title: Autism: its primary psychological and neurological deficit.
abstract: Autism is a perplexing condition because of its unique presenting signs and high degree of variability. Evidence is presented that the basic underlying information processing disorder is a dysfunction of the appreciation of the emotional significance of incoming stimuli and attaching motivational value to the stimuli. It is proposed that this dysfunction occurs when the amygdaloid nucleus and/or its connections are disrupted, resulting in the variability of the presentation of this syndrome among individuals. Herpes simplex encephalitis sometimes results in signs of autism. The virus has a predilection to attack specific areas of the brain, which provides information on the probable underlying neurological dysfunction in autism.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario.
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Fotheringham
mesh_terms: D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D019965:Neurocognitive Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology*; D010553:Personality Development; D012917:Social Adjustment; D012938:Social Perception