Empathy for touch in autism spectrum disorder

2012 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 22591276
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Psychiatric science
• Research Institution: Kyushu University
• Principal Investigator: REMIJN Gerard Bastiaan 九州大学, 国際教育センター, 准教授 (40467098)
• Project Period (FY): 2010 – 2012
• Keywords: 脳科学 / 幼児 / 脳磁図 / 体性感覚 / 自閉症

Research Abstract

Two experiments were performed on the cortical processing of empathy-evoking stimuli in the brains of typically-developing (TD) preschool children (3- to 7-years old) and children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) of the same age. By using magneto-encephalography, we found that TD preschoolers showed more enhanced neural responses to stimulation to their own finger, while they watched stimulation to someone else’ s finger as compared someone else’ s toe. Visual information regarding others thus modulated the children’ s own neural responses to tactile stimulation. In a second experiment, we showed that both TD and ASD children displayed an increased hemodynamic response to whispered speech as compared to normal speech. The increase in the cortical hemodynamic response could reflect the children’ s processing of speaker intent (e.g., confidentiality) in highly-personalized communication. Together , both experiments show that both TD and ASD children are responsive to empathy-related stimuli which require understanding of the feelings of others. Although further study is needed, the cortical responsiveness of ASD children to whisper might be utilized in clinical settings.

Research Products

• [Journal Article] Hemodynamic responses to visual stimuli in cortex of adults and 3- to 4-year-old children (2011)
  • Author(s): Remijn, G.B., Kikuchi, M., Yoshimura, Y., Shitamichi, K., Ueno, S., Nagao, K., Munesue, T., Kojima, H., Minabe, Y
  • Journal Title: Brain Research Volume: 1383 Pages: 242-251
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Halt and recovery of illusory motion perception from peripherally viewed static images. Attention (2011)
  • Author(s): Tomimatsu, E., Ito, H., Sunaga, S., Remijn, G.B
  • Journal Title: Perception & Psychophysics Volume: 73 Pages: 1823-1832
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Active versus passive listening to auditory streaming stimuli: anear-infrared spectroscopy study (2010)
  • Author(s): Remijn, G.B., Kojima, H
  • Journal Title: Journal of Biomedical Optic Volume: 15 Pages: 1-9
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Journal Article] Neurovascular coupling in the human somatosensory cortex: a single trial study (2010)
  • Author(s): Kikuchi, M., Shitamichi, K., Ueno, S., Yoshimura, Y., Remijn, G.B., Nagao, K., Munesue, T., Iiyama, K., Tsubokawa, T., Haruta, Y., Inoue, Y., Watanabe, K., Hashimoto, T., Higashida, H., & Minabe, Y
  • Journal Title: Neuroreport Volume: 21 Pages: 1106-1110
  • Peer Reviewed
• [Presentation] The influence of sound on visual motion and grouping (2010)
  • Author(s): Remijn, G.B., Yoshizawa, T., & Asakura, N
  • Organizer: Proceedings of the Acoustical Society of Japan H-2010-68
  • Place of Presentation: Kyoto, Japan
  • Year and Date: 20100000
• [Presentation] NIRS-measurements of cortical hemodynamic activity in adults and preschool infants in response to static and motion stimuli (2010)
  • Author(s): Remijn, G.B., Kikuchi, M., Yoshimura, Y., Nagao, K., Shitamichi, K., Ueno, S., Kojima, H., & Minabe, Y
  • Organizer: Clinical Neurophysiology
  • Place of Presentation: Kobe, Japan
  • Year and Date: 20100000
• [Remarks]
  • URL: http://bambiplan.w3.kanazawa-u.ac.jp/