Naaijen J, et al. - The relation between dorsal striatal volume and N-Acetylaspartate (NAA) and glutamate levels was examined in this study. Furthermore, the authors aimed to compare striatal volume and shape between autism spectrum disorders (ASD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and controls. They found involvement of NAA and glutamate in striatal volume in ASD. In addition, they suggested a greater asymmetry in paediatric ASD and OCD compared with controls, pointing to overlapping subcortical abnormalities. In ASD, the lower NAA reflected reduced neuronal integrity or impaired neuronal functioning.