The Transdiagnostic Relevance of Self-Other Distinction to Psychiatry Spans Emotional, Cognitive and Motor Domains

Atypical implicit and explicit sense of agency in autism: A complete characterization using the cue integration approach

There exist indications that sense of agency (SoA), the experience of being the cause of one's own actions and actions' outcomes, is altered in autism. However, no studies in autism have simultaneously investigated the integration mechanisms underpinning both implicit and explicit SoA, the two levels of agency proposed by the innovative cue integration approach. Our study establishes a first complete characterization of SoA functioning in autism, by comparing age- and IQ-matched samples of autistic versus neurotypical adults. Intentional binding and judgments of agency were used to assess implicit and explicit SoA over pinching movements with visual outcomes. Sensorimotor and contextual cues were manipulated using feedback alteration and induced belief about the cause of actions' outcome. Implicit SoA was altered in autism, as showed by an overall abolished intentional binding effect and greater inter-individual heterogeneity. At the explicit level, we observed under-reliance on retrospective sensorimotor cues. The implicit-explicit dynamic was also altered in comparison to neurotypical individuals. Our results show that both implicit and explicit levels of SoA, as well as the dynamic between the two levels, present atypicalities in autism.

Self /other recognition and distinction in adolescents with anorexia nervosa: A pilot study using a double mirror paradigm

BACKGROUND

Abnormalities in body perception in patients affected by anorexia nervosa have been widely studied, but without explicit reference to their relationship to others and the social processes involved. Yet, there are a several arguments supporting impairments in interpersonal relationships in these patients. Notably, some evidence suggests that self/other distinction (SOD), the ability to distinguish one's own body, actions and mental representations from those of others could be impaired. But research remains scarce in this area.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A single-centre, prospective pilot study was conducted to investigate, for the first time, self-recognition and SOD in seven adolescents with anorexia nervosa compared with matched healthy controls (HCs) using the "Alter Ego"TM double mirror paradigm. This innovative device allows the progressive morphing of one's own face to that of another and vice versa between two subjects that interact on opposite sides of the device. Two judgement criteria were used: 1) M1: the threshold at which subjects start to recognize their own face during other-to-self morphing, and 2) M2: the threshold at which subjects start to recognize the other's face during self-to-other morphing. In a second part, SOD was reassessed during five different sensorimotor tasks aimed at increasing body self-consciousness in participants with anorexia nervosa.

RESULTS

The results showed that the participants with anorexia nervosa exhibited earlier self-recognition in the other-to-self sequence and delayed other-recognition in the self-to-other sequence. Furthermore, in contrast with that of HCs, the critical threshold for switching between self and other varied with the direction of morphing in anorexia nervosa participants. Finally, when participants with anorexia were seated in a chair with a backrest and footrest strengthening the median axis of their body, the self-recognition threshold (M1) increased significantly, approaching that of controls.

CONCLUSIONS

Although additional research is needed to replicate the results of this pilot study, it revealed the first behavioural evidence of altered SOD in individuals affected by anorexia nervosa through an embodied, semiecological face-recognition paradigm. The relationships between anomalies in body perception and alterations in interpersonal relationships are discussed within an integrative framework from phenomenology to neuroscience, and new research and therapeutic perspectives are presented.

Comparing self-other distinction across motor, cognitive and affective domains

The self-other distinction (SOD) is a process by which humans disentangle self from other-related mental representations. This online study investigated two unresolved questions: (i) whether partially the same processes underpin SOD for motor, cognitive and affective representations, and (ii) whether SOD overlaps with domain-general cognitive control processes. Participants (N = 243) performed three SOD tasks (motor: automatic imitation inhibition (AIT); cognitive: visual perspective-taking (VPT); affective: emotional egocentricity bias (av-EEB) tasks) and two cognitive control tasks (Stroop and stop-signal reaction time (SSRT) tasks). Correlation analyses showed no associations among the motor, cognitive and affective SOD indexes. Similarly, distinct SOD clusters emerged in the hierarchical clustering dendrogram, indicating clear separations among SODs. However, the results of multidimensional scaling suggested a tendency towards two clusters, as evidenced by the proximity of AIT and VPT indexes in relation to EEB indexes. AIT spatial laterality and Stroop domain-general cognitive control confounded AIT and VPT indexes, albeit slightly differently depending on the analysis method used. SSRT showed neither associations with SODs nor with other domain-general indexes. These findings underscore the complexity of SOD processes and have notable implications for basic and applied research, e.g. in the domain of clinical disorders affected by deficiencies in SOD.

Neural adaptation to changes in self-voice during puberty

The human voice is a potent social signal and a distinctive marker of individual identity. As individuals go through puberty, their voices undergo acoustic changes, setting them apart from others. In this article, we propose that hormonal fluctuations in conjunction with morphological vocal tract changes during puberty establish a sensitive developmental phase that affects the monitoring of the adolescent voice and, specifically, self-other distinction. Furthermore, the protracted maturation of brain regions responsible for voice processing, coupled with the dynamically evolving social environment of adolescents, likely disrupts a clear differentiation of the self-voice from others' voices. This socioneuroendocrine framework offers a holistic understanding of voice monitoring during adolescence.

Confrontation with others' emotions changes bodily resonance differently in those with low and high levels of depersonalization

We present novel research on the cortical dynamics of atypical perceptual and emotional processing in people with symptoms of depersonalization-derealization disorder (DP-DR). We used electroencephalography (EEG)/event-related potentials (ERPs) to delineate the early perceptual mechanisms underlying emotional face recognition and mirror touch in adults with low and high levels of DP-DR symptoms (low-DP and high-DP groups). Face-sensitive visual N170 showed markedly less differentiation for emotional versus neutral face-voice stimuli in the high- than in the low-DP group. This effect was related to self-reported bodily symptoms like disembodiment. Emotional face-voice primes altered mirror touch at somatosensory cortical components P45 and P100 differently in the two groups. In the high-DP group, mirror touch occurred only when seeing touch after being confronted with angry face-voice primes. Mirror touch in the low-DP group, however, was unaffected by preceding emotions. Modulation of mirror touch following angry others was related to symptoms of self-other confusion. Results suggest that others' negative emotions affect somatosensory processes in those with an altered sense of bodily self. Our findings are in line with the idea that disconnecting from one's body and self (core symptom of DP-DR) may be a defence mechanism to protect from the threat of negative feelings, which may be exacerbated through self-other confusion. This article is part of the theme issue 'Sensing and feeling: an integrative approach to sensory processing and emotional experience'.

Indistinguishable behavioural and neural correlates of perceptual self-other distinction in autistic and neurotypical adults

Previous research has suggested that self-bias (i.e., enhanced cognitive processing of self-versus other-relevant information) may be atypical in autism spectrum conditions (ASC), perhaps due to difficulties with self-other distinction. However, empirical evidence for this is inconsistent, and the neural basis of processing differences remains unknown. We present two experiments that aimed to test perceptual self-bias and familiarity effects in ASC using a perceptual-association task. Participants were asked to distinguish face/label associations of the self from those of other people of differing levels of familiarity (i.e., friend vs stranger). Experiment 1 took an individual differences approach by testing whether behavioural self-bias is associated with the number of autistic traits in a neurotypical adult sample (N = 59). Experiment 2 took a case-control approach by testing whether behavioural self-bias and associated ERP responses differ between neurotypical (N = 27) and autistic (N = 30) adults. Across both experiments, behavioural results showed that participants experienced a self-bias (self > friend and stranger) and a familiarity effect (e.g., friend > stranger); neither effect was affected by the number of autistic traits or autism diagnosis. In Experiment 2, analysis of N1, N2, and P3 ERP components revealed a typical self-bias in both groups (self distinct from friend and stranger), and only the autistic group showed evidence of a familiarity effect (N2 more negative-going for stranger than friend). The findings are discussed in relation to self-other distinction ability, and the relevance of other neuropsychological and psychiatric conditions such as anxiety and alexithymia are also considered.

Empathy in schizophrenia: neural alterations during emotion recognition and affective sharing

Introduction

Deficits in emotion recognition and processing are characteristic for patients with schizophrenia [SCZ].

Methods

We targeted both emotion recognition and affective sharing, one in static and one in dynamic facial stimuli, during functional magnetic resonance imaging [fMRI] in 22 SCZ patients and 22 matched healthy controls [HC]. Current symptomatology and cognitive deficits were assessed as potential influencing factors.

Results

Behaviorally, patients only showed a prolonged response time in age-discrimination trials. For emotion-processing trials, patients showed a difference in neural response, without an observable behavioral correlate. During emotion and age recognition in static stimuli, a reduced activation of the bilateral anterior cingulate cortex [ACC] and the right anterior insula [AI] emerged. In the affective sharing task, patients showed a reduced activation in the left and right caudate nucleus, right AI and inferior frontal gyrus [IFG], right cerebellum, and left thalamus, key areas of empathy.

Discussion

We conclude that patients have deficits in complex visual information processing regardless of emotional content on a behavioral level and that these deficits coincide with aberrant neural activation patterns in emotion processing networks. The right AI as an integrator of these networks plays a key role in these aberrant neural activation patterns and, thus, is a promising candidate area for neurofeedback approaches.

I understand your pain but I do not feel it: lower affective empathy in response to others' social pain in narcissism

Introduction

While the relationship between narcissism and empathy has been well-researched, studies have paid less attention to empathic accuracy, i.e., appreciating the precise strength of another person's emotions, and self-other distinction, in terms of the disparity between affective ratings for self and other in response to emotive stimuli. Furthermore, empathic responses may vary depending on whether the pain is physical or social.

Methods

We investigated empathic accuracy, affective empathy, and the distinction between pain, emotion and intensity ratings for self and other, in high (n = 44) and low (n = 43) narcissism groups (HNG and LNG, respectively) selected from 611 students, in response to both types of pain. Participants watched six videos where targets expressed genuine experiences of physical and social pain, and rated the perceived affect and pain experienced by the person in the video and their own empathic emotional responses.

Results and discussion

The HNG displayed lower affective empathy and empathic accuracy than the LNG for both pain types. Within the HNG there was higher empathic accuracy for social vs. physical pain, despite reduced affective empathy for social pain, in contrast to the LNG. In addition to this paradox, the HNG demonstrated greater differences between ratings for the self and for target others than the LNG, suggesting that narcissism is associated with higher self-other distinction in response to viewing other people describing social pain.

Chinese cognitive processing of ToM: Distinctions in understanding the mental states of self, close others, and strangers

Previous studies showed that people differ in attributing mental states to themselves and in understanding the mental states of others, but have not explored the differences when people attribute mental states to others at different social distances. The present study adds a 'close other' condition to the Self/Other differentiation paradigm to explore the potential differences in attributing mental states to others with different social distances. It emerged that the time required to reflect on one's self mental state is shortest in mental state attribution, longer when comprehending the mental state of close others, and longest for strangers. This result indicates that Chinese participants distinguish between close others and strangers when performing perspective-taking. When the perspective-shifting of belief-attribution is performed, a beforehand processing of information about close others or strangers does not interfere with the processing of information from oneself subsequently. However, when the information processed in the previous stage cannot be used for subsequent processing, it interferes with the processing of information from close others or strangers in the later stage. The lower the degree of automated processing of pre-processed information, the greater the interference effect produced. This finding indicated that processing the self mental state is automatically activated, but comprehending the mental state of others is not. The comprehension of others' mental states occurs only when required by the task and it entails more cognitive resources to process and maintain.

Role of fantasy in emotional clarity and emotional regulation in empathy: A preliminary study

Fantasy is the experience of identifying with characters in movies, novels, plays, and other fictional situations. In social contexts, individuals take on the perspective of others by sensing their emotions through empathy. During this process, perspective-taking and emotional sharing affect one’s metacognition, which deals with the distinction between and the understanding of one’s emotions (clarity) and their regulation (repair); previous studies have primarily focused on these processes. However, perspective-taking—considering another individual’s viewpoint—requires one to imagine their outlook; it also induces emotional responses. This study examined the role of fantasy in clarity and repair in metacognition, for which data derived from 475 Japanese participants were analyzed. The results of the Interpersonal Reactivity Index showed that fantasy was positively associated with clarity and repair in the Trait Meta-Mood Scale; these relationships were moderated by perspective-taking and personal distress. Our results revealed that the emotions experienced within oneself might be understood as the distinction between “imagining” (through their imagination; e.g., internal or mental pictures) and “imaging” (from an image; e.g., external pictures). Individuals imagine their immersion into others using lower-level automatic body sensations (emotional contagion), and the accompanying negative emotions are regulated by metacognition.