TRASTORNO DEL ESPECTRO AUTISTA Y SISTEMA DE NEURONAS ESPEJO: EL ROL DE LAS DIFERENCIAS INDIVIDUALES.

Mirror neurons are brain cells that are activated by the execution/observation of a movement. It has been proposed that its functions are altered in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is evidenced by the absence of desynchronization of the mu rhythm of the electroencephalogram when observing a biological movement, a theory known as broken mirror. The objective of this study was to test this theory in a Colombian sample. Desynchronizations of the mu rhythm of the electroencephalogram were evaluated in conditions of observation/imitation of a biological movement and in the observation of two non-biological movements in 35 cases and 19 control pairs, with ages between 6 and 16 years old. Participants with ASD presented lower desynchronizations than controls when observing/imitation of biological movement, but higher when observing inert elements. Participants with ASD established greater connection with objects than with other individuals. The broken mirror was not a homogeneous phenomenon in ASD nor a discriminating characteristic between cases and controls. Individual differences played an important role in the functioning of mirror neurons. We propose strategies based on these findings for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder in clinical, educational, productive and social contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]