Autistic brains 'never daydream'

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Autistic brains 'never daydream'

Participants underwent brain scans while they carried out tests
People with autism do not daydream, a study has found.
The resting period usually gives time for areas of the brain to process emotional and reflective thoughts.

The University of California research, in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, compared brain scans of people with autism and those without.

The scientists said the typical social awkwardness seen in autism may be due to this failure of this "daydreaming" brain network.

This study sheds further light on the neurological factors involved in autism

Richard Mills, National Autistic Society

Several regions of the brain are highly active during these periods - including the medial prefrontal cortex, the rostral anterior cingulate and the precuneus.

This activity is suppressed when the brain is doing something which demands understanding, or another intellectual process.

'Abnormal processes'

The researchers used fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) scans to monitor brain activity in 15 people with autistic spectrum disorders and 15 healthy people.

While in the scanner, each person carried out a counting task on the computer.

There were 12 30-second test periods interspersed with three 21-second rest periods, where participants were simply asked to look at a fixed image of a cross.

It was found that the activity during rest periods seen in people who did not have autism was absent in those with the condition.

Writing in PNAS, the researchers led by Dr Duncan Kennedy, said: "We speculate that the lack of deactivation in the autism group is indicative of abnormal internally directed processes at rest, which may be an important contribution to the social and emotional deficits of autism."

Richard Mills, director of research for the National Autistic Society and Research Autism, said: "The causes of autism are varied, complex and not yet fully understood.

"This study sheds further light on the neurological factors involved in autism and some of the possible implications for differences in the cognitive profile and social behaviour.

"Such findings will add to our understanding of this spectrum of conditions and it is hoped may also be utilised in the development of effective treatments and other approaches."
from BBC News.

I'm not sure how it is for you, but I daydream frequently.
Sometimes when I'm bored, my brain goes on autopilot and plays around with hopes, wishes, imaginary scenarios, or even imaginary universes.
It's neurotypicals who don't seem to be good at daydreaming.

How can we not daydream? Studies have shown that we think visually, and that lots of the time we remain passive, and usually during those times we daydream. What ridiculous nonsense!

I would say that the conclusion they have come up with is invalid. The brain is an extremely adaptable organ, as often a particular part of the brain can take over the function of another, although perhaps in a different manner or a way that isn't as efficient. This has been known for a while so why they have come up with this simplistic conclusion is beyond me.

I'm thinking that autistics do daydream but use another part of their brain to do so. If certain parts of the brain aren't 'turning off' as they apparently should, then that might just mean autistic's daydreams are more vivid or complex than that of the normal person. Perhaps it is also indicative of sensory functions not 'tuning out' external stimuli, which is a characteristic of autistic brains - also a very well known fact.

I think autistics daydream more than NTs. I certainly do, but they can call it whatever they want.

If their idea of daydreaming is creating a fantasy world, then I rarely do that. I daydream about events and things that have went on in the past and possibly about what I could do in the future. I daydream about my own special interests. I daydream about a lot of social situations. Then again, this may be just relative thinking and not daydreaming. I tend to think that if you're not speaking aloud, and you're thinking deeply, then you're daydreaming.

- Ray M -

I daydream all the time :starts daydreaming:

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I'm not even entirely sure what 'Daydreaming' even is exactly to be honest.

What is daydreaming? no idea whether I do or not.

I daydream.

I believe that the experiment was fundamentally flawed. People with autism can have intense focus and attention. I suspect that when the autistic participants were asked to look at the cross on the screen, the they stared at it so intensely, their mental focus prevented them from daydreaming.

NT’s can’t focus their attention as intensely at autistic, thus NT’s minds wandered and daydreamed during the “boring” task of staring at the cross on the screen.

I’m sure people with autism daydream allot and more so then NT’s. But I accept the possibility that our daydreams are asocial, we dream about our special interests intensely, with great focus e.g. Minerals, Busses, Astronomy, Linux or what ever. Such daydreams are asocial and devoid of social emotions etc. Such daydreaming could use different, logical brain centres. NT’s seem to daydream about people, friends, relationships, all sorts of social issues.

I for one was surprised at the difference between my sleeping dreams and an NT friend’s dreams. I very rarely see other people in my dreams. I dream of places, architecture and environments. My NT friend always dreams about people, friends, social issues.

Thus, I think the experiment was flawed. Autistic’s do dreams but we dream differently (asocial) with perhaps different parts of our logical brains.

Diamond Dave

I'm a Daydream Believer.