The relationship between autistic traits and empathy in adolescents: An ERP study

Based on the mind-blindness hypothesis, a large number of studies have shown that individuals with autism-spectrum disorder (ASD) and autistic traits have empathy deficits. However, the recent double empathy theory contradicts the mind-blindness hypothesis and suggests that individuals with ASD and autistic traits do not necessarily lack empathy. Thus, the presence of empathy deficits in individuals with ASD and autistic traits is still controversial. We recruited 56 adolescents (28 high autistic traits, 28 low autistic traits, 14-17 years old) in this study to explore the relationship between empathy and autistic traits. The study participants were required to undertake the pain empathy task, during which the electroencephalograph (EEG) activities were recorded. Our results show that empathy was negatively associated with autistic traits at the questionnaire, behavioral, and EEG levels. Our results also suggested that empathy deficits in adolescents with autistic traits may be manifested mainly in the late stages of cognitive control processing.