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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

Probing the Brain in Autism Using fMRI and Diffusion Tensor Imaging
Published on: September 12, 2011
Empathizing, systemizing, and the extreme male brain theory of autism
1Department of Psychiatry, Autism Research Centre, Cambridge University, Douglas House, Cambridge, UK. sb205@cam.ac.uk
Abstract:
Females in the general population on average have a stronger drive to empathize, and males in the general population on average have a stronger drive to systemize. Evidence related to these claims is reviewed. People with autism spectrum conditions have below average empathy alongside intact or even above average interest in systems. As such, they can be conceptualized as an extreme of the typical male brain.
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