Editing Asperger syndrome (section)

===Mirror neuron system (MNS) theory===
{{Update section|date=January 2022|reason=There have been almost 4 decades since some of the material cited here was published, and current consensus in ASD is less straightforward than depicted here|inaccurate=yes}}
<!-- Here are two more recent peer-reviewed reviews about MNS (DOI is open access):
* {{cite journal | vauthors = Yates L, Hobson H | title = Continuing to look in the mirror: A review of neuroscientific evidence for the broken mirror hypothesis, EP-M model and STORM model of autism spectrum conditions | journal = Autism | volume = 24 | issue = 8 | pages = 1945–1959 | date = November 2020 | pmid = 32668956 | doi = 10.1177/1362361320936945 | publisher = SAGE Publications | doi-access = free }}
* {{cite journal | vauthors = Khalil R, Tindle R, Boraud T, Moustafa AA, Karim AA | title = Social decision making in autism: On the impact of mirror neurons, motor control, and imitative behaviors | journal = CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics | volume = 24 | issue = 8 | pages = 669–676 | date = August 2018 | pmid = 29963752 | doi = 10.1111/cns.13001 | publisher = Wiley | doi-access = free }}

Here is a more recent peer-reviewed review about ToM (DOIs are open access):
* {{cite journal | vauthors = Gernsbacher MA, Yergeau M | title = Empirical Failures of the Claim That Autistic People Lack a Theory of Mind | journal = Archives of Scientific Psychology | volume = 7 | issue = 1 | pages = 102–118 | date = 9 December 2019 | pmid = 31938672 | pmc = 69594781063909 | doi = 10.1037/arc0000067 | publisher = American Psychological Association (APA) | doi-access = free }}

Here is a more recent peer-reviewed review about S-E:
* {{cite journal | vauthors = Xiong H, Peterson JB, Scott S | title=Amniotic testosterone and psychological sex differences: A systematic review of the extreme male brain theory | journal=Developmental Review | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=57 | year=2020 | issn=0273-2297 | doi=10.1016/j.dr.2020.100922 | page=100922}}
* {{cite journal | vauthors = Ferri SL, Abel T, Brodkin ES | title = Sex Differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Review | journal = Current Psychiatry Reports | volume = 20 | issue = 2 | pages = 9 | date = March 2018 | pmid = 29504047 | doi = 10.1007/s11920-018-0874-2 | publisher = Springer Science and Business Media LLC }}

Here is a more recent peer-reviewed critique of S-E:
* {{cite journal | vauthors = Ridley R | title=Some difficulties behind the concept of the 'Extreme male brain' in autism research. A theoretical review | journal=Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders | publisher=Elsevier BV | volume=57 | year=2019 | issn=1750-9467 | doi=10.1016/j.rasd.2018.09.007 | pages=19–27}}

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The [[mirror neuron system]] (MNS) theory hypothesizes that alterations to the development of the MNS interfere with [[imitation]] and lead to Asperger syndrome's core feature of social impairment.<ref name=Iacoboni>{{cite journal | vauthors = Iacoboni M, Dapretto M | s2cid = 9463011 | title = The mirror neuron system and the consequences of its dysfunction | journal = Nature Reviews. Neuroscience | volume = 7 | issue = 12 | pages = 942–51 | date = December 2006 | pmid = 17115076 | doi = 10.1038/nrn2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Ramachandran VS, Oberman LM | title = Broken mirrors: a theory of autism | journal = Scientific American | volume = 295 | issue = 5 | pages = 62–69 | date = November 2006 | pmid = 17076085 | doi = 10.1038/scientificamerican1106-62 | url = http://cbc.ucsd.edu/pdf/brokenmirrors_asd.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090205170827/http://cbc.ucsd.edu/pdf/brokenmirrors_asd.pdf | url-status = live | archive-date = 5 February 2009 | bibcode = 2006SciAm.295e..62R}}</ref> One study found that activation is delayed in the core circuit for imitation in individuals with AS.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Nishitani N, Avikainen S, Hari R | title = Abnormal imitation-related cortical activation sequences in Asperger's syndrome | journal = Annals of Neurology | volume = 55 | issue = 4 | pages = 558–62 | date = April 2004 | pmid = 15048895 | doi = 10.1002/ana.20031 | s2cid = 43913942}}</ref> This theory maps well to [[social cognition]] theories like the [[theory of mind]], which hypothesizes that autistic behavior arises from impairments in ascribing mental states to oneself and others;<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Baron-Cohen S, Leslie AM, Frith U | s2cid = 14955234 | title = Does the autistic child have a "theory of mind"? | journal = Cognition | volume = 21 | issue = 1 | pages = 37–46 | date = October 1985 | pmid = 2934210 | doi = 10.1016/0010-0277(85)90022-8| citeseerx = 10.1.1.704.4721 }} [https://web.archive.org/web/20170928145836/http://ruccs.rutgers.edu/images/personal-alan-leslie/publications/Baron-Cohen%20Leslie%20%26%20Frith%201985.pdf Pdf.]</ref> or [[Empathizing–systemizing theory|hyper-systemizing]], which hypothesizes that autistic individuals can systematize internal operation to handle internal events but are less effective at [[empathizing]] when handling events generated by other agents.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Baron-Cohen S | title = The hyper-systemizing, assortative mating theory of autism | journal = Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry | volume = 30 | issue = 5 | pages = 865–72 | date = July 2006 | pmid = 16519981 | doi = 10.1016/j.pnpbp.2006.01.010 | s2cid = 13271448 | url = http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/docs/papers/2006_BC_Neuropsychophamacology.pdf | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070614091839/http://www.autismresearchcentre.com/docs/papers/2006_BC_Neuropsychophamacology.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = 14 June 2007}}</ref>