Brain scans reveal hyper-connected reward networks in autistic individuals
A recent brain imaging study reveals that the reward system is hyper-connected to other social networks in autistic individuals. This heightened integration correlates with social communication differences and overlaps with specific genetic and chemical markers.
A recent study published in Autism Research has found that the brain's reward center is unusually interconnected with other social processing networks in autistic individuals. This hyper-connectivity correlates with social communication differences and may be linked to specific genetic and chemical markers in the brain. The study analyzed brain imaging data from 646 participants, comprising 298 autistic individuals and 348 typically developing individuals, using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.
The researchers identified 102 specific brain regions that make up the four subnetworks of the social brain and calculated a metric called the participation coefficient for each participant. The analysis showed that autistic participants exhibited increased modular integration of the reward system, suggesting that their social brain networks are more interconnected than those of typically developing individuals.
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