The error-related negativity (ERN) is a brain signal response to errors that is thought to reflect threat sensitivity and has been implicated in anxiety disorders in individuals without autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
The error-related negativity (ERN) is a brain signal response to errors that is thought to reflect threat sensitivity and has been implicated in anxiety disorders in individuals without autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A new Autism Research study has revealed that the ERN is related to social anxiety symptoms—specifically performance fears—in youth with ASD.
The findings suggest that heightened threat sensitivity may be characteristic of people with ASD who exhibit social fearfulness. Those with more severe ASD symptoms and/or lower verbal abilities may have difficulty identifying or communicating their performance anxieties. Therefore, the ERN may provide important and perhaps otherwise inaccessible information on how these individuals experience internal sources of threat.
“This study, led by my graduate student, Tamara Rosen, clarifies and focuses inconsistencies in previous research on the unique way error processing manifests and can impact anxiety symptoms in individuals with ASD,” said senior author Dr. Matthew Lerner, of Stony Brook University. “These findings can help guide and pinpoint efforts to diagnose and treat the substantial co-occurring anxiety experienced by many people with ASD.”
Additional Information
Link to Study: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/aur.1898/full
About Journal
Autism Research covers research relevant to ASD and closely related neurodevelopmental disorders. The journal focuses on genetic, neurobiological, immunological, epidemiological and psychological mechanisms and how these influence developmental processes in ASD. The journal encourages the submission of original research papers (Research Articles and Short Reports) that take a developmental approach to the biology and psychology of autism, with a particular emphasis on identifying underlying mechanisms and integrating across different levels of analysis. Contributions are typically empirical, but the journal also publishes theoretical papers if they significantly advance thinking. The journal encourages papers reporting work on animals or cell or other model systems that are directly relevant to a better understanding of ASD. The journal also publishes reports of carefully conducted clinical trials of treatments for the core symptoms or one of the common co-morbid symptoms of ASD. Papers presenting clinical trials will be judged, in part, on whether there is an empirical justification for the reported treatment. Individuals included in research studies can span the full spectrum of ASD, including the broader phenotype, and there are no restrictions on study participants in terms of age or intellectual ability.
Penny Smith
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