A new research explains why autistic people are not sensitive when others imitate their movements or actions. Japanese researchers stated that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder have decreased activity in a brain region that plays an important role in understanding social nuances of imitations and ridicule.
Researchers explained that people with autism have difficulties in communication and this is coupled with having problem noticing that their movement was imitated.
For the study, researchers determined the brain activity by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) when the movement of subjects was imitated by others.
The research team analyzed the brain activity when a subject saw his or her finger movement being mimicked or not by others. The team found that people without the medical condition reported increased activity in the extrastriate body area (EBA) after being imitated. The EBA is located in the visual cortex for visual processing that responds powerfully during the perception of human body parts, researches explained in a press release.
Researchers said that behavioral intervention research to treat autism was underway.
The study findings are important as they provide more clues about autism and can be used in the evaluation of behavioral intervention.
A previous research had shown that brains of autistic children are not flexible enough to switch from resting state to task. Researchers had found that across a set of brain connections that are known to be critical for switching between different tasks, children with autism showed reduced 'brain flexibility' compared with typically developing peers.
These results will be published in Neuroscience Research.
