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Neurobiological mechanisms of autistic savant and acquired savant

Zhang Yu¹, Victor Z Han^1,2,*

¹Department of Physiology, Shanxi Medical University, Taiyuan 030001, China；²Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA 98101, USA

Abstract

The autism spectrum is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by profound social and verbal communication deficits, stereotypical motor behaviors, restricted interests, and cognitive abnormalities. It affects approximately 1% of children in most of the reported nations and regions. One of the most fascinating and mysterious features of autism, however, is the remarkable talent
frequently found in people affected by it, namely autistic savant. A parallel and equally mysterious phenomenon is that some otherwise normal and ordinary individuals develop similarly remarkable talent after brain injuries, a disorder known as acquired savant. After
decades of intensive investigation, significant progress has been made in these fields. Current studies indicate that autistic savant and acquired savant are neuropathologically related, and these disorders share many neurobiological mechanisms. This review summarizes current knowledge of autism and both two savant types, and how it may aid our understanding of higher brain functionalities.

Key words: autistic spectrum disorder; autistic savant; acquired savant; neurobiological mechanisms

Received: 2017-08-28　　Accepted: 2017-12-08

Corresponding author: 韩中胜　　E-mail: victor.han@seattlechildrens.org

DOI: 10.13294/j.aps.2017.0090

Citing This Article：

Zhang Yu, Victor Z Han. Neurobiological mechanisms of autistic savant and acquired savant. Acta Physiol Sin 2018; 70 (2): 201-210 (in Chinese with English abstract).