Brain Hyperconnectivity in Children with Autism and Its Links to Social Deficits (2013)

Evolution, Fitness, and “Bigger Brains”

• Some speculate autism‑linked hyperconnectivity could be an “evolutionary step” toward more powerful brains, noting high representation of mild autism in tech hubs and associated wealth.
• Others push back: evolution only favors traits that increase reproduction in current environments; higher energy cost of “bigger, more connected” brains is a liability if societies can’t support them.
• Several commenters argue autism often reduces reproductive success and social functioning, questioning any fitness advantage.
• Others note female carriers, under‑diagnosis in women, and gene spread via a few “successful” carriers complicate simplistic reproduction arguments.

“More Connectivity” ≠ “Better Brain”

• Multiple analogies (cancer, computers running all programs at once) emphasize that more cells or more connections are not automatically beneficial.
• Developmental neuroscience examples (visual cortex pruning, reduced connections with maturation) are cited to argue that optimal, not maximal, connectivity matters.
• Over‑excitation and poor excitation/inhibition balance are framed as reducing efficiency and flexibility, potentially explaining rigidity and sensory overload in ASD.

Methodological Skepticism and Conflicting Findings

• The 2013 study is criticized for vague, “sexy” methods write‑up, thin detail on preprocessing and motion/noise correction, and multi‑site issues that modern harmonization techniques try to address.
• Some suggest any decade‑old “brain–behavior” fMRI correlation study should be treated cautiously.
• A newer study reporting lower synaptic density in autistic adults is raised; commenters suggest:
  • Different developmental stages (hyperconnectivity in children, later over‑pruning in adults).
  • Distinct etiologies leading to similar behavioral syndromes.
  • Extreme heterogeneity of “ASD” as a diagnostic catch‑all, making replication difficult.

Autism, Communication, and Social Friction

• Several autistic commenters describe chronic confusion around implicit social rules (e.g., job‑interview questions), needing to consciously learn situation‑specific “scripts.”
• The “double empathy problem” is referenced: miscommunication runs both ways, not solely as autistic deficit.
• Others counter that, from the majority’s perspective, there is a functional deficit in typical social contexts, even without tissue “damage.”
• Some argue much suffering comes from hostile or inflexible societies rather than intrinsic brain “wrongness,” while others describe intense stigma, slurs, and dehumanization.

Tech, Drugs, and Speculative Mechanisms

• AI is already used informally as a “social coprocessor” to rephrase messages; some imagine autism + AI as a powerful combination.
• Psychedelic‑induced hyperconnectivity and immunological pathways (e.g., IL‑17, Th17, thermoregulation) are mentioned as intriguing but very speculative links.
• Lay hypotheses tie hyperconnectivity, myelination issues, ADHD comorbidity, and sensory hypersensitivity into unified but unproven models.