---
title: "Psych News Alert: Too Many Brain Cells Are Sign of Autism"
description: Having a big brain may seem like an advantage at first thought, but new research indicates that it may be one symptom of autism. Boys with a...
image: https://alert.psychnews.org/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/head_57098590-4.jpg
---

 11/9/11 12:00 AM

# Too Many Brain Cells Are Sign of Autism

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [ Psychiatric News Alert ](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert)

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Having a big brain may seem like an advantage at first thought, but new research indicates that it may be one symptom of autism. Boys with autism displayed an abnormally large number of neurons in the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain involved in social, communication, and cognitive development, according to lead researcher Eric Courchesne, Ph.D., of the University of California, San Diego. Courchesne and colleagues reported in the November 9 *JAMA* that the brains of seven boys with autism contained 67 percent more cortical cells than brains of boys without autism. Those cells develop in great numbers early in fetal development but are normally removed during the last trimester.

“[I]f future research can pinpoint why an excessive number of brain cells are there in the first place, it will have a large impact on understanding autism, and perhaps on developing new treatments,” said Courchesne. For more about autism, see [Psychiatric News](http://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/newsArticle.aspx?articleid=115932).

(Image: Mopic/Shutterstock.com)

[psychiatry](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/psychiatry), [autism](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/autism), [neurons](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/neurons), [prefrontal cortex](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/prefrontal-cortex)

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[causes of autism](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/causes-of-autism), [autism](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/autism), [low birth weight](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/low-birth-weight)

## [Low Birth Weight Is Risk Factor for Autism](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/11/low-birth-weight-is-risk-factor-for.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 11/15/11 12:00 AM

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[schizophrenia](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/schizophrenia), [autism spectrum disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/autism-spectrum-disorder), [oxytocin](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/oxytocin)

## [Oxytocin May Open Doors to Treat Autism, Schizophrenia](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/10/oxytocin-may-open-doors-to-treat-autism.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 10/5/11 12:00 AM

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2011/10/oxytocin-may-open-doors-to-treat-autism.html)

[![](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/child_hands_iStock-909399064-Jun-24-2025-03-52-39-4955-PM.jpg?height=200&name=child_hands_iStock-909399064-Jun-24-2025-03-52-39-4955-PM.jpg) ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/03/age-of-parents-at-childs-birth-may.html)

[ADHD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/adhd), [autism](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/autism), [Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolesc](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/journal-of-the-american-academy-of-child-adolescen), [OCD](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/ocd), [paternal age](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/paternal-age), [Magdalena Janecka](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/magdalena-janecka), [Tourette’s syndrome](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/tourettes-syndrome), [chronic tic disorder](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/chronic-tic-disorder), [pediatric disorders](https://alert.psychnews.org/tag/pediatric-disorders)

## [Age of Parents at Child’s Birth May Raise Risk of Autism, ADHD, Other Conditions](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/03/age-of-parents-at-childs-birth-may.html)

![Picture of Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Psych%20News%20Email%20Banners/PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png?width=50&name=PN-Blue-Box_rgb.png) [Psychiatric News Alert](https://alert.psychnews.org/author/psychiatric-news-alert) 

 6/24/24 11:16 AM

How old mothers and fathers are when their children are born may affect their children’s risk of...

[ Read more ](https://alert.psychnews.org/2019/03/age-of-parents-at-childs-birth-may.html)

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