Neurobiological correlates and attenuated positive social intention attribution during laughter perception associated with degree of autistic traits.

This study looked at how people with autism-like traits understand laughter from others. Researchers found that people with more autistic traits were less likely to see laughter as friendly or positive. Brain scans showed that these individuals had less activity in brain areas that process social information and weaker connections between different brain regions that help us understand emotions and social intentions.

This neuroimaging study examined how adults with varying degrees of autistic traits perceive and interpret laughter as a social cue. Thirty-one adults completed tasks measuring social intention attribution during audiovisual laughter perception while undergoing brain imaging. Results showed that individuals with higher autistic trait scores were less likely to attribute positive social intention to laughter. Neurobiologically, higher autistic traits were associated with decreased activation in the right inferior frontal cortex and reduced connectivity between face processing areas and regions involved in emotion identification and social intention attribution.

These findings suggest that differences in processing positive social cues may be related to hypoactivity and hypoconnectivity in social perception brain networks.

Results suggest interventions targeting positive social cue recognition may be beneficial. Understanding neural mechanisms could inform development of targeted therapies. Findings highlight importance of explicitly teaching interpretation of positive social signals in autism interventions.

Small sample size (N=31) limits generalizability. Study examined autistic traits in general population rather than diagnosed autism. Cross-sectional design prevents causal inferences. Unclear if findings translate to real-world social interactions.

Laughter plays an important role in group formation, signaling social belongingness by indicating a positive or negative social intention towards the receiver. In adults without autism, the intention of laughter can be correctly differentiated without further contextual information. In autism spectrum disorder (ASD), however, differences in the perception and interpretation of social cues represent a key characteristic of the disorder. Studies suggest that these differences are associated with hypoactivation and altered connectivity among key nodes of the social perception network.

How laughter, as a multimodal nonverbal social cue, is perceived and processed neurobiologically in association with autistic traits has not been assessed previously. We investigated differences in social intention attribution, neurobiological activation, and connectivity during audiovisual laughter perception in association with the degree of autistic traits in adults [N = 31, M(SD) = 30.7 (10.0) years, n = 14]. An attenuated tendency to attribute positive social intention to laughter was found with increasing autistic traits. Neurobiologically, autistic trait scores were associated with decreased activation in the right inferior frontal cortex during laughter perception and with attenuated connectivity between the bilateral fusiform face area with bilateral inferior and lateral frontal, superior temporal, mid-cingulate and inferior parietal cortices.

Results support hypoactivity and hypoconnectivity during social cue processing with increasing ASD symptoms between socioemotional face processing nodes and higher-order multimodal processing regions related to emotion identification and attribution of social intention. Furthermore, results reflect the importance of specifically including signals of positive social intention in future studies in ASD.