autism and the brain. hello antonia hamilton –lecturer & researcher in psychology from the...
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Autism and the Brain
![Page 2: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Hello
• Antonia Hamilton– Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the
University of Nottingham– will give a general introduction
• Lauren Marsh– research assistant from the University of
Nottingham– will talk about one research project
• Emma Gowen– Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from
Manchester University– will talk about autism research at Manchester
![Page 3: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
What do cognitive psychologists do?
How do we see, think, remember, feel, act?How does the brain work?
seeheartouch
performactions
The brain
Why do different people do things differently?
![Page 4: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
How do we study the mind?
• Use computer tasks – see a picture, press a button. How fast are you?
• Use memory tasks – see a list of words, which ones do you remember?
• Use action tasks – how do you move your hands?
• Use eye movement tasks – which parts of a picture do you look at?
… and more
![Page 5: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/5.jpg)
How do we study the brain?
• fMRI brain scanners let us see which 'brain areas' are active for different tasks
![Page 6: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/6.jpg)
Why do psychologists study autism?
• People with autism have a different way of understanding the world and interacting with the world
• We want to know how & why
• So what do we know already?
![Page 7: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/7.jpg)
Differences in social tasks
• People with autism often have trouble in social situations
• They may learn clever ways to compensate for this
Neurotypicals look at the eyes
Autistic people look at the mouth
![Page 8: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/8.jpg)
Skills in autism
Some people with autism are exceptionally good at drawing or maths or music …
Many are good at seeing things in detail
Does this triangleappear in this picture?
![Page 9: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/9.jpg)
The brain in autism
• We don’t know much
• Brain looks the same
• Subtle differences in brain activity
![Page 10: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/10.jpg)
Research questions
• Why do autistic people find some social tasks so difficult?
• How can neurotypicals learn to see in detail like autistic people?
• Which parts of the brain are different in autism and why?
What else do you want to know?
![Page 11: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/11.jpg)
Lauren Marsh:Mirrors in the brain
![Page 12: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/12.jpg)
The mirror system
A set of brain regions which respond when you:• perform an action• see someone else acting• imitate an action• understand an action
Goals are critical for understanding
![Page 13: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/13.jpg)
Mirroring for social interaction
Some researchers suggest that the mirror system is essential for social interaction
• mirror systems let us imitate• they may contribute to
language• and empathy• and other social
skills
![Page 14: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/14.jpg)
What is the broken mirror?
• children with autism don’t imitate people much
• some of the functions of the mirror system overlap with the difficulties seen in autism
• language can develop slowly in children with autism
The mirror system might be abnormal in autism because:
However, there is very little good evidence to support this claim.
![Page 15: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/15.jpg)
Studying the mirror system in autism
1. Children with autism imitating goals
2. Goals in the brain
![Page 16: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/16.jpg)
Study 1: Goal directed imitation
• 3-6 year olds imitate goals not means
• Revealed by hand errors on cross-body trials
• Good imitation on all other trials
• Do children with ASD show the same pattern of errors?
• Test 26 children with ASD and 25 typical children
Bekkering, et al, 2000Gattis et al, 2002
![Page 17: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/17.jpg)
Goal directed imitation
![Page 18: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/18.jpg)
• Both groups replicate Bekkering et al• No problems with goals in children with ASD
Goal directed imitation
0
2
4
han
d e
rrors
asd
typically developing
sameside
crossbody
bothsides
![Page 19: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/19.jpg)
Conclusions from study 1:
• Children with autism can imitate goals when explicitly asked to do so
• This suggests they do NOT have a broken mirror system
• This means that children with autism can learn through imitation, but we need to explicitly ask them to imitate us
![Page 20: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/20.jpg)
Study 2: Goals in the brain
• What is happening in the brain in autism?
![Page 21: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/21.jpg)
Typical mirror system
Average brain activity of 20 undergraduate students
![Page 22: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/22.jpg)
Outcomes from study 2
• Does the mirror neuron system respond in the same way in people with autism?
– If YES – it is not broken. The theory is wrong.
– If NO – maybe it is broken. How can we fix it?
![Page 23: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/23.jpg)
Recruiting!
We are currently looking for people aged 18-55 with a diagnosis of autism, ASD or Aspergers to take part.
For more information, please contact me:
0115 846 7920www.AutismResearchNottingham.org
![Page 24: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/24.jpg)
Emma Gowen
University of Manchester
![Page 25: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/25.jpg)
Sensory experiences
• Sensory experiences– Superior perceptual performance– Visual search– Hypersensitivity
![Page 26: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/26.jpg)
Sensory integration
• Altered sensory integration?
NEW RESULTS IN!!!
Our results indicate that people with ASD combine sensory stimuli even when at different locations e.g. they over-integrate
![Page 27: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/27.jpg)
Motor difficulties
• Coordination of movements– Clumsiness– Balance, eye hand coordination– Altered sensory-motor integration?
Emma’s Brain
![Page 28: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/28.jpg)
Imitation – copying someone else
Sensory Information (visual)
Motor system (controls movement)
Action performed
Sensory-motor integration is important for imitation
![Page 29: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/29.jpg)
Manchester Study
• Imitation task – how is imitation different in ASD?
• Motion and eye tracking study
Volunteers needed
• Formal diagnosis of high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome
• 18-45 years old
• Generally healthy
Travel costs covered plus £20 for taking part
Contact:
Kelly Wild (0161 306 0470)
![Page 30: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/30.jpg)
Questions?
• What research would you like to see?• What do you need to know?• How can research help you?
• Ask a question• Come to our stand and ask• Send us an email …
![Page 31: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/31.jpg)
![Page 32: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/32.jpg)
Which is simpler?
![Page 33: Autism and the Brain. Hello Antonia Hamilton –Lecturer & researcher in Psychology from the University of Nottingham –will give a general introduction](https://reader035.vdocuments.us/reader035/viewer/2022070411/56649cdf5503460f949a8b3e/html5/thumbnails/33.jpg)
Not everything is different!
• People can guess other people's wealth / status from a picture
• People with autism can do this too