Scientists tested 17 young people aged eight to 16 with autism. They gave them either oxytocin or a placebo through a nose spray. Then, the scientists scanned their brains while they looked at images of cars or the eyes of people expressing different emotions. The scans showed that some parts of the children’s brains behaved more normally after oxytocin: they were more active when the person was looking at faces and less active when the person was looking at the cars.
What is the normal response of reward circuits in children’s brains?
Increased activity when looking at faces; decreased activity when looking at cars Increased activity when looking at cars; decreased activity when looking at faces It depends if their age is eight or 16 The same activity when looking at faces and cars