Abstract
This fMRI study investigated neural responses while making appraisals of self and other, across the social and academic domains, in children and adolescents with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Compared to neurotypical youth, those with ASD exhibited hypoactivation of ventromedial prefrontal cortex during self-appraisals. Responses in middle cingulate cortex (MCC) and anterior insula (AI) also distinguished between groups. Stronger activity in MCC and AI during self-appraisals was associated with better social functioning in the ASD group. Although self-appraisals were significantly more positive in the neurotypical group, positivity was unrelated to brain activity in these regions. Together, these results suggest that multiple brain regions support making self-appraisals in neurotypical development, and function atypically in youth with ASD.
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Acknowledgments
This work was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development [P50 HD055784] and grants from the National Institutes of Health Loan Repayment Program [WFMY9703 and NAOT6886 to J.H.P.]. For generous support the authors also wish to thank the Brain Mapping Medical Research Organization, Brain Mapping Support Foundation, Pierson-Lovelace Foundation, Ahmanson Foundation, Tamkin Foundation, Jennifer Jones-Simon Foundation, Capital Group Companies Charitable Foundation, Robson Family, William M. and Linda R. Dietel Philanthropic Fund at the Northern Piedmont Community Foundation, Northstar Fund, and the FPR-UCLA Center for Culture, Brain, and Development. This project was in part also supported by grants (RR12169, RR13642 and RR00865) from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR), a component of the National Institutes of Health (NIH); its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NCR or NIH.
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Pfeifer, J.H., Merchant, J.S., Colich, N.L. et al. Neural and Behavioral Responses During Self-Evaluative Processes Differ in Youth With and Without Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 43, 272–285 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1563-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1563-3