Absence of Embodied Empathy During Pain Observation in Asperger Syndrome

Minio-Paluello, Ilaria; Baron‐Cohen, Simon; Avenanti, Alessio; Walsh, Vincent; Aglioti, Salvatore Maria

doi:10.1016/j.biopsych.2008.08.006

Cited by 173 publications

(148 citation statements)

References 66 publications

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“…Considering the high level of alexithymia in our ASD participants, it is possible that they had difficulty interpreting their own autonomic response correctly. Previous findings have suggested that the cognitive component of empathy is impaired in ASD (Fan, et al, 2014; Hadjikhani, et al, 2014; Minio-Paluello, et al, 2009), while emotional contagion may be preserved (Hadjikhani, et al, 2014). Affective arousal during empathic processing, however, as measured by N2 amplitude, was found to be heightened in ASD participants (Fan, et al, 2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Empathy is considered a multi-facet construct, including at least emotional contagion and arousal and cognitive perspective-taking (de Waal, 2008). Previous studies have demonstrated abnormalities in various aspects of empathy in individuals with ASD, including difficulties in mentalizing and perspective-taking (Fan, et al, 2014; Hadjikhani, et al, 2014; Minio-Paluello, et al, 2009), as well as heightened affective arousal to emotional stimuli (Fan, et al, 2014; Smith, 2009). However, there has not been a mechanistic account for these socio-emotional deficits in ASD.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Autonomic and brain responses associated with empathy deficits in autism spectrum disorder

Eilam‐Stock

Zhou

et al. 2015

Human Brain Mapping

110

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Accumulating evidence suggests that autonomic signals and their cortical representations are closely linked to emotional processes, and that related abnormalities could lead to social deficits. Although socio-emotional impairments are a defining feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), empirical evidence directly supporting the link between autonomic, cortical, and socio-emotional abnormalities in ASD is still lacking. In this study, we examined autonomic arousal indexed by skin conductance responses (SCR), concurrent cortical responses measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging, and effective brain connectivity estimated by dynamic causal modeling, in seventeen un-medicated high-functioning adults with ASD and seventeen matched controls, while they performed an empathy-for-pain task. Compared to controls, adults with ASD showed enhanced SCR related to empathetic pain, along with increased neural activity in the anterior insular cortex, although their behavioral empathetic pain discriminability was reduced and overall SCR was decreased. ASD individuals also showed enhanced correlation between SCR and neural activities in the anterior insula. Importantly, significant group differences in effective brain connectivity were limited to greater reduction in the negative intrinsic connectivity of the anterior insular cortex in the ASD group, indicating a failure in attenuating anterior insular responses to empathetic pain. These results suggest that aberrant interoceptive precision, as indexed by abnormalities in autonomic activity and its central representations, may underlie empathy deficits in ASD.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Autonomic and brain responses associated with empathy deficits in autism spectrum disorder

Eilam‐Stock

Zhou

et al. 2015

Human Brain Mapping

110

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Observation of another person receiving a painful stimulus results in reduced MEP amplitude compared with observation of touch [40 -43]. This corticospinal empathy measure has been interpreted as automatic simulation of another's pain because the same inhibition occurs during receipt of pain to the self [43], possibly reflecting a withdrawal reflex [44].…”

Section: Training Self-other Control Across Social Cognitive Domainsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Self–other control processes in social cognition: from imitation to empathy

Guzman

Bird

Banissy

et al. 2016

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

117

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One contribution of 16 to a theme issue 'Understanding self and other: from origins to disorders'. We review the evidence that an ability to achieve a precise balance between representing the self and representing other people is crucial in social interaction. This ability is required for imitation, perspective-taking, theory of mind and empathy; and disruption to this ability may contribute to the symptoms of clinical and sub-clinical conditions, including autism spectrum disorder and mirror-touch synaesthesia. Moving beyond correlational approaches, a recent intervention study demonstrated that training participants to control representations of the self and others improves their ability to control imitative behaviour, and to take another's visual perspective. However, it is unclear whether these effects apply to other areas of social interaction, such as the ability to empathize with others. We report original data showing that participants trained to increase self-other control in the motor domain demonstrated increased empathic corticospinal responses (Experiment 1) and self-reported empathy (Experiment 2), as well as an increased ability to control imitation. These results suggest that the ability to control self and other representations contributes to empathy as well as to other types of social interaction.

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“…Deficits in social cognition, e.g., inferring others' mental states such as emotions and perspective taking, are at the core of the disorder [2,3,4]. Socioemotional functions such as empathic feelings (being emotionally affected by someone else's emotions) have also been suggested to be aberrant, though less consistently [5,6,7,8]. Rigorously tested treatment options for adults with ASD targeting social cognition deficits, however, are scarce, as shown by the fact that only 3 randomized controlled trials were undertaken, with very small sample sizes [9].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fostering Social Cognition through an Imitation- and Synchronization-Based Dance/Movement Intervention in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Controlled Proof-of-Concept Study

Koehne

Behrends

Fairhurst

et al. 2015

Psychother Psychosom

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Background: Since social cognition is impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), this study aimed at establishing the efficacy of a newly developed imitation- and synchronization-based dance/movement intervention (SI-DMI) in fostering emotion inference and empathic feelings (emotional reaction to feelings of others) in adults with high-functioning ASD. Methods: Fifty-five adults with ASD (IQ ≥85) who were blinded to the aim of the study were assigned to receive either 10 weeks of a dance/movement intervention focusing on interpersonal movement imitation and synchronization (SI-DMI, n = 27) or a control movement intervention (CMI, n = 24) focusing on individual motor coordination (2 participants from each group declined before baseline testing). The primary outcome measure was the objective Multifaceted Empathy Test targeting emotion inference and empathic feelings. Secondary outcomes were scores on the self-rated Interpersonal Reactivity Index. The well-established automatic imitation task and synchronization finger-tapping task were used to quantify effects on imitation and synchronization functions, complemented by the more naturalistic Assessment of Spontaneous Interaction in Movement. Results: Intention-to-treat analyses revealed that from baseline to 3 months, patients treated with SI-DMI showed a significantly larger improvement in emotion inference (d = 0.58), but not empathic feelings, than those treated with CMI (d = -0.04). On the close generalization level, SI-DMI increased synchronization skills and imitation tendencies, as well as whole-body imitation/synchronization and movement reciprocity/dialogue, compared to CMI. Conclusions: SI-DMI can be successful in promoting emotion inference in adults with ASD and warrants further investigation.

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Absence of Embodied Empathy During Pain Observation in Asperger Syndrome

Cited by 173 publications

References 66 publications

Autonomic and brain responses associated with empathy deficits in autism spectrum disorder

Autonomic and brain responses associated with empathy deficits in autism spectrum disorder

Self–other control processes in social cognition: from imitation to empathy

Fostering Social Cognition through an Imitation- and Synchronization-Based Dance/Movement Intervention in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Controlled Proof-of-Concept Study

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