Electrodermal reactivity to emotion processing in adults with autistic spectrum disorders

Abstract

Although alterations of emotion processing are recognized as a core component of autism, the level at which alterations occur is still debated. Discrepant results suggest that overt assessment of emotion processing is not appropriate. In this study, skin conductance response (SCR) was used to examine covert emotional processes. Both behavioural responses and SCRs of 16 adults with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) were compared to those of 16 typical matched adults. Participants had to judge emotional facial expressions, the age of faces or the direction of a moving object. Although behavioural performance was similar in the two populations, individuals with an ASD exhibited lower SCRs than controls in the emotional judgement task. This suggests that such individuals may rely on different strategies due to altered autonomic processing. Furthermore, failure to produce normal physiological reactions to emotional faces may be related to social impairments in individuals with an ASD.

Feasibility Exploration of Electrodermal Response to Food in Children with ASD Compared to Typically Developing Children

“…In a study comparing the EDA of children with ASD to children with sensory modulation disorder alone, children with ASD had atypical physiological arousal (tonic EDA), while children with SMD had atypical higher physiological reactivity (phasic EDA) across all sensory domains when compared to typically developing controls (Schoen et al, 2009). Consistent with this study, Hubert, Wicker, Monfardini, and Deruelle (2009) found that children with ASD had lower skin conductance response (phasic response to stimulus) than controls on an emotional judgement task. However, Chang and colleagues (2012) found an opposite pattern in children with autism when they examined tonic baseline and phasic response to controlled auditory stimuli.…”

Failure is Not an Option: Risk-Taking is Moderated by Anxiety and Also by Cognitive Ability in Children and Adolescents Diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Results to date are mixed: Hubert et al (2009) recently reported lower skin conductance responses (SCR) in an adult ASD sample compared to controls, when judging emotions in faces. This was in spite of similar behavioral performance, suggesting different strategies to achieve the same outcome, perhaps due to altered autonomic response.…”

Facial Emotion Recognition in Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of Behavioral and Neuroimaging Studies

“…Only two FER studies, to our knowledge, have used physiological measures of arousal. Hubert et al (2009), measuring skin conductance responses, found reduced responses to emotional faces in an adult ASD group, indicating a lack of autonomic arousal in this condition. In addition, Bal and colleagues (2010), measuring respiratory sinus arrhythmia and heart rate, found evidence of higher baseline levels of arousal in ASD children.…”