A team from the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Cambridge has published a paper in ‘Science’ (November 3) on the ‘extreme male brain’ (EMB) theory. The paper, entitled ‘Sex Differences in the Brain: Implications for Explaining Autism’ discusses the fact that the structure of the brain differs in people with autism, and the possibility that high levels of androgens, male hormones including testosterone, that a foetus produces in the womb may influence the development of the brain, and may be a cause of autism spectrum conditions.
(PressZoom) - The researchers argue that the anatomy of the brain of a person with an autism spectrum condition differs from the average male or female brain. In previous work, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen and his team theorised that the two sexes differ in the mind, in two fundamental ways: females, on average, tend to be slightly more focused on empathy, and males, on average, tend to be slightly more focused on systems, and that people with autism have an exaggerated male brain. This new paper takes the theory further by exploring the possibilities that there is an anatomical difference: like an exaggeration of typical males, children with autism show enlargement of the cerebral cortex, and a greater growth of the amygdale, than average boys. And just as females have more long-range neural connections in the brain, compared to males, in autism there is even less long-range connectivity. This may explain the narrow focus of attention ( or obsessions ) in autism, and the difficulties in socialising, since socialising requires integrating diverse information ( from faces, voices, and context ) at high speed.
Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Director, Autism Research Centre, said: “Our team has put together a theory of how brain structure in autism spectrum conditions may relate to typical sex differences. There is a need now to conduct further research to map the brain to identify areas that are hyper-masculinised, and to test if these brain areas are affected by foetal androgen levels.”
Notes for Editors:
1. Autism ( including Asperger syndrome ) is a lifelong developmental disability. It is a spectrum condition occurring in varying degrees of severity and affects more than an estimated 500,000 people in the UK. It is characterised by a triad of impairments that involve difficulties forming social relationships, problems with verbal and non-verbal communication and the development of strong narrow obsessional interests.
2. The EMB theory was first formulated by Hans Asperger as a clinical anecdote more than 60 years ago. In the last decade has it been reformulated to be psychologically testable. Using psychometric definitions of the typical male and female brain, people with autism spectrum conditions show an exaggeration of the male profile.
3. The Autism Research Centre ( ARC ) is based at the University of Cambridge Department of Experimental Psychology. The mission of the ARC is to understand the biomedical causes of autism spectrum conditions, and develop new and validated methods for assessment and intervention. The ARC fosters collaboration between scientists at the University of Cambridge and outside, to accelerate this mission.
4. The ARC has three research programs focused on autism spectrum conditions:
• Cognitive Neuroscience and Genetics
• Epidemiology and Diagnosis
• Intervention
For more information, contact:
1. Karen Dean, Press and Publications Office, University of Cambridge. Tel: 01223 765542; email: kjd42@cam.ac.uk
2. Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Autism Research Centre, Department of Psychiatry University of Cambridge Tel: 01223 746057; email: sb205@cam.ac.uk Website www.autismresearchcentre.com
Submitted by
University of Cambridge
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