Date of Award
8-11-2015
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Diana Robins, PhD
Second Advisor
Tricia King, PhD
Third Advisor
Robin Morris, PhD
Abstract
The focus of the present study is to investigate the relationship between anxiety symptoms and neural outcomes of emotion processing in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and neurotypical controls. Eighteen child and adolescent participants (9 ASD, 3 female) completed questionnaires, behavioral testing, and an fMRI scan. Participants with ASD demonstrated significantly higher scores on parent-reported anxiety measures than typically developing (TD) participants; however, observed amygdala activations were not related to parent-reported anxiety scores and OFC activation was not observed during emotional stimuli for either group. ASD and TD participants demonstrated significant bilateral responses in the superior temporal sulcus during emotional stimuli. The current study was unable to demonstrate potential functional neuropathology in the amygdala as a mechanism for apparent differential diagnostic patterns in ASDs.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/7282109
Recommended Citation
Sargent, Kayla, "The Role of Comorbid Anxiety Symptoms in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) on an Emotional Perception Task." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2015.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/7282109