PSYC3317 Lecture Notes - Lecture 4: Intraparietal Sulcus, Superior Temporal Sulcus, Biological Motion
Document Summary
Superior temporal sulcus- sts neurons are selectively responsive to the human body in motion- bold responses to biological motion- scrambled motion. Neural basis of theory of mind- medial frontal lobe- attending to internal states e. g. intentions of self and other- active in all fmri studies of mentalizing. Theory of mind in autism- markedly abnormal development/ impairment in social interaction and communication- markedly restricted repertoire of interests and activities- Developmental condition noted before 3 years and persisting throughout life- severity and characteristics can change over time- now regarded as a spectrum. Deficit in theory of mind is just one symptom of a wider change in processing style- weak central coherence- systemizing versus empathizing. Failure on theory of mind tests reflects some other cognitive processes. Executive function failure to inhibit reality response- broken mirror theory. Social difficulties linked to autism are a consequence of mirror system dysfunction. Less fmri activity in mirror areas when imitating facial expressions.
