title: Altered Medial Frontal and Superior Temporal Response to Implicit Processing of Emotions in Autism.
abstract: Interpreting emotional expressions appropriately poses a challenge for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In particular, difficulties with emotional processing in ASD are more pronounced in contexts where emotional expressions are subtle, automatic, and reflexive-that is, implicit. In contrast, explicit emotional processing, which requires the cognitive evaluation of an emotional experience, appears to be relatively intact in individuals with ASD. In the present study, we examined the brain activation and functional connectivity differences underlying explicit and implicit emotional processing in age- and IQ-matched adults with (n = 17) and without (n = 15) ASD. Results indicated: (1) significantly reduced levels of brain activation in participants with ASD in medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) and superior temporal gyrus (STG) during implicit emotion processing; (2) significantly weaker functional connectivity in the ASD group in connections of the MPFC with the amygdala, temporal lobe, parietal lobe, and fusiform gyrus; (3) No group difference in performance accuracy or reaction time; and (4) Significant positive relationship between empathizing ability and STG activity in ASD but not in typically developing participants. These findings suggest that the neural mechanisms underlying implicit, but not explicit, emotion processing may be altered at multiple levels in individuals with ASD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Rajesh K
authors.initials: RK
authors.lastname: Kana
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Patriquin
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA.
authors.forename: Briley S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Black
authors.affiliation: MIND Institute, University of California Davis, USA.
authors.forename: Marie M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Channell
authors.affiliation: Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, CNRS & Aix-Marseille Université, France.
authors.forename: Bruno
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wicker
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping / Q000379:methods*; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology*; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D011930:Reaction Time; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012938:Social Perception; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: autism; explicit emotion; fMRI; functional connectivity; implicit emotion