When we pay attention to our surroundings or observe our own bodies, we experience sensory input through various sensory channels. Sensory information originating from the outside of the body (exteroception) and within the body (interoception, proprioception) travel from the periphery via various pathways to the brain where sensory information is integrated to create a comprehensive perception. These sensory experiences serve as a crucial foundation for interacting with others and understanding the world around us.
Traditionally, the brain has been regarded as the conductor orchestrating the various functions of the body, such as breathing and cardiac activity, but recent research shows that bodily functions also influence various properties of the brain functioning. Intriguingly, the interactions between body and brain also seem to play a crucial role in information processing, including attention, memory, and decision-making, but the empirical evidence remains tentative. Indeed, the relevance of body-brain interaction for cognition and behavior has been recognized, but little is known whether and how the interaction between body and brain contributes to social information processing, such as processing emotions and interpreting social cues.
Investigating body-brain interaction in the context of social information processing could provide a more elaborated understanding of the neurophysiological characteristics related to individual variation in social functioning and social information processing typically observed in autism. From the medical perspective autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is regarded as a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction along with a variety of restricted repetitive behaviors, focused interests, and activities. On the other hand, neuroaffirmative definition has recently been introduced that defines autism as a unique way of experiencing and interpreting the world. Neuroaffirmative approach recognizes the differences between individuals and considers autism as a part of human diversity or variation.
In our recent systematic review, we investigated whether body-brain interaction contributes to the processing of social information differently among autistic and typically developing individuals. We observed coexisting but context dependent alterations in the body and brain functioning during processing of social information among autistic individuals in comparison with the typically developing individuals. Furthermore, we found both enhanced and decreased interactions between the body and the brain among autistic individuals. Specifically, our findings suggested that there is indication of an altered reactivity and/or trait features in bodily functions among autistic individuals that may contribute to social information processing by influencing the perception and processing of socially relevant stimuli in the brain. Altogether, the fairly limited evidence points to the direction that body could be regarded as a ‘filter’ that influences the way in which social information is processed and interpreted in the brain. Thus, the individual variation in the body-brain interaction could explain both individual differences and moment-to-moment variation in processing socially relevant information.
The findings of our systematic review increase the understanding of how individual variation in the interaction between the body and the brain is related to individual differences in social information processing. Thus, the improved understanding of the underlying factors could increase self-knowledge and self-esteem of individuals with difficulties in social interaction and processing of socially relevant information. Although bodily functions are primarily automatically regulated, there are ways to volitionally change the functional state of the body through, for example, breathing and relaxation techniques, sensory stimulation, or animal-assisted activities. Therefore, promoting self-regulation by learning to control the functions of the body could be one approach to support social functioning as well as wellbeing and participation of autistic individuals. On the other hand, promoting the accessibility of physical and social environments by modifying them to be more accessible and autism-friendly could enhance the inclusion and integration of individuals into different areas of everyday life.
Further readings
Arora, I., Bellato, A., Ropar, D., Hollis, C., & Groom, M. J. (2021). Is autonomic function during resting-state atypical in autism: a systematic review of evidence. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 125, 417-441. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.02.041
Beker, S., & Molholm, S. (2023). Do we all synch alike? Brain–body-environment interactions in ASD. Frontiers in Neural Circuits, 17. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncir.2023.1275896
Bottema-Beutel, K., Kapp, S. K., Lester, J. N., Sasson, N. J., & Hand, B. N. (2021). Avoiding ableist language: suggestions for autism researchers. Autism in Adulthood. https://doi.org/10.1089/aut.2020.0014
Critchley, H. D., & Harrison, N. A. (2013). Visceral influences on brain and behavior. Neuron, 77(4), 624-638. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuron.2013.02.008
Karjalainen, S., Aro, T., & Parviainen, T. (2024). Coactivation of autonomic and central nervous systems during processing of socially relevant information in autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review. Neuropsychology Review, 34(1), 214-231. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11065-023-09579-2
Parviainen, T., Lyyra, P., & Nokia, M. S. (2022). Cardiorespiratory rhythms, brain oscillatory activity and cognition: review of evidence and proposal for significance. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 142, 104908. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104908
Kommentare