The medial prefrontal cortex and integration in autism

Author: Shalom, D.B.

Description: This article offers a unifying theoretical interpretation of known abnormalities in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in four psychological domains, namely emotion, memory, sensation-perception, and motor skills. It proposes that in all four domains three levels of processing can be identified: a basic level, an integrative level, and a “logical” or higher-order level. It also notes that in typically developing people, there is evidence that the integrative level is subserved by subregions of the medial prefrontal cortex. The major argument of the article is to propose and argue that the integrative level in all four domains is responsible for common atypicalities in people with ASDs.

Subject headings: Affective Symptoms/complications/physiopathology; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive/etiology/physiopathology/psychology; Child, Preschool; Executive Function/physiology; Humans; Limbic System/anatomy & histology/physiopathology; Memory Disorders/complications/physiopathology; Mental Processes/physiology; Motor Skills Disorders/complications/physiopathology; Nerve Net/anatomy & histology/physiopathology; Perceptual Disorders/complications/physiopathology; Prefrontal Cortex/anatomy & histology/physiopathology; Autism

Publication year: 2009

Journal or book title: The Neuroscientist : a Review Journal Bringing Neurobiology, Neurology and Psychiatry

Volume: 15

Issue: 6

Pages: 589-598

Find the full text : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1073858409336371

Find more like this one (cited by): https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cites=1162167147425206910&as_sdt=1000005&sciodt=0,16&hl=en

Type: Journal Article

Serial number: 106