Altered reward system function has been suggested to play an important role in the atypical behavior of individuals categorized as having autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The study examined an EEG event-related potential (ERP) marker of feedback monitoring, the feedback-related negativity (FRN), during a monetary reward task. The researchers examined a developmental sample and applied rigorous diagnostic characterization. Importantly, the experimental approach compared reward versus non-reward (instead of comparing reward versus loss as in prior studies). Twenty-six children with ASD and 28 typically developing (TD) peers matched on age and full-scale IQ played a guessing game resulting in monetary gain ("win"/reward) or neutral outcome ("draw"/non-reward). ERP components marking early visual processing (N1, P2: negative and positive signals at 100 and 200 milliseconds, respectively) and feedback appraisal (FRN, negative signal at ~300 milliseconds) were contrasted between groups in each condition, and their relationships to behavioral measures of social function and dysfunction, social anxiety, and autism symptomatology were explored.
Consistent with prior research, children with ASD exhibited a FRN to non-reward outcomes that was comparable to typical (TD) peers (see Figure 1). In addition, ERP parameters were unrelated to the behavioral measures studied. The results indicate typical patterns of feedback monitoring in the context of monetary reward in ASD. The study extends prior findings of normative feedback monitoring to a sample composed exclusively of children and demonstrates that, as in typical development, individuals with autism exhibit a FRN to suboptimal outcomes, irrespective of neutral or negative valence. The conclusion that reward system functioning is apparently intact in ASD is promising in terms of the potential for intervention. Future studies could examine whether reward system functioning in other contexts is also typical, whether more subtle aspects of reward processing might be altered in ASD, and whether the FRN is related to specific components of social behavior including social perception, empathy and social motivation.