Amygdala in ASD

The Amygdala in ASD

The Amygdala is linked to the arousal and reward system and has been shown to be an contributor to social development. Individuals with bilateral amygdala lesions have impairments in social cognition and display similar deficits to those with ASD. People with bilateral amygdala lesions have deficits in Theory of Mind, impaired recognition of emotion in faces, a failure to focus their eyes on faces, and difficulty with the concept of personal space. Assessment of individuals with amygdala lesions for ASD showed suggests that amygdala lesions are not sufficient to confer a ASD diagnosis.¹

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Citations

1. Paul LK et. al. Does bilateral damage to the human amygdala produce autistic symptoms?J Neurodev Disord. 2010 Sep;2(3):165-173. PMID 20700516