̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge - Autism Research Centre

People who are autistic and transgender/gender diverse have poorer health and health care

cjb250 — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 01:00:31 +0000

Researchers at the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� found that these individuals also report experiencing lower quality healthcare than both autistic and non-autistic people whose gender identity matches their sex assigned at birth (cisgender).

̽��ֱ��findings have important implications for the healthcare and support of autistic transgender/gender diverse (TGD) individuals. This is the first large-scale study on the experiences of autistic TGD people and the results are published today in Molecular Autism.

Previous research suggests that both autistic people and TGD people separately have poorer healthcare experiences and are more likely to be diagnosed with physical and mental health conditions than other people. In addition, a 2020 study of over 640,000 people, carried out by the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, found that TGD people are more likely to be autistic and have higher levels of autistic traits than other people. Several other studies now confirm this finding and show that autistic people are more likely to experience gender dysphoria than others. Despite these findings, there are no studies that consider risks of mental health conditions, physical health conditions, and healthcare quality among autistic TGD people.

In the largest study to date on this topic, the team at the Autism Research Centre used an anonymous, self-report survey to compare the experiences of 174 autistic TGD individuals, 1,094 autistic cisgender individuals, and 1,295 non-autistic cisgender individuals.

̽��ֱ��survey assessed rates of mental health conditions and physical health conditions, as well as the quality of 51 different aspects of healthcare experiences. ̽��ֱ��healthcare experiences questions were wide-ranging and included questions about communication, anxiety, access and advocacy, system-level issues, and sensory experiences among others. They addressed several very basic aspects of healthcare, including asking participants to endorse statements such as ‘If I need to go to see a healthcare professional, I am able to get there’, ‘I am able to describe how bad my pain feels’, and ‘I usually understand what my healthcare professional means when they discuss my health’.

Both autistic TGD and autistic cisgender adults reported significantly poorer healthcare experiences across 50 out of 51 items compared with non-autistic cisgender people, confirming that autistic people appear to have poorer quality healthcare than non-autistic cisgender individuals, regardless of their own gender identity.

Compared to non-autistic cisgender individuals, autistic TGD people were three to 11 times more likely to report anxiety, shutdowns, and meltdowns related to common healthcare experiences.

For every 10 cisgender non-autistic adults who endorsed the following statements, on average, only two autistic cisgender adults and only one autistic TGD adult stated that they: (i) understood what their healthcare professional meant when discussing their health; (ii) knew what was expected of them when seeing a healthcare professional; or (iii) were able to describe how bad their pain felt.

Autistic TGD people and autistic cisgender people were more likely to report both long-term physical and mental health conditions that were formally diagnosed, suspected, or that had been recommended for assessment by clinicians. For every 10 non-autistic cisgender people who had at least one diagnosed physical health condition, there were 15 autistic cisgender people and 23 autistic TGD people. For every 10 non-autistic cisgender people who reported at least one diagnosed mental health condition, there were 50 autistic cisgender people and 109 autistic TGD people who reported the same.

Alarmingly, it is now well-established that autistic people and TGD people are each at a much higher risk of suicide and suicide-related behaviours than other people. In 2023, the Department of Health and Social Care specifically recognized autistic people as a priority group in their Suicide prevention strategy for England: 2023 to 2028. ̽��ֱ��new study found that, compared to people who are non-autistic and cisgender, autistic cisgender individuals were 4.6 times more likely and autistic TGD people were 5.8 times more likely to report self-harm.

Dr Elizabeth Weir, a postdoctoral scientist at the Autism Research Centre, and one of the lead researchers of the study, said: “These findings add to the growing body of evidence that many autistic people experience unacceptably poor mental health and are at a very high risk of suicide-related behaviours. We need to consider how other aspects of identity, including gender, influence these risks.”

These results emphasise the importance of considering intersectionality in clinical settings, including health risks for individuals who hold multiple minoritised identities. ̽��ֱ��researchers say clinicians should be aware of these risks and the unique barriers to healthcare that autistic TGD people may experience. ̽��ֱ��findings also underscore that people who are autistic and transgender/gender diverse experience particularly high rates of mental health conditions and risks of self-harm.

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre and a member of the team, said: “We need to consider how to adapt healthcare systems and individual care to meet the needs of autistic transgender/gender diverse people. Policymakers, clinicians, and researchers should work collaboratively with autistic people to improve existing systems and reduce barriers to healthcare.”

Reference
Green, K.*, Weir, E.*, Wright, L.*, Allison, C., & Baron-Cohen, S. Autistic and transgender/gender diverse people’s experiences of health and healthcare. Molecular Autism; 21 Jan 2025; DOI: 10.1186/s13229-024-00634-0

Autistic transgender/gender diverse individuals are more likely to have long-term mental and physical health conditions, including alarmingly high rates of self-harm, new research from the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge suggests.

These findings add to the growing body of evidence that many autistic people experience unacceptably poor mental health and are at a very high risk of suicide-related behaviours

Elizabeth Weir

Kyle (Unsplash)

Woman with transgender flag make-up

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Sex differences in brain structure present at birth

Anonymous — Tue, 07 Jan 2025 08:00:33 +0000

While male brains tended to be greater in volume than female brains, when adjusted for total brain volume, female infants on average had significantly more grey matter, while male infants on average had significantly more white matter in their brains.

Grey matter is made up of neuron cell bodies and dendrites and is responsible for processing and interpreting information, such as sensation, perception, learning, speech, and cognition. White matter is made up of axons, which are long nerve fibres that connect neurons together from different parts of the brain.

Yumnah Khan, a PhD student at the Autism Research Centre, who led the study, said: “Our study settles an age-old question of whether male and female brains differ at birth. We know there are differences in the brains of older children and adults, but our findings show that they are already present in the earliest days of life.

“Because these sex differences are evident so soon after birth, they might in part reflect biological sex differences during prenatal brain development, which then interact with environmental experiences over time to shape further sex differences in the brain.”

One problem that has plagued past research in this area is sample size. ̽��ֱ��Cambridge team tackled this by analysing data from the Developing Human Connectome Project, where infants receive an MRI brain scan soon after birth. Having over 500 newborn babies in the study means that, statistically, the sample is ideal for detecting sex differences if they are present.

A second problem is whether any observed sex differences could be due to other factors, such as differences in body size. ̽��ֱ��Cambridge team found that, on average, male infants had significantly larger brain volumes than did females, and this was true even after sex differences in birth weight were taken into account.

After taking this difference in total brain volume into account, at a regional level, females on average showed larger volumes in grey matter areas related to memory and emotional regulation, while males on average had larger volumes in grey matter areas involved in sensory processing and motor control.

̽��ֱ��findings of the study, the largest to date to investigate this question, are published in the journal Biology of Sex Differences.

Dr Alex Tsompanidis who supervised the study, said: “This is the largest such study to date, and we took additional factors into account, such as birth weight, to ensure that these differences are specific to the brain and not due to general size differences between the sexes.

“To understand why males and females show differences in their relative grey and white matter volume, we are now studying the conditions of the prenatal environment, using population birth records, as well as in vitro cellular models of the developing brain. This will help us compare the progression of male and female pregnancies and determine if specific biological factors, such as hormones or the placenta, contribute to the differences we see in the brain.”

̽��ֱ��researchers stress that the differences between males and females are average differences.

Dr Carrie Allison, Deputy Director of the Autism Research Centre, said: “ ̽��ֱ��differences we see do not apply to all males or all females, but are only seen when you compare groups of males and females together. There is a lot a variation within, and a lot of overlap between, each group.”

Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre, added: “These differences do not imply the brains of males and females are better or worse. It’s just one example of neurodiversity. This research may be helpful in understanding other kinds of neurodiversity, such as the brain in children who are later diagnosed as autistic, since this is diagnosed more often in males.”

̽��ֱ��research was funded by Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� Development and Research, Trinity College, Cambridge, the Cambridge Trust, and the Simons Foundation Autism Research Initiative.

Reference
Khan, Y T, Tsompanidis, A, Radecki, M A, et al. Sex differences in human brain structure at birth. Biol Sex Differ; 17 Oct 2024; DOI: 10.1186/s13293-024-00657-5

Sex differences in brain structure are present from birth, research from the Autism Research Centre at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge has shown.

We know there are differences in the brains of older children and adults, but our findings show that they are already present in the earliest days of life

Yumnah Khan

Chayene Rafaela

Photograph of a young girl hugging a baby boy

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Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen made honorary fellow of Royal Society of Medicine

cjb250 — Wed, 31 Jul 2024 14:42:00 +0000

Professor Baron-Cohen is a British clinical psychologist and professor of developmental psychopathology at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. He is the director of the university's Autism Research Centre and a Fellow of Trinity College.

̽��ֱ��honorary fellowships were granted at a ceremony at the RSM’s central London home.

Speaking at the ceremony, Professor Baron-Cohen said: “Although I’m receiving this honour, I’m really here because of the work of the team of researchers at the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge. I want to thank them for all their hard work into both basic science into trying to understand the cause of autism but also applied research to evaluate what kinds of support might help autistic people and their families.”

̽��ֱ��Society also bestowed honours upon Baron Adebowale CBE, Major General Timothy Hodgetts CB, Professor Martin McKee CBE, Professor Dame Robina Shah and Professor Irene Tracey CBE.

Adapted from a news story by the Royal Society of Medicine.

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen has been awarded an honorary fellowship of the Royal Society of Medicine, in recognition of his contribution to health, healthcare and medicine.

Although I’m receiving this honour, I’m really here because of the work of the team of researchers at the Autism Research Centre

Simon Baron-Cohen

Royal Society of Medicine

Professor Henrietta Bowden-Jones, Professor Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor Roger Kirby

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Simon Baron-Cohen wins MRC Millennium Medal for transformative research into autism and neurodiversity

Anonymous — Thu, 20 Jun 2024 07:00:07 +0000

Sir Simon Baron-Cohen is a Professor in the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and Fellow at Trinity College. He is Director of the Autism Research Centre, which he set up in 1997. He has published over 750 peer reviewed scientific articles and has made contributions to many aspects of autism research. In 2021, he received a knighthood in the New Year’s Honours list for his services to autism.

One of his earliest MRC grants, in 1996, was to investigate if autism could be diagnosed in babies as young as 18 months old, and his team showed that it can. Ideally, an early diagnosis should lead to the right support, so that a child has the best opportunity to fulfil their potential.

Baron-Cohen has drawn attention to the reality that a lot of autistic people do not receive their diagnosis in early childhood. In fact, many are not diagnosed until late childhood, or even adulthood. This means they are left unsupported and feeling different, but with no explanation. As a result, autistic people can end up feeling like they do not fit in, and may experience exclusion or bullying by their peer group. They can feel ashamed when they’re not coping in a mainstream classroom.

He argues that the reason they are struggling is because the mainstream educational setting was designed for non-autistic people. This can lead to a gradual deterioration in their mental health. Many underachieve academically and only 15% of autistic adults are employed. Most worryingly, one in four autistic adults have planned or attempted suicide. He said “Autistic people are being failed by our society”.

In 2017 Baron-Cohen was invited by the United Nations to give a keynote lecture on Autism Acceptance Day. He described how autistic people are excluded from many basic human rights. These include the right to education, the right to health services, the right to dignity, and the right to employment.

In an effort to change this, Baron-Cohen created a charity called the Autism Centre of Excellence (ACE) at Cambridge. ̽��ֱ��charity is science-led and aims to put the science into the hands of policymakers, so there’s no delay in translating policy-relevant findings.

Alongside his applied research, Baron-Cohen’s team also conducts basic research. Autism starts prenatally and is partly but not completely genetic. For decades it was unclear what other factors might contribute to the cause of autism. Over the past 20 years Baron-Cohen made two big discoveries which have helped understand what causes autism. First, his team found elevated levels of prenatal androgens (sex hormones such as testosterone) in pregnancies that later resulted in autism. Second, they found that prenatal oestrogens (another group of sex hormones which are synthesised from androgens) levels were also elevated in pregnancies resulting in autism.

Autism is an example of neurodiversity. Autistic individuals’ brains develop differently, from before birth. Some of these differences result in disability, for example, in social skills and communication. But others result in strengths or talents. For example, many autistic people have excellent memory for facts and excellent attention to detail. And many are strongly attracted to patterns. Baron-Cohen’s recent book ̽��ֱ��Pattern Seekers celebrates autistic people’s different minds. In many environments, such skills are assets. In his research group, he employs neurodivergent individuals.

Baron-Cohen will receive the prestigious medal, specially created by ̽��ֱ��Royal Mint, and will be listed amongst the most highly influential and impactful researchers in the UK. He will deliver a lecture about his research, and his achievements will be celebrated at an Awards Ceremony on 20 June 2024 in the Law Society where he will receive the medal.

On receiving the news that he was to be awarded the MRC Millennium Medal, Baron-Cohen said: “This is the result of team work and I am fortunate to be surrounded by a talented team of scientists. I hope this Medal shines a light on how autistic people need a lot more support, from the earliest point, to lead fulfilling lives.”

̽��ֱ��UKRI Medical Research Council (MRC) in the UK will today present the MRC Millennium Medal 2023 to Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, in recognition of his pioneering MRC-funded research into the prenatal sex steroid theory of autism, his establishment of the Autism Research Centre at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, and his work in the public understanding of neurodiversity.

I hope this Medal shines a light on how autistic people need a lot more support, from the earliest point, to lead fulfilling lives

Simon Baron-Cohen

Brian Harris

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen

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Autistic individuals have increased risk of chronic physical health conditions across the whole body

Anonymous — Fri, 29 Sep 2023 12:38:16 +0000

Previous studies have shown that autistic people are dying far younger than others and that they are more likely to experience a range of physical health conditions. Until now, it was believed that autistic people were more likely to have specific conditions, such as gastrointestinal pain, sleep problems, and epilepsy/seizure disorders.

̽��ֱ��new study is different in that it investigated a much wider range of health risks than has been done before and shows that autistic people experience a much broader range of health vulnerabilities than was previously thought.

Specifically, autistic people are more likely to have physical health conditions across all organ systems, including the brain (such as migraine), the gastrointestinal system (for example coeliac disease), and the endocrine system (for example endometriosis), compared to non-autistic people.

Dr Elizabeth Weir, a Research Associate at the Autism Research Centre in Cambridge, who led the team, said: “This study emphasizes the increased health vulnerability of autistic people both in the types and number of conditions they may have. We now need to understand the causes of these increased risks, which are likely multifactorial in nature.”

This is the first study to show that autistic people are more likely than non-autistic people to experience ‘physical health multimorbidity’, meaning that they have at least two or more physical health conditions. These include co-occurring fibromyalgia (which causes chronic pain throughout the body) and polycystic ovarian syndrome (which causes irregular menstrual cycles, infertility, excess hair growth, and acne in women) across different organ systems.

̽��ֱ��study was conducted by a team at the ARC and used an anonymized, self-report survey to compare the experiences of 1,129 autistic people with 1,176 non-autistic people aged 16-90 years. ̽��ֱ��participants were international, although 67% of participants were from the UK.

̽��ֱ��survey assessed risk of 60 physical health conditions across nine different organ systems (gastrointestinal, endocrine, rheumatological, neurological, ocular, renal/hepatic, otolaryngological, haematological, and dermatological). ̽��ֱ��analysis took into account other factors such as age, sex assigned at birth, country of residence, ethnicity, education-level, alcohol use, smoking, body mass index, and family medical history.

̽��ֱ��team found that autistic people were more likely to have diagnosed medical conditions across all nine organ systems tested, compared to non-autistic people. Regarding specific conditions, autistic people had higher rates of 33 specific conditions compared to non-autistic peers. These included coeliac disease, gallbladder disease, endometriosis, syncope (fainting or passing out), vertigo, urinary incontinence, eczema, and iron deficiency anaemia.

Dr John Ward, a visiting research scientist at the ARC in Cambridge, who conducted the analysis, said: “This research adds to the body of evidence that the healthcare needs of autistic people are greater than those of non-autistic people. More research is required, particularly surrounding the early identification, and monitoring of chronic conditions.”

This is also the first epidemiological study to show that Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome (EDS) – a group of disorders that affects connective tissues and which cause symptoms such as joint hypermobility, loose joints that dislocate easily, joint pain and clicking joints, skin that bruises easily, extreme tiredness, digestive problems, dizziness, stretchy skin, wounds that are slow to heal, organ prolapse, and hernias – may be more common among autistic women than non-autistic women.

̽��ֱ��new research also replicates previous findings to show that autistic people have higher rates of all central sensitivity syndromes, which are a varied group of conditions that are related to dysregulation of the central nervous system, compared to non-autistic people. Central sensitivity syndromes include irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), temporomandibular joint syndrome (TMJ), migraine, tinnitus, myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), and fibromyalgia.

̽��ֱ��new study also investigated risks of physical health multimorbidity with a novel application of ‘network analysis’, a technique used to understand relationships between different parts of a system. This analysis method is regularly used in neuroscience to understand how different regions of the brain interact with each other. In this study, the analysis assessed how often conditions from different organ systems occurred together in the same person. In addition to highlighting complex health needs, this analysis established for the first time that the combinations of medical conditions that frequently co-occur may be different between autistic and non-autistic adults.

These results are preliminary evidence that healthcare providers such as GPs or family physicians need to be monitoring the health care needs of autistic people much more closely.

Dr Carrie Allison, Director of Strategy at the ARC and a member of the team, added: “These findings highlight the acute need to adapt the healthcare system to better meet the needs of autistic people. These results must be confirmed in larger, population-based samples.”

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the ARC and another member of the team, said: “We are aware of the risks of mental health conditions in autistic people, but this new research identifies their risks of physical health conditions too. We need to urgently re-evaluate current health care systems to improve support for autistic people.”

Funding for this project was provided by the Autism Centre of Excellence at Cambridge, the Rosetrees Trust, the Cambridge and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, the Corbin Charitable Trust, the Queen Anne’s Gate Foundation, the MRC, the Wellcome Trust and the Innovative Medicines Initiative.

Reference

Ward, J & Weir, E, Allison, C, Baron-Cohen, S. Increased rates of chronic physical health conditions across all organ systems in autistic adolescents and adults. Molecular Autism (2023).

Autistic people have higher rates of chronic physical health conditions across the whole body and are more likely to have complex health needs, according to a study led by researchers at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge. Their findings, published in the journal Molecular Autism, have important implications for the clinical care of autistic people.

This study emphasizes the increased health vulnerability of autistic people both in the types and number of conditions they may have

Elizabeth Weir

HikiApp

Two autistic friends sitting outside using stim toys and laughing at their phones

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Largest genetic study of brain structure identifies how the brain is organised

cjb250 — Thu, 17 Aug 2023 15:00:47 +0000

Our brains are very complex organs, with huge variety between individuals in terms of the overall volume of the brain, how it is folded and how thick these folds are. Little is known about how our genetic make-up shapes the development of the brain.

To answer this question, a team led by researchers at the Autism Research Centre, ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, accessed MRI scans from over 32,000 adults from the UK Biobank cohort and over 4,000 children from the US-based ABCD study. From these scans, the researchers measured multiple properties of the outermost layer of the brain called the cortex. These included measures of the area and volume of the cortex as well as how the cortex is folded.

They then linked these properties, measured both across the entire cortex as well as in 180 individual regions of the cortex, to genetic information across the genome. ̽��ֱ��team identified over 4,000 genetic variants linked to brain structure.

These findings have allowed researchers to confirm and, in some cases, identify, how different properties of the brain are genetically linked to each other.

Dr Varun Warrier from the Autism Research Centre, who co-led the study, said: “One question that has interested us for a while is if the same genes that are linked to how big the cortex is – measured as both volume and area – are also linked to how the cortex is folded. By measuring these different properties of the brain and linking them to genetics, we found that different sets of genes contribute to folding and size of the cortex.”

̽��ֱ��team also checked whether the same genes that are linked to variation in brain size in the general population overlap with genes linked to clinical conditions where head sizes are much larger or smaller than the general population, known as cephalic conditions.

Dr Richard Bethlehem, also from the Autism Research Centre and a co-lead of the study, said: “Many of the genes linked with differences in the brain sizes in the general population overlapped with genes implicated in cephalic conditions. However, we still do not know how exactly these genes lead to changes in brain size.”

Dr Warrier added: “This work shows that how our brain develops is partly genetic. Our findings can be used to understand how changes in the shape and size of the brain can lead to neurological and psychiatric conditions, potentially leading to better treatment and support for those who need it.”

This study was supported by the Wellcome Trust. It was conducted in association with the NIHR CLAHRC for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, and the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.

Reference
Warrier, V et al. Genetic insights into human cortical organisation and development through genome-wide analyses of 2,347 neuroimaging phenotypes. Nat Gen; 17 Aug 2023; DOI: 10.1038/s41588-023-01475-y

̽��ֱ��largest ever study of the genetics of the brain – encompassing some 36,000 brain scans – has identified more than 4,000 genetic variants linked to brain structure. ̽��ֱ��results of the study, led by researchers at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge, are published in Nature Genetics.

Our findings can be used to understand how changes in the shape and size of the brain can lead to neurological and psychiatric conditions, potentially leading to better treatment and support for those who need it

Varun Warrier

holdendrils

Illustration of brain anatomy

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Search is on for ‘super memorisers’ to help scientists unlock the secrets of memory

cjb250 — Wed, 03 May 2023 06:00:04 +0000

Anyone who believes they have an exceptional memory is invited to take an online survey and memory test. Based on their performance, some people will be invited to Cambridge to have a brain scan so that the origins of exceptional memory can be explored in detail.

̽��ֱ��team will also be exploring whether people who are autistic or neurodiverse are more likely to have an exceptional memory.

It’s long been known that people differ in their memory ability, with some having seemingly infinite memory. For example, essayist and writer Daniel Tammet, who the Cambridge team have worked with previously, set the European record in 2004 for reciting the number pi from memory after recalling it to 22,514 digits. He is both autistic and has synaesthesia, where the senses are interconnected, which may go some way to explaining his talents.

Professor Jon Simons from the Department of Psychology at the ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge said: “Memory is one of the best understood psychological processes in terms of brain networks and yet we still don’t really know why some people have exceptional memories. That’s why we’re inviting people to take part in our study.”

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge ̽��ֱ��, and lead investigator of the study, said: “You don’t need to have won any competitions to take part or to consider yourself neurodiverse – and you certainly don’t need to be able to recite pi to 22,000 digits! We’re looking for anyone who thinks they might be a ‘super memoriser’ to try out our memory tests.”

Anyone who wants to take part will need to take three brief online memory tests, such as memorising a phone number or patterns on a chess board. Anyone who scores highly on one or more of these tests could be invited to come to Cambridge for a brain scan using an MRI scanner. All expenses will be paid.

̽��ֱ��Cambridge scientists want to know whether the brains of people who have exceptional memory show differences in how they are structured or how they function compared to those who do not: in short, how do they achieve their remarkable feats of memory? ̽��ֱ��team also want to investigate if autism gives rise to a greater likelihood of exceptional memory.

Dr Carrie Allison, also from the Autism Research Centre, added: “We hope that people will enjoy taking part in this study, and in the process contribute to helping us understand more about memory and whether exceptional memory is related to autism. For decades, autism research has focused on disability, but this study is a wonderful opportunity to focus on strengths.”

To take part you must be between the ages of 16 and 60 years old.

Take the survey and memory tests here

Cambridge scientists are today launching a search to find people who have exceptional memory, as they attempt to understand why some people are much better at remembering than others.

Memory is one of the best understood psychological processes in terms of brain networks and yet we still don’t really know why some people have exceptional memories

Jon Simons

geralt

Pi on a blackboard

̽��ֱ��text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright © ̽��ֱ�� of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – as here, on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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Females perform better than males on a ‘theory of mind’ test across 57 countries

cjb250 — Mon, 26 Dec 2022 21:00:32 +0000

Researchers found that females, on average, score higher than males on the widely used ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ Test, which measures ‘theory of mind’ (also known as ‘cognitive empathy’). This finding was observed across all ages and most countries.

̽��ֱ��reseach, published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), is the largest study of theory of mind to date.

A fundamental part of human social interaction and communication involves putting ourselves in other people’s shoes, to imagine another person’s thoughts and feelings. This is known as ‘theory of mind’ or ‘cognitive empathy’.

For decades, researchers have studied the development of theory of mind, from infancy to old age. One of the most widely used tests with which to study theory of mind is the ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ Test (or Eyes Test, for short), which asks participants to pick which word best describes what the person in the photo is thinking or feeling, just by viewing photos of the eye region of the face.

̽��ֱ��Eyes Test was first developed in 1997 by Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen and his research team at Cambridge, and was revised in 2001, and has become a well-established assessment of theory of mind. It is listed as one of two recommended tests for measuring individual differences in ‘Understanding Mental States’ by the National Institute of Mental Health in the US.

Over the decades, many independent research studies have found that females on average score higher than males on theory of mind tests. However, most of these studies were limited to relatively small samples, without much diversity in terms of geography, culture, and/or age. To address these shortcomings, a team of multidisciplinary researchers led by Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� and with collaborators in Bar-Ilan, Harvard, Washington, and Haifa Universities, as well as IMT Lucca, has merged large samples from different online platforms to analyse data from 305,726 participants across 57 countries.

̽��ֱ��results showed that across the 57 countries, females on average scored significantly higher than males (in 36 countries), or similar to males (in 21 countries), on the Eyes Test. Importantly, there was no country where males on average scored significantly higher than females on the Eyes Test. ̽��ֱ��on-average sex difference was seen across the lifespan, from 16 to 70 years of age. ̽��ֱ��team also confirmed this on-average sex difference in three independent datasets and on non-English versions of the Eyes Test, spanning eight languages.

Dr David M. Greenberg, the lead scientist on the study, a Zuckerman Scholar at Bar-Ilan and Honorary Research Associate at Cambridge, said: “Our results provide some of the first evidence that the well-known phenomenon – that females are on average more empathic than males – is present in wide range of countries across the globe. It’s only by using very large data sets that we can say this with confidence.”

Although this study cannot discern the cause of this on-average sex difference, the authors discuss on the basis of prior research that this may be the result of both biological and social factors.

Professor Sir Simon Baron-Cohen, Director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge ̽��ֱ��, and senior author on the study, said: “Studies of on-average sex differences say nothing about an individual’s mind or aptitudes, since an individual may be typical or atypical for their sex. ̽��ֱ��Eyes Test reveals that many individuals struggle to read facial expressions, for a variety of reasons. Support should be available for those who seek it.”

̽��ֱ��researchers also showed that, in addition to sex, ‘D-scores’ (the difference between a person’s drive to systemize and their drive to empathize) are a significant negative predictor of scores on the Eyes Test. This adds to an earlier study led by Greenberg in 2018 of over 650,000 participants, also published in PNAS, which found that D-scores accounted for 19 times more of the variance in autistic traits than did sex or indeed any other demographic variable. Thus, D-scores appear to play a more important role than sex in aspects of human cognition.

Dr Carrie Allison, Director of Applied Research at the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge ̽��ֱ��, and a member of the team, said: “This study clearly demonstrates a largely consistent sex difference across countries, languages, and ages. This raises new questions for future research about the social and biological factors that may contribute to the observed on-average sex difference in cognitive empathy.”

Take the ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ Test

Reference
Greenberg, D. M., Warrier, V., Abu-Akel, A., Allison, C., Gajos, K. Z., Reinecke, K., Rentfrow, P. J., Radecki, M. A., & Baron-Cohen, S. (2022). Sex and age differences in ‘theory of mind’ across 57 countries using the English version of the ‘Reading the Mind in the Eyes’ Test. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences; 26 Dec 2022; DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2022385119

Females, on average, are better than males at putting themselves in others’ shoes and imagining what the other person is thinking or feeling, suggests a new study of over 300,000 people in 57 countries.

Our results provide some of the first evidence that the well-known phenomenon – that females are on average more empathic than males – is present in wide range of countries across the globe

David Greenberg

Yuri Levin (Unsplash)

Two women hugging

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