Imaging Study Finds Unique Brain Patterns Among Autistic

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By Rick Nauert PhD Senior News Editor -
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on January 21, 2015



Some studies have found a lack of connection or synchronization between different parts of the brain while other studies have found the exact opposite — an over-synchronization in the brains of those with ASD.

Now, new research by scientists at the Weizmann Institute and Carnegie Mellon University suggests that the various reports of both over- and under-connectivity may, in fact, reflect a deeper principle of brain function.

“Identifying brain profiles that differ from the pattern observed in typically developing individuals is crucial not only in that it allows researchers to begin to understand the differences that arise in ASD but, in this case, it opens up the possibility that there are many altered brain profiles all of which fall under the umbrella of ‘autism’ or ‘autisms,'” said Marlene Behrmann, Ph.D., co-director of the Center for the Neural Basis of Cognition at Carnegie Mellon.

In a careful comparison of the details of these intricate synchronization patterns, the scientists discovered an intriguing difference between the control and ASD groups: the control participants’ brains had substantially similar connectivity profiles across different individuals, while those with ASD showed a remarkably different phenomenon.

Those with autism tended to display much more unique patterns — each in its own, individual way. They realized that the synchronization patterns seen in the control group were “conformist”

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Thank you for this article, very fascinating!

Intriguing piece - thanks for sharing it. I've been reading "Leonardo's Brain: Understanding Da Vinci's Creative Genius" by Leonard Shlain recently. He posits that Leonardo Da Vinci may be unique as a polymath with respect to an apparent ability to tap into a consciousness that others can't access. The author argues that Da Vinci may be the sole example of someone whose left and right brain functions were fully synchronized. While Shlain totally biffed it with respect to his characterization of autistic people (saying, for example that "high functioning" autistic people need special care at home, etc), there's a lot of interesting discussion in the book about left/ right brain functionality.

I'm still reading the book, and I find some of his conclusions tenuous, but it might have some applicability to this study if anyone is interested in checking it out. (Sadly, the author died within days of the book being published.)