Abstract
The mentalizing system and mirror system are thought to play important roles in inferring the internal mental states of others – a process known as mentalizing. Autism spectrum condition (ASC) is associated with difficulties in mentalizing. The aim of this study was to determine whether the behavioural difficulties in mentalizing associated with ASC can be explained by changes in functional connectivity between the mentalizing and mirror system. We recruited 40 adult participants (20 with ASC and 20 typically-developing). Brain activity was monitored using functional magnetic resonance imaging while participants watched videos in which actors performed hand actions. The videos were shown in separate mentalizing and non-mentalizing blocks. During mentalizing blocks, participants were asked to indicate whether hand actions were clumsy or spiteful (i.e. to judge the intent of the action). During non-mentalizing blocks, participants indicated whether the actions were successful or unsuccessful (i.e. to judge the outcome of the action). Higher activity during the mentalizing blocks compared to non-mentalizing blocks was found in regions associated with the mentalizing system: the dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) and the temporo-parietal junction (TPJ), as well as in regions typically associated with the mirror system: the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the inferior parietal lobe (IPL). Next, functional connectivity between regions was evaluated as a function of task. During mentalizing blocks, there was increased functional connectivity between the dmPFC and the mirror system in typically developing participants. In contrast, there was no increase in functional connectivity between these regions in ASC participants. Connectivity between the dmPFC and IFG was negatively correlated with autistic traits. The reduced connectivity in ASC participants was consistent with behavioural performance on the mentalizing task, which was also negatively correlated with the level of autistic traits. Together, these data emphasise the importance of functional connectivity between the mentalizing and mirror systems when inferring social intentions and show that reduced connectivity between these systems may explain some of the behavioural difficulties experienced by adults with ASC.
Highlights
Inferring the internal mental states of others is critical for successful social interactions and is known as mentalizing (Chung et al, 2014; Frith and Frith, 2006)
Performance on the mentalizing and non-mentalizing tasks was measured during the fMRI scan
This study aimed to identify whether functional connectivity between different regions of the mirror and mentalizing systems is higher when inferring the social intentions of others from their actions, and whether functional connectivity between these systems is different in individuals with Autism spectrum condition (ASC)
Summary
Inferring the internal mental states of others is critical for successful social interactions and is known as mentalizing (Chung et al, 2014; Frith and Frith, 2006). The mirror system and the mentalizing system have been shown to be active when making inferences about the internal mental states of others from their actions (Becchio et al, 2012; Ciaramidaro et al, 2014; de Lange et al, 2008; Spunt et al, 2011; Spunt and Lieberman, 2012b). The core components of the mirror system are the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the inferior parietal lobe (IPL; Rizzolatti and Craighero, 2004; Rizzolatti and Sinigaglia, 2010). These regions show similar activation patterns during both the performance and observation of actions
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
