Jocelyne Bachevalier, Katherine A. Loveland

Individuals with an autistic spectrum disorder are impaired not only in  understanding others’ mental states, but also in self-regulation  of
social–emotional behavior. Therefore, a model of the brain in autism must  encompass not only those brain systems that subserve social–
cognitive and  emotional functioning, but also those that subserve the self-regulation of  behavior in response to a changing social
environment. We present evidence to  support the hypothesis that developmental dysfunction of the  orbitofrontal–amygdala circuit of the
brain is a critical factor in the  development of autism and that some of the characteristic deficits of persons  with autism in socio-emotional
cognition and behavioral self-regulation are  related to early dysfunction of different components of this circuit. A  secondary hypothesis posits
that the degree of intellectual impairment  present in individuals with autism is directly related to the integrity of the  dorsolateral prefrontal–
hippocampal circuit of the brain. Together, these  hypotheses have the potential to help explain the neurodevelopmental basis of  some of the
primary manifestations of autism as well as the heterogeneity of  outcomes.