Figure 1. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders demonstrated bilateral amygdala hyperactivation during the anticipation of social rewards (left), and activation magnitude predicted social impairments (right). This pattern was not evident during the actual presentation of social rewards, or in response to other types of rewards. This and related findings suggest that the functional integrity of brain reward systems in autism spectrum disorders is contingent on both the type of reward processed and the temporal phase of the reward response. ADOS, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Adapted from ref 49: Dichter GS, Richey JA, Rittenberg AM, Sabatino A, Bodfish JW. Reward circuitry function in autism during face anticipation and outcomes. J Autism Dev Disord. 2012;42:147-160. Copyright © Springer 2012.
