'Mirror neurons' lacking in autism

Abnormal activity in neurons that help individuals imitate others may underlie some of the social deficits found in autism, US researchers believe.

A Nature Neuroscience study found autistic children had less brain activation in an area involved in understanding others' state of mind.

The degree of activation of the 'mirror neurons' housed in this area correlated with measures of social impairment.

The lower the activation, the stronger the impairment the children had.