Table 1.
Correspondence between seminal symptoms of each ASD proposed pathogenesis and SC functions∗ (see text for references).
| ASD proposed theory | Endophenotype/Seminal symptom | Possible SC function compromised |
|---|---|---|
| Magnocellular visual pathway dysfunction. | Compromise on visual attention and/or compromise on motion perception and face processing. | Main (or exclusive) gate of the Magnocellular Visual Pathway. |
| Local over global visual non-conscious (WCC-EPF Model). | Automatic bias to local instead of global visual processing. | Exclusive structure described for automatic bias for global visual processing. |
| Innate social motivation compromise. | Emotional hypoarousal or hyperarousal to social stimuli. | First line experience-expectant sentinel structure that triggers the “social brain network.” |
| Abnormal emotional regulation. | Compromise on the alarm system or emotion system to social and non-social detection and reaction | Detector System and gate to trigger the emotional brain networks (e.g., fight or flight reactions, fear to snakes, etc.) |
| Face processing abnormalities (emotional or non-emotional processing). | Abnormalities in subcortical face detection network (SC/Pul/Amy). | First line specific neurons with shorter latencies for face recognition (25-ms). |
| Abnormal attention to social and non-social stimuli. | Atypical visual orienting to faces and objects. | First Sentinel/reactive system to novelty (biologic or non-biologic). |
| Attention disengagement. | Neurons exclusively prepared to disengagement functions. | |
| Compromise of simultaneous or multiple attention. | Elected structure to explain human multiple attention in real word scenes (e.g., MASC model). | |
| Mirror neuron system dysfunction. Abnormal motor and social synchrony (imitation). Compromise on the representation of the Self. | Compromise on visual implicit attention that activates the sensory-motor- emotional networks. Simultaneous Attention to the Self and others to allow joint attention (it also requires simultaneous synchrony between sensory, motor, cognitive, emotional and autonomic variables). | SC functions allow visual implicit attention, non-conscious decisions, visuomotor transformation and simultaneous triggering of sensory-motor-emotional networks. It is the main structure involved on the on each developmental stage of the representation of the Self. |
| Abnormal eye movements and saccade production. | Idem (abnormal saccades). | Main hub for visual search and saccade movements. |
| Abnormal multisensory integration. | Abnormal visual, auditory and somatosensory integration. | Sentinel multisensory single neurons that integrate visual, auditory and somatosensory input. |
| Intense world theory | Diminished prepulse inhibition (PPI) | Diminished PPI is exclusively associated with SC compromise. |
∗The authors of each theory proposed that the full clinical ASD picture is secondary to the compromise of the seminal symptom described. However the great diversity of ASD symptoms and the high presence of associated disorders could only be explained by a compromise of a hub with sensory, motor, social, emotional, autonomic, communicative integrate functions.