Physiological Response to Social Evaluative Threat in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) was employed to study response to social evaluative threat in male adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, n = 21) and typical development (n = 13). Participants wore a mobile electrocardiogram to collect heart rate data. There were significant group effects on respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA), a measure of parasympathetic nervous system function, with lower values in ASD (F = 4.97). Bivariate correlations also showed a significant relationship between parent reports of social problems and RSA response to the TSST (r = -0.586). These findings suggest that autonomic dysregulation may contribute to social deficits in adolescents with ASD.
Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, PMB 40, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA.
E Kale
EK
Edmiston
Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences, Vanderbilt University, 8310 MCE-South Tower, 1215 21st Avenue South, Nashville, TN, 37232, USA.
Robin M
RM
Jones
Vanderbilt Brain Institute, Vanderbilt University, PMB 40, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA. blythe.corbett@vanderbilt.edu.|Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, PMB 40, 230 Appleton Place, Nashville, TN, 37203, USA. blythe.corbett@vanderbilt.edu.
Blythe A
BA
Corbett
D000293:Adolescent; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology; D065809:Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia / Q000502:physiology*; D012919:Social Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*
Adolescence; Autism spectrum disorder; Psychophysiology; Respiratory sinus arrhythmia; Social evaluative threat