Abstract
The intersection of Theory of Mind (ToM) processing and complex narrative comprehension in high functioning autism was examined by comparing cortical activation during the reading of passages that required inferences based on either intentions, emotional states, or physical causality. Right hemisphere activation was substantially greater for all sentences in the autism group than in a matched control group suggesting decreased LH capacity in autism resulting in a spillover of processing to RH homologs. Moreover, the ToM network was disrupted. The autism group showed similar activation for all inference types in the right temporo-parietal component of the ToM network whereas the control participants selectively activated this network only when appropriate. The autism group had lower functional connectivity within the ToM network and also between the ToM and a left hemisphere language network. Furthermore, the within-network functional connectivity in autism was correlated with the size of the anterior portion of the corpus callosum.
Highlights
The intersection of Theory of Mind (ToM) processing and complex narrative comprehension in high functioning autism was examined by comparing cortical activation during the reading of passages that required inferences based on either intentions, emotional states, or physical causality
Participants with high-functioning autism showed more right hemisphere activation than did matched controls during discourse processing. This greater activation in the right hemisphere suggests that individuals with autism found it more difficult to comprehend the passages than did the control group
Whereas the control participants recruited a region involved in Theory of Mind processing only when it was appropriate, the participants with autism recruited this area even while processing physical inferences
Summary
The intersection of Theory of Mind (ToM) processing and complex narrative comprehension in high functioning autism was examined by comparing cortical activation during the reading of passages that required inferences based on either intentions, emotional states, or physical causality. We have proposed a model of approximately five Parallel Networks of Discourse (Mason & Just, 2006) that process figurative and meta-sentence level information during discourse comprehension These networks include: a coarse semantic processing network (right middle and superior temporal), a coherence monitoring network (bilateral dorso-lateral prefrontal), a text integration network (left inferior frontal–left anterior temporal), a spatial imagery network (left dominant, bilateral intraparietal sulcus), and most relevant for the current study, a network for interpreting a protagonist’s or agent’s perspective (bilateral medial frontal/posterior right temporal/parietal). This last network effectively applies Theory of Mind processes to the comprehension of a narrative. Theory of Mind or an understanding of others’ minds is clearly necessary for interpreting the intentions, goals, and actions of characters within a narrative
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