In a modest sized study of post-mortem brain tissue from 7 boys diagnosed with autism and 6 boys without, the former group had an average 67% more neurons than the latter group.

The neuron is a type of brain cell that is an absolutely essential building block in the nervous system. Being what it is, if a person has more than average, there might be some serious consequences to that person's development. This discovery can further the previous studies of autism and experts are more than a little bit elated.

The study's author, Eric Courchesne, had this to say about the subject, as reported by USA Today. "For the first time, we have the potential to understand why autism gets started, creating brains cells and the correct number of brain cells is absolutely fundamental to building the brain. If there is an excess number of neurons, there must be a negative consequence to that in the way the brain gets wired or organized," Courchesne says.

Courchesne is a professor in neurosciences at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine as well as the director at the Autism Center of Excellence.

Autism has long since mystified doctors as to what causes it, why and how. While the disorder is a serious matter, it is increasingly becoming apparent that just because a person has autism, doesn't mean that he or she will forever be in care of a guardian.

On the contrary, some people who are diagnosed with autism live perfectly normal lives, some even have exceptional careers.

Tom Cruise, winner of several best actor awards, has been diagnosed with dyslexia-- a learning disability that makes it difficult for the brain to process written text. Daryl Hannah, best known for her performances in such movies as "Splash," "Blade Runner," and "Kill Bill," has been diagnosed as borderline autistic as a child.

Comedian Dan Akroyd who was made famous by the classic "Ghostbusters" as well as his part in classic "Saturday Night Live" skits was diagnosed early with Tourette's and Asperger's Syndrome; in fact, he has spoken openly about his experiences with these disorders in the past. Even Bill Gates, multi millionaire and founder of Microsoft, was diagnosed with Asperger's.

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