Mediterranean Institute of Cognitive Neurosciences, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Université de la Méditerranée, 31 Chemin Joseph Aiguier, 13402 Marseille Cedex 20, France. wicker@incm.cnrs-mrs.fr
Several recent studies suggest that autism may result from abnormal communication between brain regions. We directly assessed this hypothesis by testing the presence of abnormalities in a model of the functional cerebral network engaged during explicit emotion processing in adults with high functioning autism or Asperger syndrome. Comparison of structural equation models revealed abnormal patterns of effective connectivity, with the prefrontal cortex as a key site of dysfunction. These findings provide evidence that abnormal long-range connectivity between structures of the 'social brain' could explain the socio-emotional troubles that characterize the autistic pathology.