Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, 1-757 Asahimachi-dori, Chuo-ku, Niigata 951-8510, Japan.
Neurosci Lett. 2013 Aug 9;549:45-50. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2013.05.067. Epub 2013 Jun 20.
The present study investigated the relationship between neural activity associated with gaze processing and autistic traits in typically developed subjects using magnetoencephalography. Autistic traits in 24 typically developed college students with normal intelligence were assessed using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). The Minimum Current Estimates method was applied to estimate the cortical sources of magnetic responses to gaze stimuli. These stimuli consisted of apparent motion of the eyes, displaying direct or averted gaze motion. Results revealed gaze-related brain activations in the 150-250 ms time window in the right posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), and in the 150-450 ms time window in medial prefrontal regions. In addition, the mean amplitude in the 150-250 ms time window in the right pSTS region was modulated by gaze direction, and its activity in response to direct gaze stimuli correlated with AQ score. pSTS activation in response to direct gaze is thought to be related to higher-order social processes. Thus, these results suggest that brain activity linking eye contact and social signals is associated with autistic traits in a typical population.
本研究使用脑磁图（MEG）研究了正常智力的 24 名典型发展的大学生的与注视处理相关的神经活动与自闭症特征之间的关系。使用自闭症谱系商数（AQ）评估了这些典型发展的大学生的自闭症特征。应用最小电流估计方法来估计对注视刺激的磁响应的皮质源。这些刺激包括眼睛的明显运动，显示直接或回避的注视运动。结果表明，在右后颞上沟（pSTS）的 150-250ms 时间窗口中存在与注视相关的大脑激活，并且在中前额叶区域中存在 150-450ms 的时间窗口。此外，右 pSTS 区域中 150-250ms 时间窗口的平均振幅受到注视方向的调制，并且其对直接注视刺激的反应与 AQ 得分相关。被认为与高级社会过程有关的是对直接注视的 pSTS 激活。因此，这些结果表明，将眼神接触和社会信号联系起来的大脑活动与典型人群中的自闭症特征有关。
