Reduced Responsiveness to Social Provocation in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Corresponding Author
Isabella Schneider
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Address for correspondence and reprints: Isabella Schneider, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, D-52074 Aachen, Germany. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorChristina Regenbogen
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Search for more papers by this authorNils Kohn
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorFlorian D. Zepf
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Paediatrics and Child Health & School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorSarah Bubenzer-Busch
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorFrank Schneider
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorRuben C. Gur
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorUte Habel
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Isabella Schneider
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Address for correspondence and reprints: Isabella Schneider, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, D-52074 Aachen, Germany. E-mail: [email protected]Search for more papers by this authorChristina Regenbogen
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
Search for more papers by this authorNils Kohn
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorFlorian D. Zepf
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, School of Paediatrics and Child Health & School of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Specialised Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS), Department of Health in Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
Search for more papers by this authorSarah Bubenzer-Busch
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorFrank Schneider
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorRuben C. Gur
Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Search for more papers by this authorUte Habel
Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
JARA Translational Brain Medicine, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Jülich, Germany
Search for more papers by this authorAbstract
Deficits in emotion processing and social interaction are prominent symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD has also been associated with aggressive tendencies towards self and others. The prevalence of aggressive behavior in this disorder, its etiology and its impact on social life are still unclear. This study investigated behavioral and physiological effects of social provocation in patients with ASD and healthy controls. We used a modified Taylor Aggression Paradigm in 24 high-functioning patients with ASD and 24 healthy controls. Participants were instructed to play against a fictitious human opponent. Money withdrawals toward the participant represented provocation and money deduction by the participant denoted aggressive behavior. Throughout the measurement, electrodermal activity (EDA) was recorded. Healthy controls showed higher aggressive responses to high provocation compared to low provocation, which demonstrated the effectiveness of the used procedure in eliciting aggression. Patients' responses were not influenced by the level of social provocation, although in both groups aggression was higher after lost compared to won trials. Physiologically, controls showed fewer but higher EDA amplitudes when responding aggressively, whereas patients displayed the opposite pattern of more but lower EDA amplitudes. The modified Taylor Aggression Paradigm successfully elicited aggression and revealed different behavioral and neurophysiological responses in patients and healthy controls. Patients' aggressive behavior as well as their physiological responses were less modulated by level of provocation compared to controls. Therapeutic attempts for patients might concentrate on improving empathic abilities and the understanding of social situations, including provocation and aggressive behavior. Autism Res 2015, 8: 297–306. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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