Enhanced visual processing contributes to matrix reasoning in autism.

摘要: Recent behavioral investigations have revealed that autistics perform more proficiently on Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) than would be predicted by their Wechsler intelligence scores. A widely-used test of fluid reasoning and intelligence, the RSPM assays abilities to flexibly infer rules, manage goal hierarchies, high-level abstractions. The neural substrates for these are known encompass a large frontoparietal network, with different processing models placing variable emphasis specific roles prefrontal or posterior regions. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging explore bases autistics' problem solving. Fifteen autistic eighteen non-autistic participants, matched age, sex, manual preference IQ, completed 60 self-paced randomly-ordered items along visually similar 60-item pattern matching comparison task. Accuracy response times did not differ between groups in In task, performed accuracy, but shorter times, compared controls. both entire sample subsample participants additionally performance control potential time confounds, activity was However, displayed relatively increased task-related extrastriate areas (BA18), decreased lateral cortex (BA9) medial parietal (BA7). Visual mechanisms may therefore play prominent role autistics.