Reduced reward‐related neural response to mimicry in individuals with autism

Abstract

Mimicry is a facilitator of social bonds in humans, from infancy. This facilitation is made possible through changing the reward value of social stimuli; for example, we like and affiliate more with people who mimic us. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are marked by difficulties in forming social bonds. In this study, we investigate whether the reward-related neural response to being mimicked is altered in individuals with ASD, using a simple conditioning paradigm. Multiple studies in humans and nonhuman primates have established a crucial role for the ventral striatal (VS) region in responding to rewards. In this study, adults with ASD and matched controls first underwent a conditioning task outside the scanner, where they were mimicked by one face and 'anti-mimicked' by another. In the second part, participants passively viewed the conditioned faces in a 3T MRI scanner using a multi-echo sequence. The differential neural response towards mimicking vs. anti-mimicking faces in the VS was tested for group differences as well as an association with self-reported autistic traits. Multiple regression analysis revealed lower left VS response to mimicry (mimicking > anti-mimicking faces) in the ASD group compared to controls. The VS response to mimicry was negatively correlated with autistic traits across the whole sample. Our results suggest that for individuals with ASD and high autistic traits, being mimicked is associated with lower reward-related neural response. This result points to a potential mechanism underlying the difficulties reported by many of individuals with ASD in building social rapport.

Emotional contagion in children with autism spectrum disorder varies with stimulus familiarity and task instructions

“…Research on healthy adults reveals that one aspect of automatic facial mimicry is the (unconscious) desire to affiliate with the target (Lakin & Chartrand, 2003; Stel & Vonk, 2010). Meanwhile, previous research on individuals with ASD and high ASD traits indicate atypical sensitivity to the social rewards of mimicking and being mimicked by strangers (Hsu, Neufeld, & Charkrabati, 2018; Sims et al, 2012). Although a core symptom of the disorder is reduced affiliation with others, children with ASD tend to have typical attachment rates to their parents (Capps, Sigman, & Mundy, 1994; Rutgers, Bakermans-Kranenburg, van Ijzendoorn, & Van Berckelaer-Onnes, 2004).…”

Atypical Reward-Driven Modulation of Mimicry-Related Neural Activity in Autism

“…We have previously demonstrated that faces that consistently mimic the participant are liked more and looked at longer compared to faces that consistently perform the facial expression opposite to that of the participant (44). In another study in our lab, we used the same mimicry conditioning to demonstrate that mimicking as compared to anti-mimicking faces evoked stronger reward-related activation of the ventral striatum in NT but not ASD participants (53). Together with these previous findings, the current study contributes to the evidence for a weakened link between reward and mimicry people with in ASD in both directions.…”

“…During both parts of the experiment, stimuli were presented using E-Prime 2.0 (Psychology Software Tools, PA, USA). Participants took part in a different experiment reported elsewhere (53) before they were debriefed and dismissed.…”

The Effects of Maternal Mirroring on the Development of Infant Social Expressiveness: The Case of Infant Cleft Lip

“…A further possible mechanism involves the reward processing system. Thus, human and macaque studies have shown that being mirrored leads to greater reward-related responses, including self-reported liking, preferential gaze, and ventral striatal activity [52–54]. Accordingly, maternal mirroring is likely to reinforce infant communicative gestures through eliciting such reward-related activity, leading to their increase.…”