Autism Spectrum Disorders and Schizophrenia: Meta-Analysis of the Neural Correlates of Social Cognition

Abstract

ContextImpaired social cognition is a cardinal feature of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Schizophrenia (SZ). However, the functional neuroanatomy of social cognition in either disorder remains unclear due to variability in primary literature. Additionally, it is not known whether deficits in ASD and SZ arise from similar or disease-specific disruption of the social cognition network.ObjectiveTo identify regions most robustly implicated in social cognition processing in SZ and ASD.Data SourcesSystematic review of English language articles using MEDLINE (1995–2010) and reference lists.Study SelectionStudies were required to use fMRI to compare ASD or SZ subjects to a matched healthy control group, provide coordinates in standard stereotactic space, and employ standardized facial emotion recognition (FER) or theory of mind (TOM) paradigms.Data ExtractionActivation foci from studies meeting inclusion criteria (n = 33) were subjected to a quantitative voxel-based meta-analysis using activation likelihood estimation, and encompassed 146 subjects with ASD, 336 SZ patients and 492 healthy controls.ResultsBoth SZ and ASD showed medial prefrontal hypoactivation, which was more pronounced in ASD, while ventrolateral prefrontal dysfunction was associated mostly with SZ. Amygdala hypoactivation was observed in SZ patients during FER and in ASD during more complex ToM tasks. Both disorders were associated with hypoactivation within the Superior Temporal Sulcus (STS) during ToM tasks, but activation in these regions was increased in ASD during affect processing. Disease-specific differences were noted in somatosensory engagement, which was increased in SZ and decreased in ASD. Reduced thalamic activation was uniquely seen in SZ.ConclusionsReduced frontolimbic and STS engagement emerged as a shared feature of social cognition deficits in SZ and ASD. However, there were disease- and stimulus-specific differences. These findings may aid future studies on SZ and ASD and facilitate the formulation of new hypotheses regarding their pathophysiology.

Right Temporoparietal Gray Matter Predicts Accuracy of Social Perception in the Autism Spectrum

“…Most of the regions in which we found gray matter reductions have consistently been implicated in socio-emotional processing and communication abilities that are deficient in ASD, such as (i) theory of mind (Di Martino et al 2009;Van Overwalle, 2009;Sugranyes et al 2011), (ii) mirror neuron functioning and language (Lai et al 2012;Molenberghs et al 2012), and (iii) limbic system functions (Sugranyes et al 2011). However, some of the aforementioned regions have also been associated with functions other than social ones.…”

Nicotinic α7 receptors enhance NMDA cognitive circuits in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex

“…Schizophrenia is characterized by grave impairments in WM (52) that are associated with reduced dlPFC activity and thought disorder (53). Reductions in dlPFC activity are also associated with dysregulated behavior and attention in mania (54) and ADHD (55), especially in the right hemisphere, whereas dorsomedial PFC hypoactivity is associated with social deficits in both schizophrenia and autism (56). PFC deficits are also a component of dementias such as AD, where there is early accumulation of β-amyloid and phosphorylated tau early in the disease, including tangles in layer III pyramidal cells (17).…”

Disrupted regulation of social exclusion in alcohol-dependence: An FMRI study

“…Finally, a crucial implication of this study is to show that social neuroscience can be used among ADS to develop innovative theoretical and therapeutic perspectives. Neural correlates of social cognition have recently been explored in schizophrenia and autism (Sugranyes et al, 2011), and we underlined the interest of applying social neuroscience paradigms to alcohol-dependence.…”

“…The omnipresence of social impairments among neurological and psychiatric populations recently led social neuroscience to expand towards pathological states (Adolphs, 2010). The first clinical studies gave promising results, describing abnormal cortical and limbic activations during interpersonal processing in schizophrenia, depression, and autism (Sugranyes et al, 2011). Nevertheless, social exclusion has up to now only been explored in autism, where two studies showed reduced insula and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) activations during ostracism (Bolling et al, 2011;Masten et al, 2011).…”