A neural network model developed to understand how the brain
controls normal behaviours has been adapted to explain how brain
mechanisms may break down to give rise to the behavioural
symptoms of autism. Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder
which occurs in about 5 in 10,000 live births. The key symptoms
of the condition are impaired social interactions, deficiencies
in verbal and non-verbal communication and inconsistency in
cognitive abilities. Although the cause of autism is unclear,
the cerebellar, limbic and cortical systems have been implicated
in the condition, and it has been proposed that the condition
occurs as a result of disturbances in such a distributed
circuit. A small number of post-mortem studies have revealed
abnormal cerebellar cytoarchitechtonics, with decreased numbers
of atypically shaped and abnormally connected Purkinje cells,
but neroimaging studies have provided conflicting evidence. In a
paper published in the July issue of Psychological Review,
entitled Neural Dynamics of Autisti