title: Training-induced plasticity of the social brain in autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is linked to social brain activity and facial affect recognition (FAR).
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine social brain plasticity in ASD.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using FAR tests and functional magnetic resonance imaging tasks for FAR, we compared 32 individuals with ASD and 25 controls. Subsequently, the participants with ASD were assigned to FAR computer-aided cognitive training or a control group.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The ASD group performed more poorly than controls on explicit behavioural FAR tests. In the scanner, during implicit FAR, the amygdala, fusiform gyrus and other regions of the social brain were less activated bilaterally. The training group improved on behavioural FAR tests, and cerebral response to implicit affect processing tasks increased bilaterally post-training in the social brain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individuals with ASD show FAR impairments associated with hypoactivation of the social brain. Computer-based training improves explicit FAR and neuronal responses during implicit FAR, indicating neuroplasticity in the social brain in ASD.
authors: Sven Bölte, Prof, PhD, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Angela Ciaramidaro, PhD, Sabine Schlitt, PhD, Daniela Hainz, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Fritz Poustka, MD, PhD, Anke Beyer, PhD, Christine Freitag, MD, PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany sven.bolte@ki.se.
authors: Sven
authors: S
authors: Bölte
authors: Sven Bölte, Prof, PhD, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Angela Ciaramidaro, PhD, Sabine Schlitt, PhD, Daniela Hainz, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Fritz Poustka, MD, PhD, Anke Beyer, PhD, Christine Freitag, MD, PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors: Angela
authors: A
authors: Ciaramidaro
authors: Sven Bölte, Prof, PhD, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Angela Ciaramidaro, PhD, Sabine Schlitt, PhD, Daniela Hainz, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Fritz Poustka, MD, PhD, Anke Beyer, PhD, Christine Freitag, MD, PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors: Sabine
authors: S
authors: Schlitt
authors: Sven Bölte, Prof, PhD, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Angela Ciaramidaro, PhD, Sabine Schlitt, PhD, Daniela Hainz, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Fritz Poustka, MD, PhD, Anke Beyer, PhD, Christine Freitag, MD, PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors: Daniela
authors: D
authors: Hainz
authors: Sven Bölte, Prof, PhD, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Angela Ciaramidaro, PhD, Sabine Schlitt, PhD, Daniela Hainz, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Fritz Poustka, MD, PhD, Anke Beyer, PhD, Christine Freitag, MD, PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors: Dorit
authors: D
authors: Kliemann
authors: Sven Bölte, Prof, PhD, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Angela Ciaramidaro, PhD, Sabine Schlitt, PhD, Daniela Hainz, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Fritz Poustka, MD, PhD, Anke Beyer, PhD, Christine Freitag, MD, PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors: Anke
authors: A
authors: Beyer
authors: Sven Bölte, Prof, PhD, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Angela Ciaramidaro, PhD, Sabine Schlitt, PhD, Daniela Hainz, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Fritz Poustka, MD, PhD, Anke Beyer, PhD, Christine Freitag, MD, PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors: Fritz
authors: F
authors: Poustka
authors: Sven Bölte, Prof, PhD, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Angela Ciaramidaro, PhD, Sabine Schlitt, PhD, Daniela Hainz, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Fritz Poustka, MD, PhD, Anke Beyer, PhD, Christine Freitag, MD, PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors: Christine
authors: C
authors: Freitag
authors: Sven Bölte, Prof, PhD, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Angela Ciaramidaro, PhD, Sabine Schlitt, PhD, Daniela Hainz, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Dorit Kliemann, PhD, Cluster of Excellence 'Languages of Emotion' and Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität, Berlin, Germany, McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, and Department of Neurology, Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA; Fritz Poustka, MD, PhD, Anke Beyer, PhD, Christine Freitag, MD, PhD, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, and Psychotherapy, Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Germany; Henrik Walter, MD, PhD, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité Universitatsmedizin Berlin, Germany.
authors: Henrik
authors: H
authors: Walter
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D001921:Brain / Q000502:physiology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D000066499:Facial Recognition; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000502:physiology; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008606:Mental Processes / Q000502:physiology; D011581:Psychological Tests; D011613:Psychotherapy / Q000379:methods; D055815:Young Adult