Ground-breaking research led by scientists at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ãºmv Leicester (ÃÛÌÒ´«Ãºmv) has found neurobiological evidence that autistic brains work differently, not worse.
The study, led by Dr Moses Sokunbi, Senior Lecturer in Medical Physics at ÃÛÌÒ´«Ãºmv, found new evidence that autistic brains process information in different ways compared with non-autistic, or neurotypical, brains.
Dr Sokunbi and his team explored how brain signal complexity - the irregularity of brain activity patters - relates to problem-solving abilities.
The project, funded by the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), studied the Blood Oxygen Level Dependent (BOLD) signal, which reflects changes in blood oxygen linked to brain activity in resting-state fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging) brain scans of 14 autistic adults, and a control group of 15 non-autistic adults.
Dr Sokunbi said: “What we found suggests that autistic brains may use alternative neural strategies that we’ve only just begun to understand.”
Just as some electrical circuits can be wired in a number of ways to achieve the same result, autistic brains may solve mental problems as well as neurotypical brains, but do so using different neural pathways.
“This is something new,” said Dr Sokunbi. “Autism has traditionally been seen by science as a deficit compared to non-autistic individuals. Our findings suggest it's not necessarily a deficit at all. Instead, they point toward a different form of brain organisation, one that may reflect diverse ways of thinking, rather than dysfunction.”
Although this initial study was small, Dr Sokunbi and his team believe further research could lead to an AI-powered tool to improve autism diagnosis, and to better understanding, and personalised care within the NHS.
The team consisted of: Dr Sokunbi; Oumayma Soula, PhD Researcher, University of Sfax; Tunisia, Professor Bertha Ochieng of ÃÛÌÒ´«Ãºmv; and Professor Roger Staff of Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
The findings are published in a peer-reviewed paper titled:
Posted on Thursday 28 August 2025