Table 2 Cross sectional neuroimaging studies implicating the amygdala in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Anatomical Studies

Howard MA et al., 2000[56]

10 (15.8-40.3)^a

10 (age matched)

Increased

Sparks BF et al., 2002[7]

45 (47.4 ± 4.2)^b

26 (47.5 ± 6.2)^b

14^c (47.5 ± 5.6)^b

Increased

Aylward EH et al., 1999[47]

14 (20.5 ± 1.8)

14 (20.3 ± 1.7)

Decreased

Pierce K. et al., 2001[57]

7 (21-41)^a

8 (20-42)^a

Decreased

Haznedar MM et al., 2000[58]

17 (27.7 ± 11.3)

17 (28.8 ± 9.4)

Normal

Schumann CM 2004[17]

71 (7.5 - 18.5)^a

27 (7.5-18.5)^a

Amygdala initially increased but does not undergo the age-related increase

Nacewicz BM et al., 2006 [55]

16 (14.3 ± 4.7)

14 (13.7 ± 3.9)

Decreased

Munson J. et al., 2006 [54]

45 (47.4 ± 4.2)^b

-

Increase in right amygdala

Schumann CM et al., 2009 [80]

50 (22-61)^b

39 (20-51)^b

Increased

Results

Task Design

Functional Studies

Baron Cohen S. et al., 1999[81]

6 (26.3 ± 2.1)

12 (25.5 ± 2.8)

Lack to AMY activity when making mentalistic inferences from the eyes

Interfering mental status from the eyes region

Critchley HD et al., 2000[82]

9 (37 ± 7)

9 (27 ± 7)

Failed to activate left AMY in the implicity task

Explicitly and implicitly processing emotional facial

Wang AT et al., 2004[42]

12 (12.2 ± 4.8)

12 (11.8 ± 2.5)

AMY activity moderated by task demands in control but not in ASD

Face labelling vs matching emotional expression

Ashwin C. et al., 2007[69]

13 (31.2 ± 9.1)

13 (25.6 ± 5.1)

Controls showed greater activation in the left AMY

Fearful face-processing

Kleinhans NM et al., 2009[83]

19 (21.9 ± 5.9)

20 (24.7 ± 7.9)

AMY hyperarousal

Upright neutral faces, inverted neutral faces

Corbett BA et al., 2009[79]

12 (8-12)^a

15 (8-12)^a

Diminished activation of the AMY in emotion matching

Matching facial expressions and people