Nancy Minshew facts for kids
Nancy Minshew is a smart scientist who studies the brain. She is a professor at the University of Pittsburgh. She teaches about how our brains work and how they can be affected by conditions like autism. Dr. Minshew leads a special research center that focuses on autism. She is known around the world for her work on how autism affects thinking, the brain, and even our genes. She first trained to be a doctor who helps children with brain conditions. She got her medical degree from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
How the Brain Works in Autism
Nancy Minshew and her friend Marcel Just came up with an important idea. It's called the underconnectivity hypothesis of autism. This idea helps us understand how the brains of people with autism might work differently.
They believe that in autism, some parts of the brain don't connect as well as they should. Imagine your brain as a big city with many roads. The underconnectivity idea suggests that the main highways (high-level connections) might not be working as smoothly. But, the smaller local roads (low-level processes) might be extra busy.
Scientists have found clues for this idea using special brain scans. These scans, called functional neuroimaging, look at how the brain works. Other studies have used brain wave tests. These tests showed that adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) might have many connections in small brain areas. But, the connections between the front part of the brain (the frontal lobe) and other parts might be weaker. The frontal lobe helps us with planning and making decisions.
