Can repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation alter motor function in autism and Asperger’s disorder?
This study examines whether repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) can alter motor functioning in children with autism and Asperger’s disorder, and thus justify the use of rTMS in a subsequent clinical trial. Motor-related EEG activity (movement-related potentials) is assessed before and after low-frequency rTMS to various motor/prefrontal regions. rTMS trains have lasting effects on cortical activity that appear to have therapeutic benefits in a number of neuropsychiatric disorders, including depression and schizophrenia. • Mirror neuron activation in autism and Asperger’s disorder. Mirror neurons are cortical brain cells that fire during the performance and observation of behaviour. They have been linked to social cognition via an “embodied simulation” of other’s behaviour, and are thought to facilitate an understanding of other’s actions, thoughts, feelings, and intentions. Given social impairments in autism, it has been suggested that autism may involve dysfunction of
