title: Emotional responses associated with self-face processing in individuals with autism spectrum disorders: an fMRI study.
abstract: Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show impaired emotional responses to self-face processing, but the underlying neural bases are unclear. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, we investigated brain activity when 15 individuals with high-functioning ASD and 15 controls rated the photogenicity of self-face images and photographs of others' faces. Controls showed a strong correlation between photogenicity ratings and extent of embarrassment evoked by self-face images; this correlation was weaker among ASD individuals, indicating a decoupling between the cognitive evaluation of self-face images and emotional responses. Individuals with ASD demonstrated relatively low self-related activity in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), which was related to specific autistic traits. There were significant group differences in the modulation of activity by embarrassment ratings in the right insular (IC) and lateral orbitofrontal cortices. Task-related activity in the right IC was lower in the ASD group. The reduced activity in the right IC for self-face images was associated with weak coupling between cognitive evaluation and emotional responses to self-face images. The PCC is responsible for self-referential processing, and the IC plays a role in emotional experience. Dysfunction in these areas could contribute to the lack of self-conscious behaviors in response to self-reflection in ASD individuals.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Graduate School of Letters, Kyoto University , Kyoto , Japan.
authors.forename: Tomoyo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Hirotaka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kosaka
authors.forename: Daisuke N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Saito
authors.forename: Makoto
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ishitobi
authors.forename: Toshio
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Munesue
authors.forename: Shoji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Itakura
authors.forename: Masao
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Omori
authors.forename: Hidehiko
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Okazawa
authors.forename: Yuji
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.forename: Norihiro
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sadato
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001526:Behavioral Symptoms / Q000209:etiology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000098:blood supply*; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology; D005145:Face; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D012649:Self Concept; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D010100:Oxygen