Examination of the Potential Moderating Role of Psychological Wellbeing in the Relationship Between Depression and Thoughts of Self-Harm in Autistic Adolescents and Adults: A Two-Year Longitudinal Study.

PURPOSE: Autistic people have a significantly increased risk of death by suicide relative to the general population. In non-autistic samples, psychological wellbeing has been shown to moderate the relationship between depression and suicidal thoughts and behavior. Thoughts of self-harm may provide a useful indicator of suicidal risk. In this longitudinal study we examined (a) the potential role for psychological wellbeing to moderate the relationship between depressive symptoms and thoughts of self-harm and (b) the contribution of autistic traits to thoughts of self-harm. METHODS: Participants were 209 autistic adolescents and adults aged 15 to 80 years (Mage = 34.20, SD = 15.38 years). RESULTS: At both baseline and 2-year follow-up, 35% of participants reported recent thoughts of self-harm. Wellbeing was associated with autistic traits (r = - .350 to - 0.404) and depression (r = - .480 to - 0.759). Thoughts of self-harm were positively associated with autistic traits and depression (r = .242 to 0.659), and negatively associated with wellbeing (r = - .287 to - 0.609). Controlling for baseline thoughts of self-harm, depression (ß = 0.254, p = .001) and autistic traits (ß = 0.162, p = .007) significantly predicted thoughts of self-harm at 2-year follow-up. CONCLUSION: Despite a lack of support for the hypothesis that wellbeing would moderate the relationship between depression and thoughts of self-harm, correlational data demonstrated significant associations between wellbeing and both depression and thoughts of self-harm. Future research considering psychological wellbeing as a potential protective factor for self-harm in autistic people is warranted.

Social perception of animacy: Preferential attentional orienting to animals links with autistic traits.

Animate cues enjoy priority in attentional processes as they carry survival-relevant information and herald social interaction. Whether and in what way such an attention effect is associated with more general aspects of social cognition remains largely unexplored. Here we investigated whether the attentional preference for animals varies with observers' autistic traits - an indicator of autism-like characteristics in general populations related to one's social cognitive abilities. Using the dot-probe paradigm, we found that animal cues can rapidly and persistently recruit preferential attention over inanimate ones in observers with relatively low, but not high, autistic traits, as measured by Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Moreover, individual AQ scores were negatively correlated with the attentional bias toward animals, especially at the early orienting stage. These results were not simply due to low-level visual factors, as inverted or phase-scrambled pictures did not yield a similar pattern. Our findings demonstrate an automatic and enduring attentional bias beneficial to both rapid detection and continuous monitoring of animals and reveal its link with autistic traits, highlighting the critical role of animacy perception in the architecture of social cognition.

Intact painful sensation but enhanced non-painful sensation in individuals with autistic traits.

Somatosensory abnormalities are commonly recognized as diagnostic criteria in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and may also exist in individuals with autistic traits. The present research included two studies to explore the painful and non-painful sensation and their cognitive-neurological mechanisms of individuals with autistic traits. Study 1 included 358 participants to assess the relationship between autistic traits and pain/non-pain sensitivities using questionnaires: the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire, and the Highly Sensitive Person Scale, respectively. Study 1 found that autistic traits were positively correlated with non-pain sensitivity, but not associated with pain sensitivity. Study 2 recruited 1,167 participants whose autistic traits were assessed using the AQ. Subsequently, thirty-three participants who scored within the top 10% and bottom 10% on the AQ were selected into High-AQ and Low-AQ groups, respectively, to explore the cognitive-neural responses of individuals with autistic traits to both painful and non-painful stimuli with event-related potential (ERP) technology. Results of Study 2 showed that the High-AQ group showed higher intensity ratings, more negative emotional reactions, and larger N1 amplitudes than the Low-AQ group to the non-painful stimuli, but no difference of response to the painful stimuli was found between High-AQ and Low-AQ groups. These findings suggest that individuals with autistic traits may experience enhanced non-painful sensation but intact painful sensation.

Assessing Autistic Traits, Hikikomori Tendencies, Pathological Videogaming, and Eating Disorders in University Students: Are Pathological Videogaming and Eating Disorders Gender-Specific Manifestations of the Autism Spectrum?

In the previous literature, specific attention has been paid to investigate autism spectrum symptoms and traits in university students. In this framework, we aimed to evaluate the presence and correlates of autistic traits, hikikomori tendencies, altered eating behaviors, and pathological videogaming in a sample of Italian university students enrolled in bachelor's degree courses. A total of 1192 students were recruited via an online survey and assessed with the Hikikomori Questionnaire-25, the Adult Autism Subthreshold Spectrum Questionnaire, the Eating Attitude test-26, and the Assessment of Internet and Computer Game Addiction. Our results highlighted significant differences in the prevalence of autistic traits, social withdrawal tendencies, altered eating habits, and pathological videogame use in university students based on gender, age, parents' level of instruction, and field of study. A significant effect of the presence of autistic traits and gender on the scores obtained with the other questionnaires was reported. Our results not only support the role of autistic traits as a vulnerability factor for the development of a set of psychopathological conditions but also suggest that gender could modulate this vulnerability, supporting the hypothesis of gender-specific phenotypes in the autism spectrum.

Platelet Levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Is There a Specific Association with Autism Spectrum Psychopathology?

To date, although several studies have investigated the circulating levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), only a few authors have addressed their evaluation in adults. Furthermore, an important limitation of these studies lies in the fact that circulating BDNF is stored in platelets and released into the circulation when needed. To the best of our knowledge, a very limited number of studies have related peripheral BDNF values to platelet counts, and yet no study has evaluated intra-platelet BDNF levels in adults with ASD. In this framework, the aim of the present work is to pave the way in this field and evaluate platelet BNDF levels in adult ASD patients, as well as their correlation with autistic symptoms and related psychopathological dimensions. We recruited 22 ASD and 22 healthy controls, evaluated with the Adult autism subthreshold spectrum (AdAS Spectrum), the Social Anxiety Spectrum-self report (SHY-SR), the Trauma and loss spectrum-self report (TALS-SR), the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), and the Mood Spectrum-self report for suicidality. Intra-platelet BDNF levels were also assessed. The results highlighted lower BDNF levels in the ASD group; moreover, AdAS Spectrum and WSAS total score as well as AdAS Spectrum Restricted interest and rumination, WSAS Private leisure activities, TALS-SR Arousal, and SHY-SR Childhood domains were significant negative predictors of platelet BDNF levels.

Mental Health Evaluation of Younger and Older Adolescents Referred to the Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

The present study aimed to investigate whether differences exist between younger and older presenting adolescents at the Center of Expertise on Gender Dysphoria regarding psychological functioning and autistic traits. A total of 1487 consecutively assessed adolescents between 2000 and 2018 were divided in younger presenters (age ≤ 13.9 years) and older presenters (age ≥ 14 years). Of younger presenters, 227 (41.1%) were assigned male at birth and 325 (58.9%) assigned female at birth. In older presenters, 279 (29.8%) were assigned male at birth and 656 (70.2%) assigned female at birth. Behavioral and emotional problems were assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Youth Self-Report (YSR). For autism traits, the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) was used. Compared to younger presenters, on both the CBCL and YSR older presenters had higher Total Problem (ß = 1.75, p = .005, CI 0.53-2.97, R2 = .04 and ß = 4.20, p < .001, CI 2.99-5.40, R2 = .07, respectively) and Internalizing Problem (ß = 4.43, p < .001, CI 3.13-5.74, R2 = .06 and ß = 6.69, p < .001, CI 5.31-8.07, R2 = .12, respectively) scores. Regarding autistic traits, a higher mean SRS total score was found in older presenting assigned males at birth (ß = 4.55, p = .036, CI 0.30-8.81, R2 = .34). In assigned females at birth, no statistically significant difference between older and younger presenters was found in mean SRS total score (ß = 1.19, p = .063, CI - 0.07 to 2.45, R2 = .39). Differences in mental health exist between younger and older presenting adolescents and call for an individualized approach in the clinical care of transgender adolescents.

Visuo-motor updating in individuals with heightened autistic traits.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents a range of challenges, including heightened sensory sensitivities. Here, we examine the idea that sensory overload in ASD may be linked to issues with efference copy mechanisms, which predict the sensory outcomes of self-generated actions, such as eye movements. Efference copies play a vital role in maintaining visual and motor stability. Disrupted efference copies hinder precise predictions, leading to increased reliance on actual feedback and potential distortions in perceptions across eye movements. In our first experiment, we tested how well healthy individuals with varying levels of autistic traits updated their mental map after making eye movements. We found that those with more autistic traits had difficulty using information from their eye movements to update the spatial representation of their mental map, resulting in significant errors in object localization. In the second experiment, we looked at how participants perceived an object displacement after making eye movements. Using a trans-saccadic spatial updating task, we found that those with higher autism scores exhibited a greater bias, indicating under-compensation of eye movements and a failure to maintain spatial stability during saccades. Overall, our study underscores efference copy's vital role in visuo-motor stability, aligning with Bayesian theories of autism, potentially informing interventions for improved action-perception integration in autism.

Case report: hikikomori syndrome in Italy and its link with autistic traits and internet gaming disorder.

During the last few decades, a growing field of literature is focusing on hikikomori, a phenomenon described as a form of pathological social withdrawal or social isolation that lasts for more than 6 months leading to significant functional impairment and/or distress. Despite initially considered a culture-bound syndrome, hikikomori syndrome later gained a wider recognition in different countries, ranging from an attempt to take refuge in an idealistic world, when society success' standards are not reached, to a maladaptive coping strategy complicating several psychiatric illnesses such as anxiety disorders, major depression, internet addiction, internet gaming disorder (IGD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this framework, difficulties in social interaction, in problem solving strategies and socio-emotional reciprocity, may lead to social withdrawal and hikikomori-like behaviors. In this work, we described two cases of patients where the presence of underlying autism spectrum may have represented a sign of vulnerability towards the development of a possible full-blown case of hikikomori with IGD.

Exploring the Unique and Interactive Effects Between Callous-Unemotional and Autistic Traits with Parental Practices, Care, and Distress in a Community Sample.

Parental practices and stress are associated with both CU and autistic traits, with parents of children with these traits facing challenges that other parents do not encounter. However, the majority of available studies focused mainly on the unique effects of CU and autistic traits with parental stress and practices without exploring their interaction. The current study examines the distinct associations and interactions between CU and autistic traits with parental practices (parental involvement, poor monitoring, inconsistent discipline, and corporal punishment), care, and distress after considering the effect of conduct problems (CPs), age and sex in a Greek-Cypriot sample (N = 146, Mage = 7.30, SD = 1.43). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that children with CU traits were more likely to experience negative parenting, while parents showed heightened levels of distress. Notably, the study found no association between CU traits and positive parental practices. Further analysis indicated no significant relation between autistic traits and interactions with the target variables, signifying that these traits are not associated with difficulties in parenting and distress. No sex differences were found in all analyses. Age was negatively significant only in relation to parental distress These findings provide valuable insights into the impact of CU traits and underscore the need for additional studies investigating the impact of autistic traits, possibly within clinical samples.

Are autistic traits associated with a social-emotional memory bias?

Autistic traits are associated with differential processing of emotional and social cues. By contrast little is known about the relationship of autistic traits to socio-emotional memory, though research suggests an integral relationship between episodic memory processes and psychosocial well-being. Using an experimental paradigm, we tested if autistic traits moderate the effects of negative emotion and social cues on episodic memory (i.e. memory for past events). Young adults (N = 706) with varied levels of self-reported autistic traits (24% in clinical range) encoded images stratified by emotion (negative, neutral) and social cues (social, non-social) alongside a neutral object. After 24 h, item memory for images and associative memory for objects was tested. For item memory, after controlling for anxiety, a small effect emerged whereby a memory-enhancing effect of social cues was reduced as autistic traits increased. For associative memory, memory for pairings between neutral, but not negative, images reduced as autistic traits increased. Results suggest autistic traits are associated with reduced ability to bind neutral items together in memory, potentially impeding nuanced appraisals of past experience. This bias toward more negative, less nuanced memories of past experience may represent a cognitive vulnerability to social and mental health challenges commonly associated with autistic traits and a potential intervention target.

Differential relationships between autistic traits and anthropomorphic tendencies in adults and early adolescents.

Anthropomorphism, the attribution of human-like qualities (e.g., mental states) to nonhuman entities, is a universal but variable psychological experience. Adults with professionally diagnosed autism or high levels of subclinical autistic traits consistently show greater tendencies to anthropomorphize, which has been hypothesized to reflect 1) a compensatory mechanism for lack of social connectedness and 2) a persistence of childhood anthropomorphism into adulthood. Here, we directly tested these hypotheses in a general population sample consisting of both adults (N=685, 17-58 years old) and early adolescents (N=145, 12-14 years old) using the refined 9-item Anthropomorphism Questionnaire (AnthQ9), which measures both present and childhood anthropomorphic tendencies. We found that adults with heightened autistic traits reported increased present anthropomorphism (e.g., tend more to perceive computers as having minds), which held even after controlling for social connectedness. In contrast, adolescents with heightened autistic traits did not show increased present anthropomorphism, but rather reported reduced childhood anthropomorphism (e.g., less likely to perceive toys as having feelings) after controlling for social connectedness. We also found evidence that the present and childhood subscales of the AnthQ9 may tap into fundamentally different aspects of anthropomorphism. The results suggest that increased anthropomorphic tendencies in adults with heightened autistic traits cannot be explained solely by increased sociality motivation, but may be due to delayed development of anthropomorphism, although alternative possibilities of measurement problems cannot be ruled out. Implications for the measurement of anthropomorphism and its relation with theory of mind were also discussed.

No effect of autistic traits on social attention: evidence based on single-cue and conflicting-cues scenarios.

Individuals often use others' gaze and head directions to direct their attention. To investigate the influence of autistic traits on social attention, we conducted two experiments comparing groups with high and low autistic traits in single-cue (Experiment 1) and conflicting-cue (Experiment 2) scenarios. Our findings indicate that individuals responded more rapidly to the direction of a single social cue or the consensus of multiple cues. However, we did not observe significant differences in social attention between individuals with high and low autistic traits. Notably, as the stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) increased, individuals with low autistic traits exhibited greater improvements in reaction speed compared to those with high autistic traits. This suggests that individuals with low autistic traits excel at leveraging temporal information to optimize their behavioral readiness over time, hinting at potential variations in cognitive flexibility related to autistic traits.

Autistic traits and eating behaviors in Chinese preschoolers: Role of sensory profiles and home environment.

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to 1) explore the association between autistic traits and eating behaviors in Chinese preschoolers; 2) explore the mediating role of sensory processing patterns on the relation of autistic traits and eating-related behaviors; and 3) examine home nurturing environment as a moderator between autistic traits and eating-related behaviors. We hypothesize that there is a significant association between autistic traits and eating behaviors, which is mediated by sensory processing patterns and moderated by the home nurturing environment. METHOD: 509 children aged 3-4 years participated in this cross-sectional research. They were assessed using the Social Responsiveness Scale-Second Edition (SRS-2) for autistic traits, the Chinese Preschoolers' Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CPEBQ) for eating-related behaviors, the Short Sensory Profile-Second Edition (SSP-2) for sensory processing patterns, and the Children Home Nurture Environment Questionnaire (CHNEQ) for home nurturing environment. Mediation regression analyses were used to examine the role of sensory processing patterns, while moderation analyses to examine the role of home nurturing environment. RESULTS: We observed a positive association between autistic traits and eating behavior problems among typically developed children. Sensory processing patterns significantly mediated the impact of autistic traits on children's eating-related behaviors and home nurturing environment also moderated this relationship. DISCUSSION: Our research suggests that Chinese preschoolers with higher autistic traits may face more eating challenges when they possess more heightened sensory processing patterns, while living in supportive home environments helps to improve their eating behaviors. These findings contribute to the understanding of how and to what extent eating problems are influenced by autistic traits, and they offer insight into the alleviation of eating problems from the perspectives of sensory patterns and family nurturing environments.

Social intuition: behavioral and neurobiological considerations.

Social intuition is instrumental in bringing about successful human interactions, yet its behavioral and neural underpinnings are still poorly understood. We focus in this article on the automatic, involuntary, nature of social intuition, rather than on higher-level cognitive and explicit Theory-of-Mind processes (which contribute to rendering social intuition meaningful in real-life situations). We argue that social-affective implicit learning plays a crucial role in establishing automatic social intuition. These implicit learning processes involve associations between the perception of other's bodily articulations, concurrent events, and the consequences or outcomes in terms of subsequent actions, affective valences and visceral states. The traditional non-social implicit learning paradigms do not allow one to draw conclusions about the role of implicit learning processes in social intuition, as they lack these vital characteristics typically associated with human actions. We introduce a new implicit learning paradigm, which aims to fill these gaps. It targets agile, rapid, social-affective learning processes, involving cue contingencies with a relatively simple structure, unlike the very complex structures that underpin the traditional tasks. The paradigm features matching social and non-social versions, allowing direct comparison. Preliminary data suggest equal performance of TD (typically-developed) and ASC (autism spectrum conditions) groups on the non-social version, but impaired implicit learning in ASC on the social version. We hypothesize that this reflects an anomalous use of implicitly learned affective information in ASC when judging other people. We further argue that the mirror neuron mechanism (MNM), which is part of the Action Observation Network, forms an integral part of the neural substrate for social intuition. In particular as there are indications that the MNM supports action anticipation, and that implicitly learned information can trigger MNM activation, which both seem vital to a social intuition ability. The insights that can be derived from comparing the performances of TD and ASC individuals on (non)social implicit learning tasks, and the implications for the role of MNM activation, are discussed.

Autistic traits specific to communication ability are associated with performance on a Mooney face detection task.

Difficulties in global face processing have been associated with autism. However, autism is heterogenous, and it is not known which dimensions of autistic traits are implicated in face-processing difficulties. To address this gap in knowledge, we conducted two experiments to examine how identification of Mooney face stimuli (stylized, black-and-white images of faces without details) related to the six subscales of the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory in young adults. In Experiment 1, regression analyses indicated that participants with poorer communication skills had lower task sensitivity when discriminating between face-present and face-absent images, whilst other autistic traits had no unique predictive value. Experiment 2 replicated these findings and additionally showed that autistic traits were linked to a reduced face inversion effect. Taken together, these results indicate autistic traits, especially communication difficulties, are associated with reduced configural processing of face stimuli. It follows that both reduced sensitivity for identifying upright faces amongst similar-looking distractors and reduced susceptibility to face inversion effects may be linked to relatively decreased reliance on configural processing of faces in autism. This study also reinforces the need to consider the different facets of autism independently.

Level of autistic traits in neurotypical adults predicts kinematic idiosyncrasies in their biological movements.

Introduction: Over the last decade of research, a notable connection between autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and unique motor system characteristics has been identified, which may influence social communication through distinct movement patterns. In this study, we investigated the potential for features of the broader autism phenotype to account for kinematic idiosyncrasies in social movements expressed by neurotypical individuals. Methods: Fifty-eight participants provided recordings of point-light displays expressing three basic emotions and completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). We extracted kinematic metrics from the biological movements using computer vision and applied linear mixed-effects modeling to analyze the relationship between these kinematic metrics and AQ scores. Results: Our results revealed that individual differences in the total AQ scores, and the sub-scale scores, significantly predicted variations in kinematic metrics representing order, volume, and magnitude. Discussion: The results of this study suggest that autistic traits may intricately influence the movement expressions at the microlevel, highlighting the need for a more nuanced understanding of the potential endophenotypic characteristics associated with social movements in neurotypical individuals.

Autistic Traits Modulate Social Synchronizations Between School-Aged Children: Insights From Three fNIRS Hyperscanning Experiments.

The current study investigated how autistic traits modulate peer interactions using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning. Across three experiments, we tested the effect of copresence, joint activity, and a tangible goal during cooperative interactions on interbrain coherence (IBC) in school-aged children between 9 and 11 years old. Twenty-three dyads of children watched a video alone or together in Experiment 1, engaged in joint or self-paced book reading in Experiment 2, and pretended to play a Jenga game or played for real in Experiment 3. We found that all three formats of social interactions increased IBC in the frontotemporoparietal networks, which have been reported to support social interaction. Further, our results revealed the shared and unique interbrain connections that were predictive of the lower and higher parent-reported autism-spectrum quotient scores, which indicated child autistic traits. Results from a convergence of three experiments provide the first evidence to date that IBC is modulated by child autistic traits.

Autistic Traits and Psychosocial Predictors of Depressive Symptoms.

Higher rates of depression and of depressed mood are associated with autistic traits, and both are associated with social interaction factors, such as social self-efficacy, social motivation and loneliness. This study examined whether these social factors explain the association between autistic traits and depression. 658 participants (527 women) completed an online survey with measures of autistic traits (AQ), social self-efficacy (Social Self-Efficacy Scale), social motivation (Social Striving Assessment Scale), loneliness (UCLA Loneliness Scale) and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory-II). A mediation analysis found the relationship between autistic traits and depressive symptoms was fully mediated by the other three factors (ß[indirect] = .005, z = 2.63, p < .01; ß[direct] = .05, z = 1.58, p > .05), forming a pathway from autistic traits, to social self-efficacy, to social motivation, to loneliness and finally to depressive symptoms. These results suggest that targeting social self-efficacy may break this pathway and disrupt this relationship. Interventions targeting supporting positive social interaction should be considered.

Enhanced neural synchronization during social communications between dyads with high autistic traits.

Autism is characterized by atypical social communication styles. To investigate whether individuals with high autistic traits could still have effective social communication among each other, we compared the behavioral patterns and communication quality within 64 dyads of college students paired with both high, both low, and mixed high-low (HL) autistic traits, with their gender matched. Results revealed that the high-high (HH) autistic dyads exhibited atypical behavioral patterns during conversations, including reduced mutual gaze, communicational turns, and emotional sharing compared with the low-low and/or HL autistic dyads. However, the HH autistic dyads displayed enhanced interpersonal neural synchronization during social communications measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy, suggesting an effective communication style. Besides, they also provided more positive subjective evaluations of the conversations. These findings highlight the potential for alternative pathways to effectively communicate with the autistic community, contribute to a deeper understanding of how high autistic traits influence social communication dynamics among autistic individuals, and provide important insights for the clinical practices for supporting autistic people.

Correlation between autistic traits and brain functional connectivity in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder: a resting state MEG study.

BACKGROUND: Neurophysiological studies recognized that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is associated with altered patterns of over- and under-connectivity. However, little is known about network organization in children with ASD in the early phases of development and its correlation with the severity of core autistic features. METHODS: The present study aimed at investigating the association between brain connectivity derived from MEG signals and severity of ASD traits measured with different diagnostic clinical scales, in a sample of 16 children with ASD aged 2 to 6 years. RESULTS: A significant correlation emerged between connectivity strength in cortical brain areas implicated in several resting state networks (Default mode, Central executive, Salience, Visual and Sensorimotor) and the severity of communication anomalies, social interaction problems, social affect problems, and repetitive behaviors. Seed analysis revealed that this pattern of correlation was mainly caused by global rather than local effects. CONCLUSIONS: The present evidence suggests that altered connectivity strength in several resting state networks is related to clinical features and may contribute to neurofunctional correlates of ASD. Future studies implementing the same method on a wider and stratified sample may further support functional connectivity as a possible biomarker of the condition.