Ghent University, Belgium.
Brain Res. 2009 Dec 22;1304:113-21. doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2009.09.068. Epub 2009 Sep 25.
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are characterised by an impaired imitation, thought to be critical for early affective, social and communicative development. One neurological system proposed to underlie this function is the mirror neuron system (MNS) and previous research has suggested a dysfunctional MNS in ASD. The EEG mu frequency, more precisely the reduction of the mu power, is considered to be an index for mirror neuron functioning. In this work, EEG registrations are used to evaluate the mirror neuron functioning of twenty children with high functioning autism (HFA) between 8 and 13 years. Their mu suppression to self-executed and observed movement is compared to typically developing peers and related to age, intelligence and symptom severity. Both groups show significant mu suppression to both self and observed hand movements. No group differences are found in either condition. These results do not support the hypothesis that HFA is associated with a dysfunctional MNS. The discrepancy with previous research is discussed in light of the heterogeneity of the ASD population.
自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）患者的模仿能力受损，而模仿能力被认为对早期情感、社会和交流发展至关重要。一个被认为是该功能基础的神经生理系统是镜像神经元系统（MNS），先前的研究表明 ASD 中存在 MNS 功能障碍。EEG 缪（mu）频，更确切地说是缪波功率的降低，被认为是镜像神经元功能的一个指标。在这项工作中，使用 EEG 记录来评估 20 名 8 至 13 岁高功能自闭症（HFA）儿童的镜像神经元功能。将他们对自我执行和观察到的运动的缪抑制与正常发育的同龄人进行比较，并与年龄、智力和症状严重程度相关。两组在两种情况下均表现出显著的缪抑制。在任何条件下都没有发现组间差异。这些结果不支持 HFA 与功能失调的 MNS 相关的假设。鉴于 ASD 人群的异质性，讨论了与先前研究的差异。
