Features of EEG Reactions in Typically Developing Children and Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder When Observing Movements and Imitating Them

Abstract

In normotypic children 4-7 years old and their peers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), an electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded in situations of observation of imaginary and real actions of the experimenter, as well as when the action was repeated by children. The relevance of the study is due to the assumption of a violation in children with ASD of the functioning of the so-called mirror neuron system (MNS). In both groups of children in these situations, desynchronization of EEG power was detected in individually defined mu-rhythm ranges in the central, frontal and parietal locus, which indicates the activation of MNS. At the same time, in children with ASD in all experimental situations, there was a greater desynchronization of the mu-rhythm in the areas of the lower frontal gyri of the left and right hemispheres (locus F7 and F8), compared with normotypic children. However, in the central locus of the right hemisphere (C4 locus), under the conditions of observation of a real action in children with ASD, there is significantly less desynchronization of the mu-rhythm compared to the norm group, which is probably due to less activation of MNS when perceiving the purposeful actions of another person. The results obtained are important for understanding social behavior disorders in children with ASD and developing methods for their correction.