Amir-Homayun Hallajian, Fateme Dehghani-Arani, Reza Rostami, Mozhdeh Bayat, Yasamin Rahmati,
Volume 9, Issue 4 (volume9, Issue 4 2022)
Abstract
The temporo-parietal junction is a key region in the theory of mind process. Numerous brain imaging studies have demonstrated its involvement in the mentalizing process and its under-activation in autism. This study aimed to investigate the causal relationship between rTPJ activation and implicit mentalizing in autism spectrum disorder. This study is a single-blind Quasi-experimental study with a repetitive measures design. Nine children and adolescents with autism were recruited by convenience sampling method using Gilliam autism rating scale (GARS), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Stanford-Binet (SB). Afterward, they were assigned to three randomly ordered stimulation sessions: cTBS, iTBS, and sham. Immediately after each session indexes related to the subject’s implicit mentalizing were measured by a computer-based task. Repeated-measures ANOVA results demonstrated that the active stimulation sessions improved implicit mentalizing compared to sham sessions. It seems that there is a causal relation between rTPJ activation and implicit mentalizing.
Miss Fateme Hasanzade Maharlouee, Dr Fateme Dehghani-Arani, Dr Abdolhoseyn Vahhabi, Mr Sepehr Sima,
Volume 11, Issue 2 (Volume11, Issue 2 2023)
Abstract
Attachment style is a relatively stable trait throughout life that affects how a person interacts with the environment. So far, many neurological researches have been carried out to understand the neural basis of attachment. In order to compare the results of these studies with each other and obtain the common areas mentioned in the studies, after reviewing the published studies and selecting the articles that were eligable to enter the meta-analysis (11 articles out of 564 articles from the initial search). Published results in attachment studies were analyzed using activation likelihood estimation (ALE). The correction threshold applied for significant clusters was P < .05. In attachment anxiety, ALE analysis showed a positive correlation with activity in the insula, inferior gyrus of the frontal lobe, superior gyrus of the temporal lobe, putamen nuclei, hippocampus and globus pallidus. Also, a negative correlation was observed between attachment anxiety and activity in the middle temporal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, and fusiform gyrus. In avoidance, ALE analysis showed a negative correlation with activity in the insula and superior temporal gyrus, and on the other hand, a positive correlation was observed with the middle frontal gyrus, the inferior gyrus of the frontal lobe, and the cingulate gyrus.
