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Wardell V, Stewardson CI, Hunsche MC, Chen FS, Rights JD, Palombo DJ, Kerns CM. Are autistic traits associated with a social-emotional memory bias? Behav Res Ther 2024; 180:104578. [PMID: 38875935 DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2024.104578] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 12/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/03/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Autistic traits are associated with differential processing of emotional and social cues. By contrast little is known about the relationship of autistic traits to socio-emotional memory, though research suggests an integral relationship between episodic memory processes and psychosocial well-being. Using an experimental paradigm, we tested if autistic traits moderate the effects of negative emotion and social cues on episodic memory (i.e. memory for past events). Young adults (N = 706) with varied levels of self-reported autistic traits (24% in clinical range) encoded images stratified by emotion (negative, neutral) and social cues (social, non-social) alongside a neutral object. After 24 h, item memory for images and associative memory for objects was tested. For item memory, after controlling for anxiety, a small effect emerged whereby a memory-enhancing effect of social cues was reduced as autistic traits increased. For associative memory, memory for pairings between neutral, but not negative, images reduced as autistic traits increased. Results suggest autistic traits are associated with reduced ability to bind neutral items together in memory, potentially impeding nuanced appraisals of past experience. This bias toward more negative, less nuanced memories of past experience may represent a cognitive vulnerability to social and mental health challenges commonly associated with autistic traits and a potential intervention target.
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2
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The Episodic Memory Profile in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Bayesian Meta-Analysis. Neuropsychol Rev 2021; 32:316-351. [PMID: 33954915 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-021-09493-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 02/24/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Although autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are commonly characterized by diminished episodic memory, the literature in this area is mixed. We address these inconsistent findings by employing multilevel Bayesian meta-analysis to quantify episodic memory differences between individuals with ASD and typically developing (TD) controls. We used meta-regression to evaluate the effects of test modality (e.g., word list, story recall), delay interval (immediate vs. delayed), retrieval demands (recognition vs. recall), and sensory modality (auditory vs. visual) on episodic memory in ASD. A total of 338 effect sizes from 113 empirical articles, including 5,632 unique participants (ASD = 2,777, TD = 2,855), were included. Results show that the memory deficits associated with ASD were larger for recall (g = -0.52, se = 0.04, 95% CrI [-0.60, -0.43]) compared to recognition (g = -0.25, se = 0.05, 95% CrI [-0.35, -0.14]) and differed based on the testing modality. For example, effect sizes were smallest for words (g = -0.28, se = 0.05, 95% CrI [-0.38, -0.18]), pictures (g = -0.38, se = 0.07, 95% CrI [-0.52, -0.24]), and figure reproduction (g = -0.49, se = 0.11, 95% CrI [-0.70, -0.27]). However, effect sizes for sentences (g = -0.59, se = 0.20, 95% CrI [-1.00, -0.21]), stories (Hedges' g = -0.54, se = 0.08, 95% CrI [-0.69, -0.38]) and staged events (g = -0.75, se = 0.10, 95% CrI [-0.95, -0.55]) were much larger. These findings suggest that ASD is associated with a small to medium reduction in scores on episodic memory tests relative to TD controls.
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Wong TYQ, Yap MJ, Obana T, Asplund CL, Teh EJ. Brief Report: Emotional Picture and Language Processing in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:435-446. [PMID: 33660139 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04920-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
There is currently limited research and a lack of consensus on emotional processing impairments among adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The present pilot study sought to characterize the extent to which adults with ASD are impaired in processing emotions in both words and pictures. Ten adults with ASD rated word and picture stimuli on emotional valence and arousal. Their ratings were compared to normative data for both stimuli sets using item-level correlations. Adults with ASD rank-ordered stimuli similarly to typically developing individuals, demonstrating relatively typical understanding of emotional words and pictures. However, they used a narrower range of the scales which suggests more subtle impairments affecting emotion-processing. Future directions arising from the findings of this pilot study are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tammy Y Q Wong
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Melvin J Yap
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Takashi Obana
- Division of Social Sciences, Yale-NUS College, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,N.1 Institute for Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Christopher L Asplund
- Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,Division of Social Sciences, Yale-NUS College, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore.,N.1 Institute for Health, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Elizabeth J Teh
- Department of Otolaryngology, Division of Graduate Medical Studies, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, MD3, Level 2, 16 Medical Drive, Singapore, 117600, Singapore.
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Santiesteban I, Gibbard C, Drucks H, Clayton N, Banissy MJ, Bird G. Individuals with Autism Share Others’ Emotions: Evidence from the Continuous Affective Rating and Empathic Responses (CARER) Task. J Autism Dev Disord 2020; 51:391-404. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04535-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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5
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A Physiological Marker of Recognition Memory in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder? ‐ The Pupil Old/New Effect. Autism Res 2019; 13:627-640. [DOI: 10.1002/aur.2251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2019] [Revised: 10/07/2019] [Accepted: 11/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
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Kurz E, Conzelmann A, Barth GM, Hepp L, Schenk D, Renner TJ, Born J, Zinke K. Signs of enhanced formation of gist memory in children with autism spectrum disorder - a study of memory functions of sleep. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2019; 60:907-916. [PMID: 30908649 PMCID: PMC6850042 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13048] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/20/2019] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impaired cognitive and social skills, including emotional dysregulation, and symptoms have been suspected to partly arise from impaired formation of memory representations regulating these behaviours. Sleep, which is subjectively impaired in ASD, is critical for forming long-term memories and abstracted gist-based representations. We expected a generally reduced memory benefit from sleep in children with ASD, and a diminished enhancement of gist representations, in particular. METHODS We compared effects of sleep on memory consolidation between boys (9-12 years) with ASD (n = 21) and typically developing (TD, n = 20) boys, matched for age and IQ, in a within-subjects crossover design. We employed an emotional picture recognition task and the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) word list task for assessing gist memory formation in the emotional and nonemotional domain, respectively. Learning took place before retention intervals of nocturnal sleep and daytime wakefulness, and retrieval was tested afterwards. RESULTS Surprisingly, on the DRM task, children with ASD showed an enhanced sleep-dependent formation of gist-based memory (i.e. more recall of 'critical lure words' after sleep compared to wakefulness) than TD children, with this effect occurring on top of a diminished veridical word memory. On the picture recognition task, children with ASD also showed a stronger emotional enhancement in memory (i.e. relatively better memory for negative than neutral pictures) than TD children, with this enhancement occurring independent of sleep. Sleep polysomnography was remarkably comparable between groups. CONCLUSIONS Children with ASD show well-preserved sleep-dependent memory consolidation. Enhanced gist memory formation in these children might reflect a compensatory response for impairments at earlier stages of memory processing, that is during encoding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva‐Maria Kurz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and PsychotherapyUniversity Hospital of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Graduate Training Centre of NeuroscienceInternational Max Planck Research SchoolUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Annette Conzelmann
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and PsychotherapyUniversity Hospital of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Gottfried Maria Barth
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and PsychotherapyUniversity Hospital of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Lisa Hepp
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and PsychotherapyUniversity Hospital of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Damaris Schenk
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and PsychotherapyUniversity Hospital of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Tobias J. Renner
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and PsychotherapyUniversity Hospital of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Jan Born
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioural NeurobiologyUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
- Werner Reichhardt Centre for Integrative NeuroscienceUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
| | - Katharina Zinke
- Institute of Medical Psychology and Behavioural NeurobiologyUniversity of TübingenTübingenGermany
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Abstract
Increasing evidence indicates that the subjective experience of recollection is diminished in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to neurotypical individuals. The neurocognitive basis of this difference in how past events are re-experienced has been debated and various theoretical accounts have been proposed to date. Although each existing theory may capture particular features of memory in ASD, recent research questions whether any of these explanations are alone sufficient or indeed fully supported. This review first briefly considers the cognitive neuroscience of how episodic recollection operates in the neurotypical population, informing predictions about the encoding and retrieval mechanisms that might function atypically in ASD. We then review existing research on recollection in ASD, which has often not distinguished between different theoretical explanations. Recent evidence suggests a distinct difficulty engaging recollective retrieval processes, specifically the ability to consciously reconstruct and monitor a past experience, which is likely underpinned by altered functional interactions between neurocognitive systems rather than brain region-specific or process-specific dysfunction. This integrative approach serves to highlight how memory research in ASD may enhance our understanding of memory processes and networks in the typical brain. We make suggestions for future research that are important for further specifying the neurocognitive basis of episodic recollection in ASD and linking such difficulties to social developmental and educational outcomes.
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Solomon M, Iosif AM, Krug MK, Wu Nordahl C, Adler E, Mirandola C, Ghetti S. Emotional false memory in autism spectrum disorder: More than spared. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 128:352-363. [PMID: 30973243 PMCID: PMC6540798 DOI: 10.1037/abn0000418] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
To advance what is known about how emotions affect memory in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), we examined emotional false memory for negative, positive, and neutrally valenced photographs comprising scripts of everyday events in a verbal IQ-case matched sample of youth ages 8-14 with ASD (N = 38) and typical development (TYP, N = 38). The groups exhibited many similarities. Their task performance during a recognition task including previously seen and unseen photographs was largely comparable. They evidenced high hit rates for previously viewed photographs, and low false alarm rates for lure photographs that were inconsistent with the scripts. Both ASD and TYP groups showed relatively higher false alarms for lure photographs depicting previously unseen causes of scenario outcomes (causal errors) compared to errors for script-consistent lure photographs that showed extra potentially related events (gap-filling errors). In both groups, task performance was associated with verbal working memory, but not attention deficit hyperactivity, anxiety, or depression symptoms. However, the ASD group made more causal and gap-filling errors on negative and positive, but not neutral, lures compared to TYP, indicating that viewing emotionally valenced stimuli made it harder to discriminate previously seen and unseen photographs. For the ASD group, task performance was associated with compulsive, ritualistic, and sameness behaviors and stereotypic and restricted interests. Findings suggest that the integration of cognition and emotion in ASD is altered and associated with the presence of repetitive behaviors. The impact of these results on the lives of individuals with ASD and implications for psychosocial interventions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).
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Affiliation(s)
- Marjorie Solomon
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of California-Davis, Sacramento
- MIND Institute, University of California-Davis, Sacramento
- Imaging Research Center, University of California-Davis, Sacramento
| | - Ana-Maria Iosif
- Department of Public Health Sciences, University of California-Davis, Sacramento
| | - Marie K. Krug
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of California-Davis, Sacramento
- MIND Institute, University of California-Davis, Sacramento
| | - Christine Wu Nordahl
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of California-Davis, Sacramento
- MIND Institute, University of California-Davis, Sacramento
| | - Elyse Adler
- Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, University of California-Davis, Sacramento
- MIND Institute, University of California-Davis, Sacramento
| | | | - Simona Ghetti
- Department of Psychology, University of California-Davis
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California-Davis
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Kinnaird E, Stewart C, Tchanturia K. Investigating alexithymia in autism: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Psychiatry 2019; 55:80-89. [PMID: 30399531 PMCID: PMC6331035 DOI: 10.1016/j.eurpsy.2018.09.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 184] [Impact Index Per Article: 36.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 08/06/2018] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND New research suggests that, rather than representing a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), emotional processing difficulties reflect co-occurring alexithymia. Autistic individuals with alexithymia could therefore represent a specific subgroup of autism who may benefit from tailored interventions. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to explore the nature and prevalence of alexithymia in autism using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS). METHODS Online scientific databases were searched systematically for studies on ASD popu lations using the TAS. Meta-analyses were performed to evaluate differences in scores between the ASD and neurotypical groups, and to determine the prevalence of alexithymia in these populations. RESULTS 15 articles comparing autistic and neurotypical (NT) groups were identified. Autistic people scored significantly higher on all scores compared to the NT group. There was also a higher prevalence of alexithymia in the ASD group (49.93% compared to 4.89%), with a significantly increased risk of alexithymia in autistic participants. CONCLUSIONS This review highlights that alexithymia is common, rather than universal, in ASD, supporting a growing body of evidence that co-occurring autism and alexithymia represents a specific subgroup in the ASD population that may have specific clinical needs. More research is needed to understand the nature and implications of co-occurring ASD and alexithymia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma Kinnaird
- King's College London, London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, UK
| | - Catherine Stewart
- King's College London, London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Kate Tchanturia
- King's College London, London, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, Department of Psychological Medicine, UK; South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK; Illia State University, Tbilisi, Georgia.
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10
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Otsuka S, Uono S, Yoshimura S, Zhao S, Toichi M. Emotion Perception Mediates the Predictive Relationship Between Verbal Ability and Functional Outcome in High-Functioning Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 47:1166-1182. [PMID: 28194554 PMCID: PMC5357301 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3036-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
The aim of this study was to identify specific cognitive abilities that predict functional outcome in high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and to clarify the contribution of those abilities and their relationships. In total, 41 adults with ASD performed cognitive tasks in a broad range of neuro- and social cognitive domains, and information concerning functional outcomes was obtained. Regression analyses revealed that emotion perception and verbal generativity predicted adaptive functioning directly, and the former mediated between the other two. These findings provide the first evidence of a triadic relationship among neuro- and social cognition and functional outcome in this population. Our results suggest that psychosocial interventions targeting these cognitive abilities could benefit social adaptation in adults with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sadao Otsuka
- Faculty of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan.
- The Organization for Promoting Neurodevelopmental Disorder Research (OPNDR), 40 Shogoin Sanno-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8392, Japan.
| | - Shota Uono
- Department of Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry, Habilitation and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
| | - Sayaka Yoshimura
- Department of Neurodevelopmental Psychiatry, Habilitation and Rehabilitation, Faculty of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
| | - Shuo Zhao
- Faculty of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
- International Research Fellow of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), 5-3-1, Kojimachi, Chiyoda-ku, 102-0083, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Motomi Toichi
- Faculty of Human Health Sciences, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, 53 Shogoin Kawahara-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8507, Japan
- The Organization for Promoting Neurodevelopmental Disorder Research (OPNDR), 40 Shogoin Sanno-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8392, Japan
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Abstract
In prior work on how true and false memory are influenced by emotion, valence and arousal have often been conflated. Thus, it is difficult to say which specific effects are caused by valence and which are caused by arousal. In the present research, we used a picture-memory paradigm that allowed emotional valence to be manipulated with arousal held constant. Negatively valenced pictures elevated both true and false memory, relative to positive and neutral pictures. Conjoint recognition modeling revealed that negative valence (a) reduced erroneous suppression of true memories and (b) increased the familiarity of the semantic content of both true and false memories. Overall, negative valence impaired the verbatim side of episodic memory but enhanced the gist side, and these effects persisted even after a week-long delay. (PsycINFO Database Record
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Affiliation(s)
- S H Bookbinder
- Department of Human Development and Institute of Human Neuroscience, Cornell University
| | - C J Brainerd
- Department of Human Development and Institute of Human Neuroscience, Cornell University
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12
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Lainpelto K, Isaksson J, Lindblad F. Does Information About Neuropsychiatric Diagnoses Influence Evaluation of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations? JOURNAL OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE 2016; 25:276-292. [PMID: 27135382 DOI: 10.1080/10538712.2016.1145164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed at investigating if attitudes toward children with neuropsychiatric disorders influence evaluations concerning allegations of child sexual abuse. Law students (n = 107) at Stockholm University, Sweden, were presented a transcript of a mock police interview with a girl, 11 years of age. This interview was based on a real case, selected as a "typical" example from these years concerning contributions from the interviewer and the alleged victim. After having read the transcript, the students responded to a questionnaire concerning degree of credibility, if the girl talked about events that had really occurred, richness of details, and if the narrations were considered truthful and age-adequate. Fifty-four of the students were also told that the girl had been given the diagnoses of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and Asperger syndrome. Students who were informed about the diagnoses gave significantly lower scores concerning credibility of the interviewee. To a lesser degree they regarded her narrations as expressions of what had really occurred and considered her statements less truthful. Furthermore, they found that the narrations contained fewer details. Finally, they found the girl less competent to tell about abuse. We conclude that a neuropsychiatric disorder may infer risks of unjustified skeptical attitudes concerning trustworthiness and cognitive capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Johan Isaksson
- b Department of Neuroscience, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit , Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden
- c Department of Women's and Children's Health, Pediatric Neuropsychiatry Unit , Center for Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm , Sweden
| | - Frank Lindblad
- b Department of Neuroscience, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Unit , Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden
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Lartseva A, Dijkstra T, Kan CC, Buitelaar JK. Processing of emotion words by patients with autism spectrum disorders: evidence from reaction times and EEG. J Autism Dev Disord 2015; 44:2882-94. [PMID: 24920285 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-014-2149-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated processing of emotion words in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) using reaction times and event-related potentials (ERP). Adults with (n = 21) and without (n = 20) ASD performed a lexical decision task on emotion and neutral words while their brain activity was recorded. Both groups showed faster responses to emotion words compared to neutral, suggesting intact early processing of emotion in ASD. In the ERPs, the control group showed a typical late positive component (LPC) at 400-600 ms for emotion words compared to neutral, while the ASD group showed no LPC. The between-group difference in LPC amplitude was significant, suggesting that emotion words were processed differently by individuals with ASD, although their behavioral performance was similar to that of typical individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Lartseva
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Geert Grooteplein Noord 21, 6525 EZ, Nijmegen, The Netherlands,
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14
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Parra MA, Cubelli R, Bellamy KJ, Abrahams S, Avila CL, Castro-Jaramillo LD, Della Sala S. Gist-based illusions within and across stimulus modalities in autism spectrum disorder. Memory 2015; 24:295-305. [DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2015.1004349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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15
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Lartseva A, Dijkstra T, Buitelaar JK. Emotional language processing in autism spectrum disorders: a systematic review. Front Hum Neurosci 2015; 8:991. [PMID: 25610383 PMCID: PMC4285104 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2014] [Accepted: 11/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
In his first description of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), Kanner emphasized emotional impairments by characterizing children with ASD as indifferent to other people, self-absorbed, emotionally cold, distanced, and retracted. Thereafter, emotional impairments became regarded as part of the social impairments of ASD, and research mostly focused on understanding how individuals with ASD recognize visual expressions of emotions from faces and body postures. However, it still remains unclear how emotions are processed outside of the visual domain. This systematic review aims to fill this gap by focusing on impairments of emotional language processing in ASD. We systematically searched PubMed for papers published between 1990 and 2013 using standardized search terms. Studies show that people with ASD are able to correctly classify emotional language stimuli as emotionally positive or negative. However, processing of emotional language stimuli in ASD is associated with atypical patterns of attention and memory performance, as well as abnormal physiological and neural activity. Particularly, younger children with ASD have difficulties in acquiring and developing emotional concepts, and avoid using these in discourse. These emotional language impairments were not consistently associated with age, IQ, or level of development of language skills. We discuss how emotional language impairments fit with existing cognitive theories of ASD, such as central coherence, executive dysfunction, and weak Theory of Mind. We conclude that emotional impairments in ASD may be broader than just a mere consequence of social impairments, and should receive more attention in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alina Lartseva
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Centre for Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical CentreNijmegen, Netherlands
- International Max Planck Research School for Language Sciences, Max Planck Institute for PsycholinguisticsNijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Ton Dijkstra
- Donders Centre for Cognition, Radboud University NijmegenNijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Jan K. Buitelaar
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Centre for Neuroscience, Radboud University Medical CentreNijmegen, Netherlands
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16
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Walsh-Messinger J, Ramirez PM, Wong P, Antonius D, Aujero N, McMahon K, Opler LA, Malaspina D. Impairment in emotional modulation of attention and memory in schizophrenia. Schizophr Res 2014; 157:63-9. [PMID: 24910446 PMCID: PMC4098815 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2014.05.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2013] [Revised: 05/01/2014] [Accepted: 05/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Emotion plays a critical role in cognition and goal-directed behavior via complex interconnections between the emotional and motivational systems. It has been hypothesized that the impairment in goal-directed behavior widely noted in schizophrenia may result from defects in the interaction between the neural (ventral) emotional system and (rostral) cortical processes. The present study examined the impact of emotion on attention and memory in schizophrenia. Twenty-five individuals with schizophrenia related psychosis and 25 healthy control subjects were administered a computerized task in which they were asked to search for target images during a Rapid Serial Visual Presentation of pictures. Target stimuli were either positive or negative, or neutral images presented at either 200ms or 700ms lag. Additionally, a visual hedonic task was used to assess differences between the schizophrenia group and controls on ratings of valence and arousal from the picture stimuli. Compared to controls, individuals with schizophrenia detected fewer emotional images under both the 200ms and 700ms lag conditions. Multivariate analyses showed that the schizophrenia group also detected fewer positive images under the 700ms lag condition and fewer negative images under the 200ms lag condition. Individuals with schizophrenia reported higher pleasantness and unpleasantness ratings than controls in response to neutral stimuli, while controls reported higher arousal ratings for neutral and positive stimuli compared to the schizophrenia group. These results highlight dysfunction in the neural modulation of emotion, attention, and cortical processing in schizophrenia, adding to the growing but mixed body of literature on emotion processing in the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie Walsh-Messinger
- Department of Psychology, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY, United States; InSPIRES, Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States.
| | | | - Philip Wong
- Department of Psychology, Long Island University, Brooklyn, NY, United States
| | - Daniel Antonius
- InSPIRES, Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; University at Buffalo, State University of NY, Buffalo, NY, United States; Erie County Forensic Mental Health Services, Buffalo, NY, United States
| | - Nicole Aujero
- InSPIRES, Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Kevin McMahon
- InSPIRES, Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States
| | - Lewis A Opler
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, NY, United States
| | - Dolores Malaspina
- InSPIRES, Department of Psychiatry, NYU School of Medicine, New York, NY, United States; Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, NY State Office of Mental Health, Queens, NY, United States
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Maras KL, Mulcahy S, Memon A, Picariello F, Bowler DM. Evaluating the Effectiveness of the Self-Administered Interview©for Witnesses with Autism Spectrum Disorder. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Amina Memon
- Royal Holloway; University of London; Egham UK
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Nuske HJ, Vivanti G, Dissanayake C. Are emotion impairments unique to, universal, or specific in autism spectrum disorder? A comprehensive review. Cogn Emot 2013; 27:1042-61. [PMID: 23387530 DOI: 10.1080/02699931.2012.762900] [Citation(s) in RCA: 116] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
There is widespread belief that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are "emotionally detached" from others. This comprehensive review examines the empirical evidence for this assumption, addressing three critical questions: (1) Are emotion-processing impairments universal in ASD? (2) Are they specific, or can they be explained by deficits in other domains? (3) Is the emotion processing profile seen in ASD unique to these conditions? Upon review of the literature (over 200 studies), we conclude that: (1) emotion-processing impairments might not be universal in ASD, as suggested by variability across participants and across emotion-processing tasks; (2) emotion-processing impairments might not be specific to ASD, as domain-general processes appear to account for some of these impairments; and (3) the specific pattern of emotion-processing strengths and weaknesses observed in ASD, involving difficulties with processing social versus non-social, and complex versus simple emotional information (with impairments more consistently reported on implicit than explicit emotion-processing tasks), appears to be unique to ASD. The emotion-processing profile observed in ASD might be best understood as resulting from heterogeneous vulnerabilities in different components of an "emotional communication system" that, in typical development, emerges from the interplay between domain-general cognitive, social and affective processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather J Nuske
- Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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Gaigg SB. The Interplay between Emotion and Cognition in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Implications for Developmental Theory. Front Integr Neurosci 2012; 6:113. [PMID: 23316143 PMCID: PMC3540960 DOI: 10.3389/fnint.2012.00113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2012] [Accepted: 11/11/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is clinically defined by abnormalities in reciprocal social and communicative behaviors and an inflexible adherence to routinised patterns of thought and behavior. Laboratory studies repeatedly demonstrate that autistic individuals experience difficulties in recognizing and understanding the emotional expressions of others and naturalistic observations show that they use such expressions infrequently and inappropriately to regulate social exchanges. Dominant theories attribute this facet of the ASD phenotype to abnormalities in a social brain network that mediates social-motivational and social-cognitive processes such as face processing, mental state understanding, and empathy. Such theories imply that only emotion related processes relevant to social cognition are compromised in ASD but accumulating evidence suggests that the disorder may be characterized by more widespread anomalies in the domain of emotions. In this review I summarize the relevant literature and argue that the social-emotional characteristics of ASD may be better understood in terms of a disruption in the domain-general interplay between emotion and cognition. More specifically I will suggest that ASD is the developmental consequence of early emerging anomalies in how emotional responses to the environment modulate a wide range of cognitive processes including those that are relevant to navigating the social world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian B. Gaigg
- Department of Psychology, Autism Research Group, City University LondonLondon, UK
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South M, Larson MJ, White SE, Dana J, Crowley MJ. Better fear conditioning is associated with reduced symptom severity in autism spectrum disorders. Autism Res 2011; 4:412-21. [DOI: 10.1002/aur.221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2011] [Accepted: 07/19/2011] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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Lindblad F, Lainpelto K. Sexual abuse allegations by children with neuropsychiatric disorders. JOURNAL OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE 2011; 20:182-195. [PMID: 21442532 DOI: 10.1080/10538712.2011.554339] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
All Swedish court cases from 2004 and 2006 concerning alleged child sexual abuse (sexual harassment excluded) were identified through criminal registers. Fourteen cases (one boy) concerned a child with a neuropsychiatric disorder. The diagnostic groups were mental retardation (10 cases), autism (three cases), and ADHD (one case). Psychiatric experts were engaged in only two cases. When experts were involved, the courts focused on credibility issues. When the courts applied neuropsychiatric arguments in the absence of an expert, they used developmental arguments. When the authors found that significant neuropsychiatric issues were not discussed by the court it concerned interpretations of symptoms and developmental standpoints. The results illustrate the complexity and pitfalls of drawing conclusions about associations between symptoms and personality characteristics on one side and accuracy of sexual abuse allegations on the other. Moreover, the results highlight the importance of a high quality system for providing courts with adequate neuropsychiatric knowledge.
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Marcaggi G, Bon L, Eustache F, Guillery-Girard B. La mémoire dans l'autisme : 40 ans après. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2010. [DOI: 10.3917/rne.024.0310] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
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