title: Better fear conditioning is associated with reduced symptom severity in autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: Evidence from behavioral and neuroimaging studies suggest that atypical amygdala function plays a critical role in the development of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The handful of psychophysiological studies examining amygdala function in ASD using classical fear conditioning paradigms have yielded discordant results. We recorded skin conductance response (SCR) during a simple discrimination conditioning task in 30 children and adolescents (ages 8-18) diagnosed with high-functioning ASD and 30 age- and IQ-matched, typically developing controls. SCR response in the ASD group was uniquely and positively associated with social anxiety; and negatively correlated with autism symptom severity, in particular with social functioning. Fear conditioning studies have tremendous potential to aid understanding regarding the amygdale's role in the varied symptom profile of ASD. Our data demonstrate that such studies require careful attention to task-specific factors, including task complexity; and also to contributions of dimensional, within-group factors that contribute to ASD heterogeneity.
authors: Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA. south@byu.edu
authors: Mikle
authors: M
authors: South
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Larson
authors: Sarah E
authors: SE
authors: White
authors: Julianne
authors: J
authors: Dana
authors: Michael J
authors: MJ
authors: Crowley
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000523:psychology*; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological; D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012919:Social Behavior