Neural Tracking of Social Navigation in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Sarah M Banker ¹, Matthew Schafer ², Sarah Barkley ³

¹Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York, New York.
²Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University, New York, New York.
³Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, New York.
⁴Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
⁵Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Psychology, Montclair State University, Montclair, New Jersey.
⁶Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Nash Family Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
⁷Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.

⁰Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Center for Computational Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, New York University Medical Center, New York, New York.

Biological Psychiatry +

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September 10, 2025

View abstract on PubMed

Summary

Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show distinct social behaviors and neural activity, yet core social mapping brain systems appear preserved. This highlights shared and ASD-specific social navigation mechanisms.

Area Of Science

Neuroscience
Social Cognition
Clinical Psychology

Background

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is linked to social challenges impacting social information processing.
Understanding social cognitive mapping in autistic adults is crucial for navigating social dynamics.
Limited research exists on social cognitive mapping within autistic adult populations.

Purpose Of The Study

To investigate differences in social navigation and cognitive mapping between autistic adults and neurotypical individuals.
To explore the neural underpinnings of social decision-making in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
To compare social behaviors and brain activity in adults with ASD, typical development (TD), and misophonia (MIS).

Main Methods

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was employed during a social interaction task.
122 adults participated: 122 adults with ASD, typical development (TD), and misophonia (MIS).
Behavioral and neural data were analyzed to compare social distance tracking and brain activity.

Main Results

Adults with ASD exhibited more socially distant behavior compared to TD and MIS groups.
Comparable neural tracking of social distances was observed in key brain regions (PCC, PPA) across groups.
ASD group showed hypoactivity in the temporal pole (TP), linked to social avoidance and smaller social networks.

Conclusions

Autistic adults display unique behavioral and neural patterns during social decision-making.
Core brain systems for social mapping seem intact across ASD, TD, and MIS groups.
Findings reveal both shared and ASD-specific neural mechanisms in social navigation, informing understanding of social evidence processing in ASD.

Keywords:

Autism spectrum disorder Cognitive maps Cross-diagnostic Neuroimaging Social cognition Social navigation

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