title: Emotional contagion for pain is intact in autism spectrum disorders.
abstract: Perceiving others in pain generally leads to empathic concern, consisting of both emotional and cognitive processes. Empathy deficits have been considered as an element contributing to social difficulties in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Here, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging and short video clips of facial expressions of people experiencing pain to examine the neural substrates underlying the spontaneous empathic response to pain in autism. Thirty-eight adolescents and adults of normal intelligence diagnosed with ASD and 35 matched controls participated in the study. In contrast to general assumptions, we found no significant differences in brain activation between ASD individuals and controls during the perception of pain experienced by others. Both groups showed similar levels of activation in areas associated with pain sharing, evidencing the presence of emotional empathy and emotional contagion in participants with autism as well as in controls. Differences between groups could be observed at a more liberal statistical threshold, and revealed increased activations in areas involved in cognitive reappraisal in ASD participants compared with controls. Scores of emotional empathy were positively correlated with brain activation in areas involved in embodiment of pain in ASD group only. Our findings show that simulation mechanisms involved in emotional empathy are preserved in high-functioning individuals with autism, and suggest that increased reappraisal may have a role in their apparent lack of caring behavior.
authors.affiliation: 1] Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland [2] Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden [3] Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hadjikhani
authors.affiliation: 1] Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland [2] Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
authors.forename: N R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Zürcher
authors.affiliation: Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Rogier
authors.affiliation: Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Hippolyte
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Neurosciences of Brest, EA4685, University of Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lemonnier
authors.affiliation: Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ruest
authors.affiliation: Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, MA, USA.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Ward
authors.affiliation: Brain Mind Institute, EPFL, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lassalle
authors.affiliation: Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gillberg
authors.affiliation: Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Billstedt
authors.affiliation: Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Helles
authors.affiliation: Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gillberg
authors.affiliation: School of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Solomon
authors.affiliation: Health Psychology Laboratory, University of Northern British Columbia, Prince George, BC, Canada.
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Prkachin
authors.affiliation: Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Centre, Sahlgrenska Academy, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gillberg
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002659:Child Development Disorders, Pervasive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000523:psychology*; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult