Reward circuitry function in autism during face anticipation and outcomes

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate reward circuitry responses in autism during reward anticipation and outcomes for monetary and social rewards. During monetary anticipation, participants with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) showed hypoactivation in right nucleus accumbens and hyperactivation in right hippocampus, whereas during monetary outcomes, participants with ASDs showed hyperactivation in left midfrontal and anterior cingulate gyrus. Groups did not differ in nucleus accumbens responses to faces. The ASD group demonstrated hyperactivation in bilateral amygdala during face anticipation that predicted social symptom severity and in bilateral insular cortex during face outcomes. These results add to the growing body of evidence that autism is characterized by altered functioning of reward circuitry. Additionally, atypical amygdala activation during the processing of social rewards may contribute to the development or expression of autistic features.

Fig. 1

Modified MID task. Participants alternated completing “money” and “face” runs, denoted by a 10-s instructional screen at the start of each run. Each trial consisted of a cue (i.e., a triangle indicated an incentive trial, a circle indicated a non-incentive trial), an anticipatory delay, a target, and outcome feedback

Fig. 2

Left: Average valence and arousal ratings of faces. Valence = 0 (extremely unpleasant) to +8 (extremely pleasant); Arousal = 0 (not at all aroused) to +8 (extremely aroused). Right: Average reaction times during face and money conditions. The main effect of Stimulus Type reflected faster RTs on money trials relative to face trials in both the control group (money mean (SD): 256 (31) ms; face mean (SD): 270 (41) ms; t(1,19) = 2.21, p < .001) and the ASD group (money mean (SD): 270 (42) ms; face mean (SD): 290 (53) ms; t(1,15) = 2.54, p < .05). Error bars represent standard errors of the mean

Fig. 3

Brain areas showing significant group differences in response to monetary incentives. Anticipatory responses are on the left and outcome responses are on the right; clusters with relatively less activation in the ASD group are in the top panels, clusters with relatively greater activation in the ASD group are in the bottom panels. Outcome panels depict the anterior view of the brain. OFC orbital frontal cortex, NAc nucleus accumbens, HC/EC hippocampus/entorhinal cortex, MFG midfrontal gyrus

Fig. 4

Brain areas showing significantly greater activation in ASD participants relative to control participants in response to face incentives. Anticipatory responses are on the left and outcome responses are on the right