Advisory Committee Chair
Rajesh K Kana
Advisory Committee Members
Fred J Biasini
Maria I Hopkins
David C Knight
Document Type
Thesis
Date of Award
2012
Degree Name by School
Master of Arts (MA) College of Arts and Sciences
Abstract
The ability to interpret others' intentions based on their actions is a vital skill that helps us infer and understand their thoughts and plans. However, individuals with autism have been found to have difficulty in attributing intentions to others (Baron-Cohen et al., 1985; Baron-Cohen, 1995; Happe & Frith, 1996; Williams et al., 2001). The present study investigated the neural mechanisms of inferring intentions from actions in high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and typically developing control participants. fMRI data were acquired while participants made judgments about the means (how an action is performed) and intentions (why an action is performed) of a model engaged in various actions. The main results are as follows: 1) In all participants, we found a consistent Mirror Neuron System (MNS; inferior frontal gyrus, inferior parietal lobule) response while attending to the means and intention of an action; 2) We found overall higher brain activation in our ASD group during the means, intention, and unusual action conditions; and 3) We found reduced connectivity between MNS and theory-of-mind (ToM) regions during our task for participants with ASD. Our results suggest that processing actions and ToM may not be mutually exclusive. In addition, it underscores the notion that mirroring mechanisms (MNS) and reflective, inferential mechanisms (ToM) play complementary roles in understanding the intentions of other agents around us. Furthermore, such mechanisms may be qualitatively different in individuals with ASD.
Recommended Citation
Libero, Lauren E., "The Role of the Mirror Neuron System In Mental State Attribution In Autism: An fMRI Study" (2012). All ETDs from UAB. 2287.
https://digitalcommons.library.uab.edu/etd-collection/2287