Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33866324›Full record

ArticleTranslational psychiatry2021

Altered relationship between subjective perception and central representation of touch hedonics in adolescents with autism-spectrum disorder.

Irene Perini, Per A Gustafsson, Kajsa Igelström, Brigita Jasiunaite-Jokubaviciene, Robin Kämpe, Leah M Mayo, Johanna Molander, Håkan Olausson, Maria Zetterqvist, Markus Heilig

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Translational psychiatry, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
4.3field-weighted citation impact, top 5% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 50 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Science advances · 2026
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  3. Review
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  6. Centrality of Touch Avoidance in Social Touch Experiences in Autism.Journal of autism and developmental disorders · 2025
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  11. Review
  12. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.

Irene PeriniCenter for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. irene.perini@liu.se.ORCID 0000-0002-5972-0913
Per A GustafssonCenter for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-3960-2813
Kajsa IgelströmCenter for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Brigita Jasiunaite-JokubavicieneCenter for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Robin KämpeCenter for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Leah M MayoCenter for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0002-0645-4869
Johanna MolanderCenter for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Håkan OlaussonCenter for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Maria ZetterqvistCenter for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.
Markus HeiligCenter for Social and Affective Neuroscience, Department of Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.ORCID 0000-0003-2706-2482
Linköping University · SE

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

An impairment of social communication is a core symptom of autism-spectrum disorder (ASD). Affective touch is an important means of social interaction, and C-Tactile (CT) afferents are thought to play a key role in the peripheral detection and encoding of these stimuli. Exploring the neural and behavioral mechanisms for processing CT-optimal touch (~3 cm/s) may therefore provide useful insights into the pathophysiology of ASD. We examined the relationship between touch hedonics (i.e. the subjective pleasantness with which affective touch stimuli are perceived) and neural processing in the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS). This region is less activated to affective touch in individuals with ASD, and, in typically developing individuals (TD), is correlated positively with touch pleasantness. TD and ASD participants received brushing stimuli at CT-optimal, and CT-non-optimal speeds during fMRI. Touch pleasantness and intensity ratings were collected, and affective touch awareness, a measure of general touch hedonics was calculated. As expected, slow touch was perceived as more pleasant and less intense than fast touch in both groups, whereas affective touch awareness was moderately higher in TD compared to ASD. There was a strong, positive correlation between right pSTS activation and affective touch awareness in TD, but not in ASD. Our findings suggest that altered neural coupling between right pSTS and touch hedonics in ASD may be associated with social touch avoidance in ASD.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderAutistic DisorderTouch PerceptionAdolescentAffectHumansTouch

Identifiers

PMID33866324
PMCPMC8053196
OpenAlexW3156670220

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.