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Neuroimaging
There are have been many differences observed between typically developing children and those with ASD in neuroimaging studies using fMRI, EEG, transcranial magnetic stimulation, EMG, and structural MRI. It has been hypothesized in the Mirror Neuron System Theory of Autism that the social/communication deficits in ASD arise because of differences in activation of the Mirror Neuron System (MNS), since the mirror neuron system plays an integral role in mediating understanding of emotional states of others. However, many different areas of the brain can participate in complex social/communicative tasks, making it difficult to single out just one neural area responsible for the widespread abnormalities in socialization and communication experienced by patients with ASD.
Neurobiology of Language
Neuroimaging studies using fMRIs have suggested that individuals with autism may process language differently from typically developing individuals. During language task, activation in atypical cortical areas are increased, where as activation is abnormally increased or decreased in typical language areas. Both magnetoencephalography and evoked potential studies have shown that those with autism eventually overuse the right hemisphere to process language, though overuse does not happen until adolescence. The pattern of activation is reminiscent of activation patterns in patients with developmental dyslexia. 2
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