A couple of questions from a rookie?

[Guest guest]

Hello,

I

only recently found out, at the age of 50, why I’ve always been different

than everyone else. I must say it’s a great relief to finally have some

understanding. Currently I’m in the stage/phase of learning everything

Aspie. Does this happen to everyone who figures out things late in life?

So

far the paper listed below is one of the best I’ve found. The really

interesting part is that they theorize that we (autistic people) are deficient

in a set of integrating/fast reaction neurons (Von Economo neurons) that most

people use in complex social situations.

If

their thesis is correct then the autistic symptoms should also occur in other

complex situations where multitasking is required. This is very consistent with

my personal experiences as I can’t multitask and have much difficulty

driving in traffic which requires rapid responses to complex situations. In

contrast I’m pretty good at driving rough roads with no other cars on

them so its not a reaction time problem or a lack of car control skills.

Do

others have difficulty with rapid complex responses as well (e.g., traffic)? Or

is this only me?

Thank

You,

Intuition and autism: a possible role for Von Economo neurons

M.

Allman,

Karli K. , A. Tetreault and Atiya Y. Hakeem

Division of Biology, M. C. 216-76, California Institute of

Technology, Pasadena, CA 91125, USA

Available online 5 July 2005.

Von

Economo neurons (VENs) are

a recently evolved cell type which may be involved in the fast intuitive

assessment of complex situations. As such, they could be part of the circuitry

supporting human social networks. We propose that the VENs relay an output of

fronto-insular and anterior cingulate cortex to the parts of frontal and

temporal cortex associated with theory-of-mind, where fast intuitions are

melded with slower, deliberative judgments. The VENs emerge mainly after birth

and increase in number until age 4 yrs. We propose that in autism spectrum

disorders the VENs fail to develop normally, and that this failure might be

partially responsible for the associated social disabilities that result from

faulty intuition.