EEG and Self-Report Reveal Intact Cognitive Appraisal but Reduced Affective-Sensorimotor Resonance for Others' Pain in Autism

This EEG study comparing adults with autism and neurotypical controls found that both groups could cognitively assess whether others experienced pain equally well. However, autistic adults showed reduced emotional and sensorimotor responses (measured via neural oscillations and self-report) when learning that a person could feel pain, suggesting differences in affective empathy rather than pain understanding.