Timing and Location of Brain Areas Involved in Cognitive Theory of Mind in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Cognitive theory of mind (ToM), or the ability to recognize the different mental states of others, is a social cognitive skill that is often impaired in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study enriches our understanding of ToM in ASD by using magnetoencephalography (MEG) to determine the temporal properties of brain regions active during a false belief task, a domain that has not been explored in this field, and yet is a significant component of brain activity. We found that whereas typically-developing children activate familiar ToM regions, such as the precuneus and the left temporoparietal junction, children with ASD appear to rely more on working memory and inhibition regions, such as the right dorsal temporoparietal junction and the right inferior frontal gyrus. This atypical activation suggests that children with ASD make use of alternative strategies to compensate for their deficits in ToM.M.A.2017-12-22 00:00:0