News Finding: Published in Molecular Autism, the research reveals disruptions in the brain's circuitry involved in ToM at multiple levels compared to typical brain functioning.
Paper Finding: Additionally, some of the areas of reduced activation in the ASD group for whole-brain analysis overlapped with regions from the HCP map.
News Context: An innovative brain imaging study has uncovered new evidence explaining why ToM deficiencies are present in ASD children. Published in Molecular Autism, the research reveals disruptions in the brain's circuitry involved in ToM at multiple levels compared to typical brain functioning. The findings provide valuable insight into understanding the functional makeup of a vital neural network that is critical for characterizing the social symptoms in individuals with ASD.
Paper Context: These findings of reduced activation in SFG/MPFC, TPJ, STS, and PCC are consistent with neuroimaging studies of ToM using these same animated stimuli in adults with ASD [ . Additionally, some of the areas of reduced activation in the ASD group for whole-brain analysis overlapped with regions from the HCP map. This was further confirmed as the HCP-based ROI analysis revealed findings similar to our whole-brain results.