School of Social Sciences, Brunel University, Uxbridge, UK.
Laterality. 2012;17(4):438-52. doi: 10.1080/1357650X.2010.513385. Epub 2011 Jun 24.
A great number of studies have shown that non-clinical individuals rely predominantly on the right hemisphere to process facial emotion. Previous studies have shown that males suffering from Asperger's syndrome show a typical right hemisphere bias for processing facial emotion (happiness and sadness) but a reduced right hemisphere bias for processing facial identity. This study looks at the lateralisation of all six basic emotions using the chimeric faces test in 64 non-clinical participants (32 males, 32 females) and correlates it with their autistic traits measured using the Broad Autistic Phenotype Questionnaire. For males only, regression analyses showed a relationship between the aloof personality trait and lateralisation for fear, happiness, and surprise. Males with high autistic scores on the aloof personality subscale (showing a lack of interest in social interaction) were more strongly lateralised to the right hemisphere for processing fear, happiness, and surprise. For males there was no relationship with anger, disgust, sadness, or non-facial stimuli, and for females there were no significant relationships at all. The autistic traits of rigidity and pragmatic language were not significant predictors of emotion lateralisation. The over-reliance on the right hemisphere for processing facial emotion in males seems to support the idea that the autistic brain could be seen as hyper-masculinised, possibly due to prenatal testosterone exposure.
大量研究表明，非临床个体主要依赖右脑来处理面部情绪。先前的研究表明，患有阿斯伯格综合征的男性在处理面部情绪（快乐和悲伤）时表现出典型的右脑偏向，但在处理面部身份时则偏向减少。本研究使用嵌合面孔测试，在 64 名非临床参与者（32 名男性，32 名女性）中观察了所有六种基本情绪的偏侧化，并将其与使用广泛自闭症表型问卷测量的自闭症特征相关联。仅对男性进行回归分析显示，冷漠人格特质与恐惧、快乐和惊讶的偏侧化之间存在关系。冷漠人格子量表得分较高的男性（表现出对社交互动缺乏兴趣）在处理恐惧、快乐和惊讶时更偏向于右脑。对于男性来说，与愤怒、厌恶、悲伤或非面部刺激没有关系，对于女性来说，根本没有关系。刻板和实用语言的自闭症特征不是情绪偏侧化的显著预测因素。男性对处理面部情绪的过度依赖右脑似乎支持这样一种观点，即自闭症大脑可能被视为过度男性化，这可能是由于产前睾酮暴露。
