Sensorimotor effects of the rubber-hand illusion differ between individuals depending on their degree of nonclinical autism-like traits
-
1
Monash University, Philosophy Department, School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies, Australia
-
2
Monash University, School of Psychology & Psychiatry, Australia
-
3
Monash University, Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School, Australia
Background
Perceptual and motor atypicalities are commonly experienced by individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and fundamental differences in sensory processing have been suggested to underlie core features of these conditions. Several recent studies have extended this line of investigation into the broader population, reporting that sensory characteristics associated with ASD vary together with nonclinical differences in other ASD-like traits. The present study examined the association of ASD-like traits with the perceptual and motor effects of the rubber-hand illusion (RHI). In this multisensory paradigm, observing touch applied to a prosthetic arm while receiving corresponding tactile input on one’s own arm induces changes in the perception of touch location and arm position.
Methods
Nonclinical adults (n = 24) were recruited from a general university population and assessed on ASD-like characteristics using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). Participants completed a series of trials of either synchronous (experimental) or asynchronous (control) visuotactile stimulation in the RHI set-up. The perceptual effects of the illusion were assessed via changes in perceived arm position and participant ratings of the phenomenological aspects of the illusion. Reaching movements performed subsequent to each trial were evaluated using time-series analysis and measures of displacement and higher-order temporal derivatives. These measures were compared between groups split on AQ scores.
Results
Both groups reported the typical subjective experience of the illusion concerning visuotactile integration; however, individuals scoring higher on ASD-like traits showed reduced sensitivity to the presence of the illusion in their estimates of arm position and in reaching movements. These group differences were apparent in the degree of drift in perceived arm position towards the prosthetic arm and in the smoothness (integrated jerk) of reaching movements performed following the synchronous stimulation condition.
Discussion
These results suggest that integration of visual, tactile, and proprioceptive information regarding body position differs between individuals partly in relation to traits associated with ASD, with implications for both perception and action. We suggest that these results can be understood within a predictive coding framework as reflecting differences in the expected precision of sensory input in the ambiguous context of the RHI.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by an Australian Research Council Discovery grant (DP1311336). JH is supported by an Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (FT100100322). PE is supported by a NHMRC Clinical Research Fellowship (546244).
Keywords:
Rubber-hand illusion,
sensory integration,
Expected sensory precision,
Movement,
autistic traits
Conference:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference, Clayton, Melbourne, Australia, 28 Nov - 1 Dec, 2013.
Presentation Type:
Poster
Topic:
Sensation and Perception
Citation:
Palmer
CJ,
Paton
B,
Hohwy
J and
Enticott
PG
(2013). Sensorimotor effects of the rubber-hand illusion differ between individuals depending on their degree of nonclinical autism-like traits.
Conference Abstract:
ACNS-2013 Australasian Cognitive Neuroscience Society Conference.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fnhum.2013.212.00121
Copyright:
The abstracts in this collection have not been subject to any Frontiers peer review or checks, and are not endorsed by Frontiers.
They are made available through the Frontiers publishing platform as a service to conference organizers and presenters.
The copyright in the individual abstracts is owned by the author of each abstract or his/her employer unless otherwise stated.
Each abstract, as well as the collection of abstracts, are published under a Creative Commons CC-BY 4.0 (attribution) licence (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) and may thus be reproduced, translated, adapted and be the subject of derivative works provided the authors and Frontiers are attributed.
For Frontiers’ terms and conditions please see https://www.frontiersin.org/legal/terms-and-conditions.
Received:
25 Sep 2013;
Published Online:
25 Nov 2013.
*
Correspondence:
Mr. Colin J Palmer, Monash University, Philosophy Department, School of Philosophical, Historical and International Studies, Melbourne, VIC, 3800, Australia, colin.palmer@unsw.edu.au