Developmental abnormalities in the mirror neuron system may contribute to social deficits in autism.
Now, a new study published in Biological Psychiatry reports that the mirror system in individuals with autism is not actually broken, but simply delayed.
While most of us have their strongest mirror activity while
they are young, autistic individuals seem to have a weak mirror system
in their youth, but their mirror activity increases with age, is normal
by about age 30 and unusually high thereafter.
This increase in function of mirror neuron systems may be related to
increased capacity for social function or responsiveness to
rehabilitative treatments among individuals with autism.
One of the next steps in this line of research will be for
researchers to examine how individuals with autism accomplish this
improvement over time, and how therapeutic interventions targeting the
same mechanism can help to support this important process.
This approach makes it easier to understand both commonalities and differences between ASD and other conditions, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). This approach will make it possible to test predictions about the location of these brain networks, how they function differently in people with ASD and how to use this knowledge to design interventions and compensatory strategies.
A recent study of a U.S. metropolitan area estimates that 3.4 of every 1,000 children between 3 and 10 years-old have Autism.