Diminished social reward anticipation in the broad autism phenotype as revealed by event-related brain potentials.
Diminished responsivity to reward incentives is a key contributor to the social-communication problems seen in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Social motivation theories suggest that individuals with ASD do not experience social interactions as rewarding, leading to negative consequences for the development of brain circuitry subserving social information. In this study, we examined neural responses to social and non-social reward anticipation in 35 typically developing young adults, examining modulation of reward sensitivity by level of autistic traits. Using an Event-related potential incentive-delay task incorporating novel, more ecologically valid forms of reward, higher expression of autistic traits was associated with an attenuated P3 response to the anticipation of social (simulated real-time video feedback from an observer), but not non-social (candy), rewards. Exploratory analyses revealed that this was unrelated to mentalizing ability. The P3 component reflects motivated attention to reward signals, suggesting attenuated motivation allocation specific to social incentives. The study extends prior findings of atypical reward anticipation in ASD, demonstrating that attenuated social reward responsiveness extends to autistic traits in the range of typical functioning. Results support the development of innovative paradigms for investigating social and non-social reward responsiveness. Insight into vulnerabilities in reward processing is critical for understanding social function in ASD.
Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Anthony
A
Cox
Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty, RWTH Aachen University Hospital, Aachen, Germany.
Gregor
G
Kohls
Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Adam J
AJ
Naples
Department of Psychology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA, and.
Cora E
CE
Mukerji
Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA.
Marika C
MC
Coffman
Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Helena J V
HJ
Rutherford
Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
Linda C
LC
Mayes
Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA james.mcpartland@yale.edu.
James C
JC
McPartland
D000328:Adult; D001288:Attention; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005071:Evoked Potentials / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010641:Phenotype; D012201:Reward; D057566:Self Report; D012919:Social Behavior; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D056345:Theory of Mind
ERPs; autism spectrum disorder; broad autism phenotype; reward; social motivation