Emotions Without Feelings

Letter to the editor, autism, (2000) 4, 205-206 by Dorit Ben Shalom, Israel.

LeDoux (1996) distinguishes between two types of neural systems for affective behavior. One is a subcortical system that mediates emotions. He attributes this system to the amygdaloid complex. The other is a subcortical-cortical system that mediates conscious feelings.

LeDoux defines feelings as the products of the subcortical-cortical system, which coordinates communication between the subcortical system and the cortex.

In terms of LeDoux's distinction between emotions and feelings, it might be hypothesized that people with autism have relatively intact emotions, but impaired feelings.

One possibility is that some people with higher-functioning autism (high-function autism or Asperger syndrome) may be able to restore subcortical-cortical communication by cortically reasoning about subcortical emotions. For example, they might be able to label some of their emotions based on observable behavior and physical responses. More generally, they might be able to use a cognitive strategy of empathy involving a logical simulation of some inner states of themselves and others.

From a biological point of view, assume that autism may involve a mis-communication between the amygdaloid complex and the cortex.