of socialization and communication. Children with this problem are usually mentally retarded even though a quarter of them have an IQ that is above the average. It may also be considered a genetic problem because in almost any case in the patient's family a member surely has socialization or language disabilities.



In one of his studies, a doctor called Manuel Casanova, teacher at the University of Kentucky, said that he found the pathology of autism, but also said that he is working on a treatment for it. This treatment is supposed to ease the symptoms without compromising the other abilities of the autistic people.

The brain is a complex organ. Minicolumns are the smallest unit of cells capable to process information. Groups of minicolumns are found in the neocortex. Minicolumns include neurons which guarantee communication among different parts of the brain. For people with autism the minicolumns are smaller and their number is higher than normal, so neurons are also reduced in size. Because of the neurons size the connection between them are not normal so this can lead to dramatic consequences. The brain activities can be impaired if the connections require longer projections, but if not the brain activity may be improved.

As a conclusion we may say that patients with autism have a good capacity of processing the information in one area of the brain, and they are bad at anything that entails the usage of different parts of the brain such as language or social skills. That is why the people with autism have problems when it comes to socializing or communication.

The same doctor's opinion says that if the places between minicolumns are increased may lead to lessening sensory overload and seizures. This theory agrees that after increasing the insulation the capacity of creation will not be reduced and the other symptoms of autism will ease.

Looking at his study again we realize that Casanova's idea is not as odd as it may look. He believes that minicolumns stand at 90 degrees to the surface of the cortex. He even developed a way of treating these problems. His opinion is that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) could affect the insulation around the minicolumns. According to other studies this treatment has no side effects and more than that it does not affect the patient's personality or thoughts while the persons are being treated.

Casanova's idea proved to be useful. TMS is being used in treating mental problems such as schizophrenia and depression.