Brain‐age prediction in autism: Translating imaging biomarkers without overstating clinical meaning
Weerapong Lilitwat · 2026
Read Brain‐age prediction in autism: Translating imaging biomarkers without overstating clinical meaning by Weerapong Lilitwat (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/PMC13401125.txt.
Description
Weerapong Lilitwat writes, in 2026, a letter urging caution in how brain-age predictions from MRI scans are presented for young autistic children. A recent study showed ordinary clinical scans can estimate brain age in two- to six-year-olds and detect group differences in autism. Using routine sequences, not research-grade ones, brought the method closer to real practice.
The letter warns that brain age is a group statistic, not a diagnosis, a measure of intelligence or a fixed forecast, and parents may misread it as all three. Age-matched differences existed at group level, but distributions overlapped widely and age-specific effects faded after statistical correction. The cohort was also not split by severity or language level. Careful wording, the author argues, protects family engagement with proven early therapies.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Weerapong Lilitwat |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 3 KB |
| LICENSE | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |