Emotion Production and Neural Correlates of Emotion Processing in Youths With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Functional MRI Study

Kilroy, Emily; Krishnan, Sharada; Butera, Christiana; Harrison, Laura; Jayashankar, Aditya; Hossain, Anusha; Nalbach, Alexis; Aziz‐Zadeh, Lisa

doi:10.5014/ajot.2021.75s2-rp134

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“…Thus, in this study, we aim to examine the relationships between empathy, affect recognition, and associated factors in autistic children. Building upon our prior research [ 16 , 45 , 46 , 47 ], we hypothesize that: (1) autistic children will exhibit reduced scores in cognitive empathy and affect recognition, while displaying increased personal distress (affective empathy), compared to typically developing (TD) individuals; (2) there will be a significant positive correlation between affective empathy and affect recognition, within and across groups, based on the theoretical link between empathic ability and recognizing others’ affective experiences; (3) increased levels of alexithymia will be associated with poorer affect recognition and empathy across groups, aligning with the established connection between alexithymia and impaired emotional processing [ 19 ]; and (4) impairments in affect recognition and aspects of empathy in the ASD group will be associated with an increase in ASD symptomologies, such as emotional/behavioral problems, repetitive interests, and co-occurring conditions, including anxiety, gastrointestinal symptoms, and impaired sleep quality. By investigating these hypotheses, we aim to enhance our understanding of the complex interplay between empathy, affect recognition, and associated factors in autistic individuals.…”

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Relationships between Affect Recognition, Empathy, Alexithymia, and Co-Occurring Conditions in Autism

et al. 2023

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Prior studies show differences in empathy and affect-recognition ability between those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) individuals. Autistic individuals also exhibit increased behavioral, gastrointestinal, and sleep issues. In the current study, we explored the differences in empathy and affect recognition between the ASD and TD groups; and we investigated their associations with conditions co-occurring in ASD. A total of 56 TD and 57 ASD children (8–17 years) were included. As compared to the TD group, the ASD group showed lower scores for affect recognition and perspective taking (PT) and higher scores for personal distress (PD). Interestingly, results from hierarchical linear regressions suggested that disparities in the PD and PT between the groups were primarily attributable to attenuated levels of alexithymia, rather than being mediated by the presence of an autism diagnosis. Differences in affect-recognition ability, however, were mediated by both an autism diagnosis and alexithymia. We also found significant correlations between empathy and affect recognition and measures of related conditions common in ASD. Alexithymia, hence, contributes to difficulties in empathy while both alexithymia and autism are associated with affect-recognition ability in ASD. Additionally, the association between affect recognition and empathic ability with co-occurring conditions in ASD needs to be considered during assessments and interventions.

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