Hostname: page-component-848d4c4894-8bljj Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-07-02T02:25:44.474Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

The neuronal correlates of empathy in autism spectrum disorders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 April 2020

T.M. Michel
Affiliation:
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Germany
S. Herholz
Affiliation:
RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
A. Finkelmeier
Affiliation:
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Germany
F. Schneider
Affiliation:
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Germany
E. Brügmann
Affiliation:
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Germany
M. Haeck
Affiliation:
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Germany
K. Schneider
Affiliation:
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Germany
A. Vloet
Affiliation:
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Germany
U. Habel
Affiliation:
Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Germany

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Introduction

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterised by repetitive behaviour/interests, an impairment in reciprocal social interaction and communication. This implies the inadequate appreciation of socio-emotional cues and leads to a default in the responses to other people's emotions.

Objectives

Deficits in empathy have been described for individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Aims

We aim to investigate the described deficits in empathy in a group of people with ASD on a behavioural and a neuronal level.

Methods

We assessed neuronal activity using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during three different empathy tasks (“emotion-recognition”, “perspective-taking” and “affective-responsiveness”) of 12 adults with ASD and a matched group of healthy controls.

Results

Subjects with ASD did not have differences in affective responsiveness compared to healthy controls, but in emotion recognition and perspective taking. The reaction time was significantly longer in patients with ASD in all tasks. People with ASD showed a different pattern of brain activation in cortico-limbic areas during the empathy tasks compared to controls

Conclusion

Our findings of individuals with ASD having problems in emotions-recognition and in perspective taking are supported by previous results. These impairments are reflected by a different pattern of neuronal activation in several brain areas of individuals with ASD compared to controls. Although there are no differences in affective responsiveness in the ASD group a marked difference can be seen in the brain activation during this task. These findings might open up new avenues of intervention for individuals with ASD and their often described problems with empathy.

Type
P03-298
Copyright
Copyright © European Psychiatric Association 2011
Submit a response

Comments

No Comments have been published for this article.