Characterizing Interoceptive Differences in Autism: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Case–control Studies

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders Vol. 53; no. 3; pp. 947 - 962
• Main Authors: Williams, Zachary J., Suzman, Evan, Bordman, Samantha L., Markfeld, Jennifer E., Kaiser, Sophia M., Dunham, Kacie A., Zoltowski, Alisa R., Failla, Michelle D., Cascio, Carissa J., Woynaroski, Tiffany G.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.03.2023; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Accuracy; Analysis; Attention; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Autism Spectrum Disorders; Autistic Disorder; Awareness; Bayes Theorem; Bayesian analysis; Bayesian Statistics; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Behavioral Sciences; Brain; Case-Control Studies; Child and School Psychology; College Science; Counting; Discrimination; Heart; Heart Rate; Humans; Interoception; Mental Disorders; Meta Analysis; Methods; Neurosciences; Pediatrics; Physiology; Psychology; Public Health; S:I: .Developmental Approach and Targeted Treatment of Sensory Alterations; Sensory Experience; Systematic review; United States; Autism; Accuracy; Interoception; Sensory; Attention; Meta-analysis
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05656-2

Interoception, the body’s perception of its own internal states, is thought to be altered in autism, though results of empirical studies have been inconsistent. The current study systematically reviewed and meta-analyzed the extant literature comparing interoceptive outcomes between autistic (AUT) and neurotypical (NT) individuals, determining which domains of interoception demonstrate robust between-group differences. A three-level Bayesian meta-analysis compared heartbeat counting performance, heartbeat discrimination performance, heartbeat counting confidence ratings, and self-reported interoceptive attention between AUT and NT groups (15 studies; n AUT  = 467, n NT  = 478). Autistic participants showed significantly reduced heartbeat counting performance [ g  = − 0.333, CrI 95% (− 0.535, − 0.138)] and higher confidence in their heartbeat counting abilities [ g  = 0.430, CrI 95% (0.123, 0.750)], but groups were equivalent on other meta-analyzed outcomes. Implications for future interoception research in autism are discussed.