SECRETS OF THE AUTISTIC BRAIN – MUTATION OR HUMAN EVOLUTION?

We know the autistic population is increasing exponentially, though we don’t know why. And, although an overwhelming amount of research is going into its causes and treatment, we remain baffled.

Where are these extraordinary people coming from? How is it that their numbers are increasing exponentially, in spite of the overwhelming amount of research that has gone into its causes and treatments? Recent studies on the brain function of autistic people have given new insight into this remarkable diagnosis and the people who bear it.

SCANS OF THE AUTISTIC BRAIN:

• Scientific research is beginning to point to specific gene variations, which appear to be related to the incidence of autism, or the risk of it (this is nothing new and there is a large body of research to support the idea)
• Brain scans show that children with the “gene variant” appear to have more nerve cell connections in the frontal lobe, but fewer between the frontal lobe and the rest of the brain, according to the journal of Science Translational Medicine
• In addition, studies carried out by the University of California in LA used functional magnetic resonance imaging to establish that children carrying the “gene variant” had differences within the connections in the frontal lobe of the brain, as well as differences between the frontal lobe and the rest of the brain.
• Scientists at the University of California in LA are beginning to believe that the brain of the autistic is actually wired differently (Autism brain secrets revealed by scan; BBC News Health; 3 November 2010):
  • According to Dr Ashley Scott-Van Zeeland, who headed up the research project, “The front of the brain appears to talk mostly to itself — it doesn’t communicate as much with other parts of the brain and lacks long-range connections to the back of the brain,”
  • In children with the version of the gene not linked to autism risk, the pathways were linked more strongly to the left side of the brain. In those with the “risk variant”, the pathways were different, linking the lobe strongly to both sides of the brain.
    

WHAT DOES THE FRONTAL LOBE AREA DO?

Research is beginning to indicate that there is a significant difference in frontal lobe activity for the autistic person (or those carrying the “gene variant”, whether diagnosed as autistic or not). Exactly what are the frontal lobes? What do they do and what part do they play in our daily lives?

Many say that our more fully developed frontal lobes are what make us human. It is the part of the brain that is more highly developed in humans than most of the rest of animal life on our planet.

Here is a brief list of some of the responsibilities attributed to the frontal lobes:

• Attentiveness to a task
• Focus
• Concentration
• Intention and purposeful behavior
• Decision making
• Problem solving
• Abstract reasoning
• Elaboration of thought
• Control of behavior
• Consciousness
• Working memory
• Judgment
• Logic
• Organization
• Socialization
• Sympathy and empathy
• Higher cognitive functions
• Thought to play a part in our spatial orientation

Emotions are created deep within the brain as a reaction to stimuli, but the frontal lobes “manage” the emotions and help us to rationalize and make conscious, intentional choices regarding the situation and our behavioral reaction to it. Furthermore, studies indicate that there is increased activity in the frontal lobe during meditation (as per experiments performed on Tibetan monks). Many believe the frontal lobes appear to be the seat of our essence and nature as human beings.

SOME SYMPTOMS OF FRONTAL LOBE DAMAGE

To illustrate further the connection between autism spectrum and the frontal lobes, the following is a list of some of the symptoms of damage to this part of the brain:

• Lack of empathy
• Lack of sympathy
• Unable to read social cues
• Inappropriate social judgments and responses
• Unable to detect when another is trying to deceive them
• Lack of spontaneous facial expression
• Decreased flexibility of thought
• Decreased behavioral spontaneity
• Difficulty in interpreting feedback from the environment
• Impaired associated learning (using external cues to help guide behavior)
• Lack of inhibition (inappropriate behavior)
• Perseveration (the uncontrolled repetition or continuation of a response (e.g., behavior, word, thought, activity, strategy, or emotion) in the absence of an ongoing occasion or rationale for that behavior or emotion)

This is not a comprehensive list of symptoms of damage to this area of the brain. In fact, profound damage to the frontal lobe area can lead to significant personality changes in the subject.

Nonetheless, I hope the link between frontal lobe activity and the autistic brain is becoming quite clear.

WHAT DOES THIS INFORMATION MEAN?

It would be irresponsible of me to declare any interpretation of the data as fact. One can only speculate at this point. The only obvious fact is that far more research is needed.

It would seem logical, however, to assume that more connections in the frontal lobe region would mean heightened activity and therefore heightened ability in those areas for which the frontal lobes are responsible.

Indeed, it is worth pointing out that many of the strengths of the autism spectrum profile appear to be areas of frontal lobe function. Focus and concentration, logical thinking, problem solving, abstract reasoning, working memory — very many autism spectrum people possess these abilities in varying forms to a heightened degree. Notice that these functions tend to be internal processes that require only internal communication within the mind of the individual.

Conversely, the autistic aspects that most would call weaknesses or “dysfunctional” are those capabilities for which communication with and feedback from the outside environment are crucial. This is where the wiring between the frontal lobes and the rest of the brain may be impacting performance, as communication within the brain is not happening as we would expect from a neurotypical perspective.

The discovery that the autistic brain is wired differently could have significant implications for the way we understand and work with individuals with Aspergers and other autism spectrum disorders. It could also be the beginning of our understanding that these people may have a different – and in some ways superior – skills set. This difference offers the possibility of new perspective, insight and contribution if we can learn to embrace and nurture it.