How somatic cortical maps differ in autistic and typical brains

The comorbidity of ‘core characteristics’ and sensorimotorabnormalities in autism implies abnormalities in braindevelopment of a general and pervasive nature andatypical organization of sensory cortex. By usingmagnetoencephalography, we examined the corticalresponse to passive tactile stimulation of the thumb andindex finger of the dominant hand and lip of the individualswith autism spectrum disorder and typically developingpersons. The distance between the cortical representationsof thumb and the lip was significantly larger in the autismgroup than in typicals. Moreover, in cortex, the thumb istypically closer to the lip than the index finger. This was notobserved in persons with autism. Our findings are arguablythe first demonstration of abnormality in sensoryorganization in the brains of persons withautism. NeuroReport 20:175–179