Mind blindness and the brain in autism.

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Cognitive Science

Background:

• Social and communication deficits are core features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
• Mentalizing, or theory of mind, is crucial for social interaction and involves attributing mental states to oneself and others.
• Previous research suggests a neural network underlying mentalizing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the neural basis of mentalizing deficits in autism.
• To identify brain regions and connections involved in mentalizing impairments.

Main Methods:

• Review of experimental evidence and brain imaging studies in individuals with and without autism.
• Analysis of functional neuroimaging data from typical volunteers during mentalizing tasks.

Main Results:

• Experimental evidence links impaired mentalizing to social and communication difficulties in autism.
• Brain imaging reveals a network active during mentalizing, connecting medial prefrontal cortex, posterior superior temporal sulcus, and temporal poles.
• Hypothesized brain abnormality in autism involves weak connectivity within this mentalizing network.

Conclusions:

• The findings suggest that atypical connectivity within a specific neural network underlies mentalizing deficits in autism.
• Understanding this neural basis may inform future interventions for social and communication impairments in ASD.