Autistic traits influence gaze-oriented attention to happy but not fearful faces

The relationship between autistic traits and gaze-oriented attention to fearful and happy faces was investigated at the behavioral and neuronal levels. Upright and inverted dynamic face stimuli were used in a gaze-cueing paradigm while event related potentials (ERPs) were recorded. Participants responded faster to gazed-at than to non-gazed-at targets, and this gaze orienting effect (GOE) diminished with inversion, suggesting it relies on facial configuration. It was also larger for fearful than happy faces but only in participants with high autism-spectrum quotient (AQ) scores. While the GOE to fearful faces was of similar magnitude regardless of AQ scores, a diminished GOE to happy faces was found in participants with high AQ scores.

At the ERP level, a congruency effect on target-elicited P1 component reflected enhanced visual processing of gazed-at targets. In addition, cue-triggered early directing attention negativity and anterior directing attention negativity reflected, respectively, attention orienting and attention holding at gazed-at locations. These neural markers of spatial attention orienting were not modulated by emotion and were not found in participants with high AQ scores. Together, these findings suggest that autistic traits influence attention orienting to gaze and its modulation by social emotions such as happiness.     

Standardization of the Japanese version of the Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire (GSQ)

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) often have sensory processing abnormalities. However, limited measures that assess these problems in adults with ASD have been developed till date, particularly in Japan. Robertson and Simmons (2012) developed a self-rating scale to investigate sensory sensitivity: the Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire (GSQ). In the present study, we developed a Japanese version of GSQ and investigated sensory abnormalities in adults with ASD. We compared results of the Japanese version of GSQ in adults between an ASD group (n = 64) and a control group (n = 70). In addition, we also administered these individuals with the autism spectrum quotient (AQ), which is a questionnaire for assessing autistic traits. The Japanese version of GSQ scores was significantly higher in the ASD group than that in the control group. The total GSQ score and each sensory subscale showed a positive correlation with AQ in the total study sample. These results indicate that individuals with pronounced autistic traits have more frequent and extreme sensory processing problems compared with that in individuals with less pronounced autistic traits. We also assessed validity of the new test. Cronbach's α of the questionnaire was calculated, and its high value indicates that the Japanese version of GSQ has high reliability.     

The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) in Japan: A Cross-Cultural Comparison

The AQ (Autism-Spectrum Quotient) is a self-administered instrument for measuring the degree to which an adult with normal intelligence has the traits associated with the autistic spectrum. The AQ was administered in Japan to test whether the UK results would generalize to a very different culture. Three groups of subjects, adults with AS or HFA (n=57), adult controls (n=194), and University students (n=1050) were assessed. The adults with AS/HFA had a mean AQ score which was significantly higher than both the controls and the University students. Among the controls, males scored significantly higher than females. The similarity of results in both the general population and the clinical group across the two cultures was remarkable.     

Do the traits of autism-spectrum overlap with those of schizophrenia or obsessive-compulsive disorder in the general population?

Social and communicative deficits, restricted interests and repetitive behaviors are diagnostic features of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The present study examined the relationship between autistic characteristics and schizophrenia-spectrum traits as well as between autistic characteristics and obsessive-compulsive traits in typically developed young adults. The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) was given separately to two large samples. In addition, one sample (N = 662) was given the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) to assess schizophrenia-spectrum traits, whereas the other sample (N = 347) was given the Padua Inventory (PI) to assess obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) traits. The results revealed a moderate correlation between the AQ and the SPQ total scores; however, multiple regression analyses showed that the “Cognitive-Perceptual” factor did not predict the autism-spectrum degree, although autistic characteristics and schizophrenia-spectrum traits had common social-emotional difficulties. Similarly, there was a moderate correlation between the AQ and PI total scores, which suggests that they had common problems in cognitive aspects; however, autism-spectrum and OCD traits differed with regard to other behavioral characteristics including repetitive or impulsive behaviors. Therefore, there was not a large overlap of the autism-spectrum and either the schizophrenia- or obsessive-compulsive spectrums, although certain traits were correlated with each other.     

Autistic characteristics in adults with epilepsy

IntroductionThe reported prevalence of autism spectrum disorders in people with epilepsy ranges from 15% to 47%. Despite the high comorbidity, there has been a lack of systematic studies of autistic characteristics in epilepsy. Little is known about the relationship of epilepsy to the core characteristics of autism. The aim of this research was to measure autistic traits and characteristics in adults with epilepsy who do not have a diagnosis of any autism disorder.MethodWe investigated autistic characteristics in adults with epilepsy and those without epilepsy employing the Autism Spectrum Quotient (group with epilepsy, n = 40; control group, n = 38) and systemizing and empathizing abilities employing the Intuitive Physics test and the Adult Eyes Task—Revised (group with epilepsy, n = 19; control group, n = 23).ResultsSignificantly more autistic behavioral traits, as measured by the AQ, were related to having epilepsy, but intact systemizing and empathizing abilities in these adults suggest that, in adults with epilepsy, autism-like symptoms may be present in the absence of wider cognitive profiles characteristic of autism.ConclusionIncreased autistic characteristics found in adults with epilepsy without an ASD diagnosis suggest that epilepsy syndromes may incorporate behavioral aspects of autism in the absence of some of its core cognitive features.     

No association between early gastrointestinal problems and autistic-like traits in the general population

Aim The aim of this study was to determine whether gastrointestinal problems in early childhood relate to autistic‐like traits in a general population sample. Method The parents of 804 children (442 females; 362 males) reported at 1‐, 2‐, 3‐, and 5‐year follow‐ups whether their child had been taken to a hospital, general practitioner, or health clinic for any of five gastrointestinal symptoms: (1) constipation; (2) diarrhoea; (3) abdominal bloating, discomfort, or irritability; (4) gastro‐oesophageal reflux or vomiting; and (5) feeding issues or food selectivity. Parents also reported whether their child had received the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination. Autistic‐like traits were measured when the children had reached early adulthood (mean age 19y 7mo; SD 0.63y) using a self‐report questionnaire, the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Results There was no statistically significant difference in AQ scores between those who had (n=133) and those who had not (n=671) experienced early gastrointestinal symptoms. χ² analyses revealed that the children with early gastrointestinal problems were no more likely to be represented in the upper quintile of scores on any of the AQ scales. The measles, mumps, and rubella vaccination was unrelated to gastrointestinal symptoms or AQ scores. Interpretation Parent‐reported gastrointestinal problems in early childhood are unrelated to self‐reported autistic‐like traits in the general population.     

Validation of the French Autism Spectrum Quotient scale and its relationships with schizotypy and Eysenckian personality traits

BackgroundAutism and schizophrenia spectra were long considered distinct entities. Yet, recent studies emphasized overlapping clinical and personality features suggesting common mechanisms and liabilities. Independent notions, however, highlight that the two spectra oppose each other socially (positive schizotypal hyper-mentalism versus autistic hypo-mentalism).MethodsTo clarify these relationships, we used data from 921 French-speaking Swiss undergraduates to firstly validate the French Autism Spectrum Questionnaire (AQ) identifying an optimal factor structure. Secondly, we assessed relationships between this AQ structure and schizotypic personality traits.ResultsResults from correlational and principal component analyses replicated both overlapping and opposing relationships.ConclusionsWe conjecture that autistic traits opposing positive schizotypy represent autistic mentalizing deficits. We discuss implications of our findings relative to theories of autism and schizophrenia spectrum relationships.     

The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ)—Adolescent Version

The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) quantifies autistic traits in adults. This paper adapted the AQ for children (age 9.8–15.4 years). Three groups of participants were assessed: Group 1: n=52 adolescents with Asperger Syndrome (AS) or high-functioning autism (HFA); Group 2: n=79 adolescents with classic autism; and Group 3, n=50 controls. The adolescents with AS/HFA did not differ significantly from the adolescents with autism but both clinical groups scored higher than controls. Approximately 90% of the adolescents with AS/HFA and autism scored 30+, vs. none of the controls. Among the controls, boys scored higher than girls. The AQ can rapidly quantify where an adolescent is situated on the continuum from autism to normality.     

Further Evidence on the Factorial Structure of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) for Adults With and Without a Clinical Diagnosis of Autism

The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) has been widely used for measuring autistic traits however its factor structure has been primarily determined from nonclinic populations. This study aimed to establish an internally coherent and reliable factor structure for the AQ using a sample of 455 Australian adults of whom 141 had autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnoses. Principal component analysis revealed a 39-item questionnaire with five-factors: Sociability, Social Cognition, Interest in Patterns, Narrow Focus and Resistance to Change. The revised AQ-39 had sound goodness-of-fit indices, good-to-excellent internal consistency and test–retest reliability, and scores for ASD and non-ASD participants were significantly different. The AQ-39 may be useful in screening and for guiding the focus of therapy.     

Self-reported social skills impairment explains elevated autistic traits in individuals with generalized social anxiety disorder

Screening for autism in individuals with generalized social anxiety disorder (GSAD) is complicated by symptom overlap between GSAD and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We examined the prevalence of self-reported autistic traits within a sample of participants with a diagnosis of GSAD (n = 37) compared to individuals without a GSAD diagnosis (NOSAD; n = 26). Of the GSAD sample participants, 70.84% self-reported autistic traits above a cut-off of 65 on the Autism Quotient-Short (AQ-S) and reported significantly more autistic traits on 3 of 5 AQ-S subscales compared to the NOSAD group. Diagnosis uniquely predicted variation in the social skills subscale above and beyond the other subscales and other predictors. Furthermore, variation in the social skills subscale largely explained group differences on the other subscales. Our results suggest caution in utilizing measures like the AQ-S with clinical populations characterized by social difficulties such as individuals with a GSAD diagnosis.     

Autism spectrum disorders in adult outpatients with obsessive compulsive disorder in the UK

Objectives: Patients with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) frequently show traits of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This is one of the first studies to explore the clinical impact of the overlap between OCD and ASD as a categorical diagnosis.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey in 73 adult outpatients with DSM-IV OCD. Autistic traits were measured using the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). A clinical estimate ASD diagnosis was made by interview using DSM-IV-TR criteria. OCD patients with and without autistic traits or ASD were compared on demographic and clinical parameters and level of OCD treatment-resistance based on treatment history.

Results: Thirty-four (47%) patients scored above the clinical threshold on the AQ (≥26) and 21 (27.8%) met diagnostic criteria for ASD. These diagnoses had not been made before. Patients with autistic traits showed a borderline significant increase in OCD symptom-severity (Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS); p?=?.054) and significantly increased impairment of insight (Brown Assessment of Beliefs Scale; p?=?.01). There was a positive correlation between AQ and Y-BOCS scores (p?=?.04), but not with OCD treatment resistance.

Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of previously undiagnosed ASD in patients with OCD. ASD traits are associated with greater OCD symptom-severity and poor insight.     

Is the Autism-Spectrum Quotient a Valid Measure of Traits Associated with the Autism Spectrum? A Rasch Validation in Adults with and Without Autism Spectrum Disorders

The Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) is among the most widely used scales assessing autistic traits in the general population. However, some aspects of the AQ are questionable. To test its scale properties, the AQ was translated into Swedish, and data were collected from 349 adults, 130 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 219 without ASD, and analysed with Rasch. Several scale properties of the AQ were satisfactory but it did not meet the criterion of a unidimensional measure of autistic traits. The Rasch analysis showed that the 50-item AQ could be reduced to a 12-item subset with little loss of explanatory power, with the potential to efficiently measure the degree to which adults with and without ASD show autistic traits.     

Going ‘Above and Beyond’: Are Those High in Autistic Traits Less Pro-social?

Few studies have explored how the cognitive differences associated with autistic spectrum disorder translate into everyday social behaviour. This study investigated pro-social behaviour in students scoring high and low on the autism-spectrum quotient (AQ), using a novel scenario task: ‘Above and Beyond’. Each scenario involved an opportunity to behave pro-socially, and thus required balancing the needs of a character against participants’ own interests. High AQ participants both generated responses and selected courses of action that were less pro-social than those of the low AQ group. For actions of low pro-social value they gave higher self-satisfaction ratings; conversely, they gave lower self-satisfaction ratings for high pro-social actions. The implications for everyday functioning are considered for those with high autistic traits.     

A new step towards understanding Embedded Figures Test performance in the autism spectrum: The radial frequency search task

The Embedded Figure Test (EFT) requires locating a simple shape embedded within a background of overlapping target-irrelevant scene elements. Observers with autism, or those with high levels of autistic-like traits, typically outperform matched comparison groups on the EFT. This research investigated the critical visual properties which give rise to this improved performance. The EFT is a search task and so here a radial frequency (RF) search task was created to directly explore efficacy of visual search and also the influence of element overlap on performance. In all conditions, the task was to detect whether the target RF3 (a triangular shape chosen for its visual properties) was present among a number of distracter RF4 (a square shape) patterns. The conditions employed were: ‘singles’, where all the patterns were spatially discrete, ‘pairs’, where two overlapping elements formed each cluster, and ‘quads’, comprising four overlapping elements per cluster. Compared to students scoring low on the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ; n = 27), those scoring high on the AQ (n = 23) were faster on the EFT and also significantly less influenced by increasing set size of the stimulus array in all RF search task conditions. However, the group difference in RF search performance was unaffected by the amount of stimulus overlap. Thus a simple search task is sufficient to detect a performance advantage associated with higher levels of autistic traits and has the advantages of a solid footing in visual theory and being readily repeatable for the purpose of assessing performance variability and change with interventions.     

Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ)

The Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) has been widely used for measuring autistic characteristics in parents of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Nonetheless, its psychometric validity is yet to be justified. This study tested the factor structure of the AQ by means of principal component analysis and confirmatory factor analysis using, for the first time, data from 4192 Taiwanese parents (1208 with ASD children and 2984 with typically developing children). Results yielded a 35-item, 5-dimensional factor solution that had favorable psychometric characteristics (RMSEA = .054; NNFI = .962; CFI = .969) than any of the previously-published AQ factor solutions. Subscales of this new AQ-Chinese model were statistically and semantically coherent, namely: Socialness, Mindreading, Patterns, Attention to Details and Attention Switching. The psychometric properties of the AQ-Chinese did not change between clinic-based and community-based data suggesting good fitting for a continuum of autistic expression. Furthermore, the considerable overlap between the AQ-Chinese and the AQ factor structures derived previously using student samples indicated consistency in the manifestation of the autistic profile across different cultures and age groups. Group differences in the AQ-Chinese scores were in line with previous studies, i.e. males generally scored radically higher than females except in Attention to Details. Interestingly, mothers of ASD children reported lower total AQ scores than community mothers yet no significant group difference for the fathers. Important research and clinical implications pertinent to parents with children with ASD and the utility of the AQ were drawn.     

Social impairment in schizophrenia revealed by Autism-Spectrum Quotient correlated with gray matter reduction

One of the difficulties facing schizophrenia patients is a failure to construct appropriate relationships with others in social situations. This impairment of social cognition is also found in autism-spectrum disorder (ASD). Considering such commonality between the two disorders, in this study we adopted the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) score to assess autistic traits, and explored the association between such traits and gray matter (GM) alterations of the brain in schizophrenia. Twenty schizophrenia patients and 25 healthy controls underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and AQ was assessed, comprising five subscales measuring different facets of autistic traits. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was applied to investigate the correlation between these AQ scores and regional GM alterations. Schizophrenia patients showed significantly higher scores in total AQ, and in four of the five subscales, compared to healthy controls. The total AQ score in schizophrenia showed significant negative correlation with GM volume reduction in the cortical area surrounding the left superior temporal sulcus (STS), which is considered to be important in social perception. Our findings suggest a possible neuroanatomical basis of autistic tendencies in schizophrenia.     

Brief Report: Broader Autism Phenotype Predicts Spontaneous Reciprocity of Direct Gaze

We report evidence for a relationship in the general population between self-reported autism-associated traits and the spontaneous reciprocation of direct gaze, a behavior that we propose may reflect a tendency to synchronize with social partners. Adults viewed videos of actors whose gaze was either directed towards or averted from them. Individuals with lower scores on four subscales of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scale showed a greater tendency to look at directed relative to averted eyes; individuals with higher scores on the AQ did not. This relationship was specific to autism-associated traits and to gaze towards the eyes; it did not generalize to a social anxiety measure or to gaze towards the mouth. We discuss implications for our understanding of the broader autism phenotype.     

Offenders with antisocial personality disorder show attentional bias for violence-related stimuli

Offenders with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) may be characterized by a lack in emotional functioning that manifests in irritability and a lack of remorse. The proposed link between ASPD and negative emotionality led to the question of emotional processing anomalies in ASPD. Furthermore, the effect of childhood maltreatment/abuse on emotional processing was tested in the present study. Violent and sexual offenders with ASPD (n=35), without ASPD (n=34), and healthy non-criminal controls (n=24) were compared in an Emotional Stroop Task (EST) using neutral, negative, and violence-related words. Secondary analyses focused on the effect of psychopathic traits and childhood maltreatment. Offenders with ASPD showed a stronger attentional bias to violence-related and negative words as compared to controls. Comparable results were obtained when grouping offenders to high, medium, and low psychopathic subgroups. Offenders with childhood maltreatment specifically showed stronger violence-related attentional bias than non-maltreated offenders. The data suggest that enhanced attention to violence-related stimuli in adult criminal offenders is associated with adverse developmental experiences and delinquency but to a lesser extent with antisocial or psychopathic traits.     

Associations of subclinical autistic-like traits with brain structural variation using diffusion tensor imaging and voxel-based morphometry

BackgroundPrevious case–control studies of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) have identified altered brain structure such as altered frontal and temporal cortex volumes, or decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) within the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus in patients. It remains unclear whether subclinical autistic-like traits might also be related to variation in these brain structures.MethodsIn this study, we analyzed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data of 250 psychiatrically healthy subjects phenotyped for subclinical autistic-like traits using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). For data analysis, we used voxel-based morphometry of T1-MRIs (Computational Anatomy Toolbox) and tract-based spatial statistics for diffusion tensor imaging data.Results AQ attention switching subscale correlated negatively with FA values in the bilateral uncinate fasciculus as well as the bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus. Higher AQ attention switching subscale scores were associated with increased mean diffusivity and radial diffusivity values in the uncinate fasciculus, while axial diffusivity values within this tract show a negative correlation. AQ attention to detail subscale correlated positively with gray matter volume in the right pre- and postcentral gyrus.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that individuals with higher levels of autism-spectrum-like features show decreased white matter integrity in tracts associated with higher-level visual processing and increased cortical volume in areas linked to movement sequencing and working memory. Our results resemble regional brain structure alterations found in individuals with ASD. This offers opportunities to further understand the etiology and pathogenesis of the disorder and shows a subclinical continuum perspective.     

Reduced social preferences in autism: evidence from charitable donations

Background

Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) typically show impaired eye contact during social interactions. From a young age, they look less at faces than typically developing (TD) children and tend to avoid direct gaze. However, the reason for this behavior remains controversial; ASD children might avoid eye contact because they perceive the eyes as aversive or because they do not find social engagement through mutual gaze rewarding.

Methods

We monitored pupillary diameter as a measure of autonomic response in children with ASD (n?=?20, mean age?=?12.4) and TD controls (n?=?18, mean age?=?13.7) while they looked at faces displaying different emotions. Each face displayed happy, fearful, angry or neutral emotions with the gaze either directed to or averted from the subjects.

Results

Overall, children with ASD and TD controls showed similar pupillary responses; however, they differed significantly in their sensitivity to gaze direction for happy faces. Specifically, pupillary diameter increased among TD children when viewing happy faces with direct gaze as compared to those with averted gaze, whereas children with ASD did not show such sensitivity to gaze direction. We found no group differences in fixation that could explain the differential pupillary responses. There was no effect of gaze direction on pupil diameter for negative affect or neutral faces among either the TD or ASD group.

Conclusions

We interpret the increased pupillary diameter to happy faces with direct gaze in TD children to reflect the intrinsic reward value of a smiling face looking directly at an individual. The lack of this effect in children with ASD is consistent with the hypothesis that individuals with ASD may have reduced sensitivity to the reward value of social stimuli.