Social cognition and executive functions in parents of children with autism: a case-control study using an affective stroop fMRI paradigm

This case-control fMRI study examined social cognition, executive functions, and emotion-related brain activation in parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (pASD), a familial risk group for broad autism phenotype. Twenty-four pASD participants and 25 control participants matched for age, sex, education, and IQ were evaluated after excluding current psychiatric disorders using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Clinician Version. Social cognition measures included the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), Empathy Quotient, and Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test. Cognitive and executive functions were assessed with the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Stroop Test. During fMRI, participants completed an affective Stroop task. Groups did not differ on most neurocognitive measures. The pASD group reported lower emotional empathy and higher AQ attention-to-detail and imagination scores, and they made more errors and corrections on the interference condition of the Stroop Test. In fMRI analyses, the corrected group × task × emotion interaction showed reduced activation in the pASD group in anterior cingulate and medial frontal regions and temporal cortex during emotional interference. These results may suggest subtle differences in emotion-related cognitive control in pASD, while underscoring the need for larger samples and direct ASD comparison groups.