↓ Skip to main content

Altered reward system reactivity for personalized circumscribed interests in autism

Overview of attention for article published in Molecular Autism, January 2018
Altmetric Badge

About this Attention Score

  • In the top 5% of all research outputs scored by Altmetric
  • One of the highest-scoring outputs from this source (#8 of 712)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age (99th percentile)
  • High Attention Score compared to outputs of the same age and source (94th percentile)

Mentioned by

news
40 news outlets
twitter
6 X users

Citations

dimensions_citation
85 Dimensions

Readers on

mendeley
203 Mendeley
You are seeing a free-to-access but limited selection of the activity Altmetric has collected about this research output. Click here to find out more.
Title
Altered reward system reactivity for personalized circumscribed interests in autism
Published in
Molecular Autism, January 2018
DOI 10.1186/s13229-018-0195-7
Pubmed ID
Authors

Gregor Kohls, Ligia Antezana, Maya G. Mosner, Robert T. Schultz, Benjamin E. Yerys

Abstract

Neurobiological research in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has paid little attention on brain mechanisms that cause and maintain restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests (RRBIs). Evidence indicates an imbalance in the brain's reward system responsiveness to social and non-social stimuli may contribute to both social deficits and RRBIs. Thus, this study's central aim was to compare brain responsiveness to individual RRBI (i.e., circumscribed interests), with social rewards (i.e., social approval), in youth with ASD relative to typically developing controls (TDCs). We conducted a 3T functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study to investigate the blood-oxygenation-level-dependent effect of personalized circumscribed interest rewards versus social rewards in 39 youth with ASD relative to 22 TDC. To probe the reward system, we employed short video clips as reinforcement in an instrumental incentive delay task. This optimization increased the task's ecological validity compared to still pictures that are often used in this line of research. Compared to TDCs, youth with ASD had stronger reward system responses for CIs mostly within the non-social realm (e.g., video games) than social rewards (e.g., approval). Additionally, this imbalance within the caudate nucleus' responsiveness was related to greater social impairment. The current data support the idea of reward system dysfunction that may contribute to enhanced motivation for RRBIs in ASD, accompanied by diminished motivation for social engagement. If a dysregulated reward system indeed supports the emergence and maintenance of social and non-social symptoms of ASD, then strategically targeting the reward system in future treatment endeavors may allow for more efficacious treatment practices that help improve outcomes for individuals with ASD and their families.

X Demographics

X Demographics

The data shown below were collected from the profiles of 6 X users who shared this research output. Click here to find out more about how the information was compiled.
Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 203 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 203 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 33 16%
Student > Master 28 14%
Researcher 25 12%
Student > Bachelor 23 11%
Other 10 5%
Other 24 12%
Unknown 60 30%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Psychology 58 29%
Neuroscience 27 13%
Medicine and Dentistry 12 6%
Nursing and Health Professions 4 2%
Engineering 4 2%
Other 25 12%
Unknown 73 36%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 314. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 27 December 2023.
All research outputs
#105,849
of 25,059,640 outputs
Outputs from Molecular Autism
#8
of 712 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#2,680
of 451,741 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Molecular Autism
#2
of 19 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 25,059,640 research outputs across all sources so far. Compared to these this one has done particularly well and is in the 99th percentile: it's in the top 5% of all research outputs ever tracked by Altmetric.
So far Altmetric has tracked 712 research outputs from this source. They typically receive a lot more attention than average, with a mean Attention Score of 28.3. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its peers.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 451,741 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 99% of its contemporaries.
We're also able to compare this research output to 19 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one has done particularly well, scoring higher than 94% of its contemporaries.