NEW RESEARCH:  Research at the UC San Diego Autism Center of Excellence focuses research on the causes of Autism.  The studies focuses on Diffusion Tensor Imaging, that lets them look into the microstructure of white matter in the brain; Structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging, which reveals the neural underpinnings of autism; Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging to help map activity in the brain; genetics; brain tissue; and stem cell.  Scientists made a big discovery when they found that a child with Autism has 67 percent more cortical cells, a type of brain cells only made before birth.  The study compared postmortem tissue from the prefrontal cortex of seven boys, ages 2 to 16, who had autism, to six developing boys.  This gives the scientific community more avenues to research.  (Source: www.autism-center.ucsd.edu)