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Kunimatsu J, Amita H, Hikosaka O. Neuronal response of the primate striatum tail to face of socially familiar persons. iScience 2024; 27:110043. [PMID: 38868184 PMCID: PMC11167483 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/17/2024] [Indexed: 06/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Recent studies have suggested that the basal ganglia, the center of stimulus-reward associative learning, are involved in social behavior. However, the role of the basal ganglia in social information processing remains unclear. Here, we demonstrate that the striatum tail (STRt) in macaque monkeys, which is sensitive to visual objects with long-term reward history (i.e., stable object value), is also sensitive to socially familiar persons. Many STRt neurons responded to face images of persons, especially those who took daily care of the subject monkeys. These face-responsive neurons also encoded stable object value. The strength of the neuronal modulation of social familiarity and stable object value biases were positively correlated. These results suggest that both social familiarity and stable object value information are mediated by a common neuronal mechanism. Thus, the representation of social information is linked to reward information in the STRt, not in the dedicated social information circuit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Kunimatsu
- Labortory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Division of Biomedical Science, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
- Transborder Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba 305-8577, Japan
| | - Hidetoshi Amita
- Labortory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Systems Neuroscience Section, Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Okihide Hikosaka
- Labortory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Kunimatsu J, Amita H, Hikosaka O. Neuronal mechanism of the encoding of socially familiar faces in the striatum tail. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.10.540108. [PMID: 37425892 PMCID: PMC10327190 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.10.540108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
Although we can quickly locate a familiar person even in a crowd, the underlying neuronal mechanism remains unclear. Recently, we found that the striatum tail (STRt), which is part of the basal ganglia, is sensitive to long-term reward history. Here, we show that long-term value-coding neurons are involved in the detection of socially familiar faces. Many STRt neurons respond to facial images, especially to those of socially familiar persons. Additionally, we found that these face-responsive neurons also encode the stable values of many objects based on long-term reward experiences. Interestingly, the strength of neuronal modulation of social familiarity bias (familiar or unfamiliar) and object value bias (high-valued or low-valued) were positively correlated. These results suggest that both social familiarity and stable object-value information are mediated by a common neuronal mechanism. This mechanism may contribute to the rapid detection of familiar faces in real-world contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jun Kunimatsu
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Division of Biomedical Science, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
- Transborder Medical Research Center, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-8577, Japan
| | - Hidetoshi Amita
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
- Systems Neuroscience Section, Center for the Evolutionary Origins of Human Behavior, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi 484-8506, Japan
| | - Okihide Hikosaka
- Laboratory of Sensorimotor Research, National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
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Wang Y, Peng S, Shao Z, Feng T. Active Viewing Facilitates Gaze to the Eye Region in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2023; 53:1082-1090. [PMID: 35129796 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05462-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown reduced attention to the eyes in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, most eye-tracking evidence regarding this impairment has been derived from passive viewing tasks. Here, we compared the passive viewing of faces with an active task involving face identification with morphing faces. While typical controls prioritized the eyes over other facial features regardless of viewing condition, autistic children exhibited reduced eye-looking in passive viewing, but displayed increased attention allocation to the eyes when instructed to identify faces. The proportional eye-looking in ASD during facial recognition was negatively related to the autism symptoms severity. These findings provide evidence regarding the specific situations in which diminished eye-looking may rise in young ASD children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yige Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No.2, Tiansheng RD., Beibei, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Shuai Peng
- Rehabilitation Center for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, The First Branch of Ninth People's Hospital, No.1, Benyue RD., Beibei, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Zhi Shao
- Rehabilitation Center for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, The First Branch of Ninth People's Hospital, No.1, Benyue RD., Beibei, Chongqing, 400715, China.
| | - Tingyong Feng
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No.2, Tiansheng RD., Beibei, Chongqing, 400715, China.
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China.
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4
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Autism, attachment, and social learning: Three challenges and a way forward. Behav Brain Res 2016; 325:251-259. [PMID: 27751811 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2016.10.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Revised: 10/09/2016] [Accepted: 10/13/2016] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
We explore three challenges that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) poses to our understanding of the processes underlying early attachment. First, while caregiver-infant attachment and later social-affiliative behavior share common biobehavioral mechanisms, individuals with ASD are able to form secure attachment relationships, despite reduced social-emotional reciprocity and motivation for social interaction. Therefore, disruptions in social affiliation mechanisms can co-exist with secure caregiver-infant bonding. Second, while early attachment quality is associated with later social outcomes in typical development, interventions targeting caregiver-child interaction in ASD often show positive effects on parental responsivity and attachment quality, but not on child social behavior. Therefore, improvements in parent-child bonding do not necessarily result in improvements in social functioning in ASD. Third, individuals with ASD show normative brain activity and selective social affiliative behaviors in response to people that they know but not to unfamiliar people. We propose a conceptual framework to reformulate and address these three theoretical impasses posed by ASD, arguing that the dissociable pathways of child-parent bonding and social development in ASD are shaped by (1) a dissociation between externally-driven and internally-driven attachment responses and (2) atypical learning dynamics occurring during child-caregiver bonding episodes, which are governed by and influence social-affiliation motives and other operant contingencies.
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McMahon CM, Henderson HA, Newell L, Jaime M, Mundy P. Metacognitive Awareness of Facial Affect in Higher-Functioning Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 46:882-98. [PMID: 26496991 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2630-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Higher-functioning participants with and without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) viewed a series of face stimuli, made decisions regarding the affect of each face, and indicated their confidence in each decision. Confidence significantly predicted accuracy across all participants, but this relation was stronger for participants with typical development than participants with ASD. In the hierarchical linear modeling analysis, there were no differences in face processing accuracy between participants with and without ASD, but participants with ASD were more confident in their decisions. These results suggest that individuals with ASD have metacognitive impairments and are overconfident in face processing. Additionally, greater metacognitive awareness was predictive of better face processing accuracy, suggesting that metacognition may be a pivotal skill to teach in interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla M McMahon
- Psychology Department, Hamilton College, 198 College Hill Road, Clinton, NY, 13323, USA.
| | - Heather A Henderson
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada
| | - Lisa Newell
- Department of Psychology, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, 1020 Oakland Avenue, Indiana, PA, 15705, USA
| | - Mark Jaime
- Division of Science, Indiana University - Purdue University - Columbus, 4601 Central Avenue, Columbus, IN, 47203, USA
| | - Peter Mundy
- M.I.N.D. Institute, University of California - Davis, 2825 50th Street, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
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A new approach to the diagnosis of deficits in processing faces: Potential application in autism research. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2016; 58:1024-35. [PMID: 26335736 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-012-4337-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Deficits in social communication are one of the behavioral signatures of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Because faces are arguably the most important social stimuli that we encounter in everyday life, investigating the ability of individuals with ASD to process faces is thought to be important for understanding the nature of ASD. However, although a considerable body of evidence suggests that ASD individuals show specific impairments in face processing, a significant number of studies argue otherwise. Through a literature review, we found that this controversy is largely attributable to the different face tests used across different studies. Therefore, a more reliable and valid face test is needed. To this end, we performed a meta-analysis on data gleaned from a variety of face tests conducted on individuals with developmental prosopagnosia (DP) who suffer a selective deficit in face processing. Based on this meta-analysis, we selected an old/new face recognition test that relies on face memory as a standard diagnostic test for measuring specific face processing deficits. This test not only reliably reflects DP individuals' subjective experiences with faces in their daily lives, but also effectively differentiates deficits in face processing from deficits caused by other general problems. In addition, DP individuals' performance in this test predicts their performance in a variety of face tests that examine specific components of face processing (e.g., holistic processing of faces). Finally, this test can be easily administrated and is not overly sensitive to prior knowledge. In summary, this test can be used to evaluate face-processing ability, and it helped to resolve the controversy whether individuals with ASD exhibit face-processing deficits.
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Similar exemplar pooling processes underlie the learning of facial identity and handwriting style: Evidence from typical observers and individuals with Autism. Neuropsychologia 2016; 85:169-76. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2016.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2015] [Revised: 03/16/2016] [Accepted: 03/17/2016] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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8
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Grandgeorge M, Bourreau Y, Alavi Z, Lemonnier E, Tordjman S, Deleau M, Hausberger M. Interest towards human, animal and object in children with autism spectrum disorders: an ethological approach at home. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2015; 24:83-93. [PMID: 24590630 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-014-0528-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterised by attention deficits in communication and social interactions and a lack of interest in people. Data are mostly based on clinical situations. However, recent studies have shown a more mixed situation where children with ASD (ASD children) displayed interest towards humans, in both experimental and natural settings. The aim of this study was to assess the interest of ASD children in a natural standardised home setting. Here, we hypothesised that ASD children would display more interest towards animate stimuli-human and pet-when in the child's home than in the lab experimental setting. We used an ethological approach involving observations, a methodological alternative to lab static techniques, to investigate the behaviour of ninety 6- to 12-year-old ASD and typical development (TD) children. Our results were consistent with those of the literature revealing that the ASD children displayed interest towards animate stimuli as did children with TD children. Interestingly, while the ASD children showed higher interest towards humans, e.g. their parent, than the TD children did, they showed less interest towards pet compared to the TD children. Our results suggested that animals are not inherently easy to decode for ASD children, in contrast with previous experiences where a pet was regarded as a more attractive partner, easier to be understood. At last, the ASD children changed more frequently their focus point than the TD children did. These differences may be explained by the reduced attention skills in ASD or the study's context. To conclude, larger exploratory studies in natural settings conducted beyond ordinary human to human interactions are crucial for better understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in social interactions in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Grandgeorge
- Laboratory of Neurosciences de Brest, EA 4685, University of Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France,
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9
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Abstract
The current study tested fine discrimination of upright and inverted faces and objects in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as compared to age- and IQ-matched controls. Discrimination sensitivity was tested using morphed faces and morphed objects, and all stimuli were equated in low-level visual characteristics (luminance, contrast, spatial frequency make-up). Participants with ASD exhibited slight, non-significant impairments in discrimination sensitivity for faces, yet significantly enhanced discrimination sensitivity for objects. The ASD group also showed a protracted development of face and object inversion effects. Finally, for ASD participants, face sensitivity improved with increasing IQ while object sensitivity improved with age. By contrast, for controls, face sensitivity improved with age, but neither face nor object sensitivity was influenced by IQ. These findings suggest that individuals with ASD follow a qualitatively different path in the development of face and object processing abilities.
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Michel C, Hoehl S, Striano T. The influence of familiarity on explicit eye gaze judgement in preschoolers. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2013. [DOI: 10.1080/17405629.2013.832670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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11
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Arkush L, Smith-Collins APR, Fiorentini C, Skuse DH. Recognition of face and non-face stimuli in autistic spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2013; 6:550-60. [PMID: 23894016 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2012] [Accepted: 06/14/2013] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
The ability to remember faces is critical for the development of social competence. From childhood to adulthood, we acquire a high level of expertise in the recognition of facial images, and neural processes become dedicated to sustaining competence. Many people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have poor face recognition memory; changes in hairstyle or other non-facial features in an otherwise familiar person affect their recollection skills. The observation implies that they may not use the configuration of the inner face to achieve memory competence, but bolster performance in other ways. We aimed to test this hypothesis by comparing the performance of a group of high-functioning unmedicated adolescents with ASD and a matched control group on a "surprise" face recognition memory task. We compared their memory for unfamiliar faces with their memory for images of houses. To evaluate the role that is played by peripheral cues in assisting recognition memory, we cropped both sets of pictures, retaining only the most salient central features. ASD adolescents had poorer recognition memory for faces than typical controls, but their recognition memory for houses was unimpaired. Cropping images of faces did not disproportionately influence their recall accuracy, relative to controls. House recognition skills (cropped and uncropped) were similar in both groups. In the ASD group only, performance on both sets of task was closely correlated, implying that memory for faces and other complex pictorial stimuli is achieved by domain-general (non-dedicated) cognitive mechanisms. Adolescents with ASD apparently do not use domain-specialized processing of inner facial cues to support face recognition memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Leo Arkush
- Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK
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12
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13
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Jones RM, Lord C. Diagnosing autism in neurobiological research studies. Behav Brain Res 2012; 251:113-24. [PMID: 23153932 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2012.10.037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/16/2012] [Revised: 10/18/2012] [Accepted: 10/22/2012] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is by definition a complex and heterogeneous disorder. Variation in factors such as developmental level, language ability and IQ further complicate the presentation of symptoms. Clinical research and basic science must continue to inform each other's questions to help address the heterogeneity inherent to the disorder. This review uses a clinical perspective to outline the common tools and best practices for diagnosing and characterizing ASD in a research setting. We discuss considerations for classifying research populations, including language ability and IQ and examine the advantages and disadvantages of different psychometric measurements. Ultimately, the contribution of multiple sources of data representing different perspectives is crucial for interpreting and understanding the ASD phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca M Jones
- Weill-Cornell Medical College, Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, New York Presbyterian Hospital/Westchester Division, 21 Bloomingdale Road, White Plains, NY 10605, USA.
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14
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15
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Weigelt S, Koldewyn K, Kanwisher N. Face identity recognition in autism spectrum disorders: a review of behavioral studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2011; 36:1060-84. [PMID: 22212588 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 296] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2011] [Revised: 11/23/2011] [Accepted: 12/14/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Face recognition--the ability to recognize a person from their facial appearance--is essential for normal social interaction. Face recognition deficits have been implicated in the most common disorder of social interaction: autism. Here we ask: is face identity recognition in fact impaired in people with autism? Reviewing behavioral studies we find no strong evidence for a qualitative difference in how facial identity is processed between those with and without autism: markers of typical face identity recognition, such as the face inversion effect, seem to be present in people with autism. However, quantitatively--i.e., how well facial identity is remembered or discriminated--people with autism perform worse than typical individuals. This impairment is particularly clear in face memory and in face perception tasks in which a delay intervenes between sample and test, and less so in tasks with no memory demand. Although some evidence suggests that this deficit may be specific to faces, further evidence on this question is necessary.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Weigelt
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Science and McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Avenue, Cambridge, MA, USA.
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16
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Webb SJ, Jones EJH, Merkle K, Venema K, Greenson J, Murias M, Dawson G. Developmental change in the ERP responses to familiar faces in toddlers with autism spectrum disorders versus typical development. Child Dev 2011; 82:1868-86. [PMID: 22004249 PMCID: PMC4141561 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2011.01656.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show differences in face processing abilities from early in development. To examine whether these differences reflect an atypical versus delayed developmental trajectory, neural responses to familiar and unfamiliar faces in twenty-four 18- to 47-month-old children with ASD were compared with responses of thirty-two 12- to 30-month-old typically developing children. Results of 2 experiments revealed that neural responses to faces in children with ASD resembled those observed in younger typically developing children, suggesting delayed development. Electrophysiological responses to faces were also related to parent report of adaptive social behaviors for both children with ASD and typical development. Slower development of the face processing system in ASD may be related to reduced self-directed "expected" experience with faces in early development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Jane Webb
- University of Washington and Seattle Children's Research Institute, USA.
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Krebs JF, Biswas A, Pascalis O, Kamp-Becker I, Remschmidt H, Schwarzer G. Face processing in children with autism spectrum disorder: independent or interactive processing of facial identity and facial expression? J Autism Dev Disord 2011; 41:796-804. [PMID: 20839043 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-010-1098-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigated if deficits in processing emotional expression affect facial identity processing and vice versa in children with autism spectrum disorder. Children with autism and IQ and age matched typically developing children classified faces either by emotional expression, thereby ignoring facial identity or by facial identity disregarding emotional expression. Typically developing children processed facial identity independently from facial expressions but processed facial expressions in interaction with identity. Children with autism processed both facial expression and identity independently of each other. They selectively directed their attention to one facial parameter despite variations in the other. Results indicate that there is no interaction in processing facial identity and emotional expression in autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia F Krebs
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Justus-Liebig-University Giessen, FB 06, Otto-Behaghel-Street 10/F1, 35394, Giessen, Germany.
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Aljuhanay A, Milne E, Burt DM, Pascalis O. Asymmetry in face processing during childhood measured with chimeric faces. Laterality 2010; 15:439-50. [DOI: 10.1080/13576500902972823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Webb SJ, Jones EJH, Merkle K, Murias M, Greenson J, Richards T, Aylward E, Dawson G. Response to familiar faces, newly familiar faces, and novel faces as assessed by ERPs is intact in adults with autism spectrum disorders. Int J Psychophysiol 2010; 77:106-17. [PMID: 20452382 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2010.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2009] [Revised: 04/23/2010] [Accepted: 04/28/2010] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have pervasive impairments in social functioning, which may include problems with processing and remembering faces. In this study, we examined whether posterior ERP components associated with identity processing (P2, N250 and face-N400) and components associated with early-stage face processing (P1 and N170) are atypical in ASD. We collected ERP responses to a familiar repeated face (Familiar), an unfamiliar repeated face (Other) and novel faces (Novels) in 29 high-functioning adults with ASD and matched controls. For both groups, the P2 and N250 were sensitive to repetition (Other vs. Novels) and personal familiarity (Familiar vs. Other), and the face-N400 was sensitive to repetition. Adults with ASD did not show significantly atypical processing of facial familiarity and repetition in an ERP paradigm, despite showing significantly poorer performance than controls on a behavioral test of face memory. This study found no evidence that early-stage facial identity processing is a primary contributor to the face recognition deficit in high-functioning ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara J Webb
- University of Washington Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Seattle, WA, USA.
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20
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Wilson CE, Palermo R, Brock J, Burton AM. Learning New Faces in Typically Developing Children and Children on the Autistic Spectrum. Perception 2010; 39:1645-58. [DOI: 10.1068/p6727] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
As faces become familiar, recognition becomes easier but the style of processing also changes. Here, twenty-one typically developing (TD) children and twenty-one children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were familiarised with 6 identities over 3 days. Next, they completed a 4-alternative forced-choice matching test in which targets were the 6 familiarised faces and 6 unfamiliar faces. The TD group showed a significant advantage for familiarised faces when matching whole faces and both internal and external facial regions. The ASD group showed similar familiarisation effects for whole and external faces, but not for internal regions. The ASD group was also impaired at matching eyes and mouths of familiarised faces. Results suggest the process of acquiring familiarity with faces differs from ASD and TD children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Romina Palermo
- Department of Psychology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
| | | | - A Mike Burton
- Department of Psychology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
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21
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Wilson RR, Blades M, Coleman M, Pascalis O. Unfamiliar face recognition in children with autistic spectrum disorders. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2009. [DOI: 10.1002/icd.638] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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22
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Vision in autism spectrum disorders. Vision Res 2009; 49:2705-39. [PMID: 19682485 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2009.08.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 520] [Impact Index Per Article: 34.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2009] [Revised: 08/04/2009] [Accepted: 08/04/2009] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are developmental disorders which are thought primarily to affect social functioning. However, there is now a growing body of evidence that unusual sensory processing is at least a concomitant and possibly the cause of many of the behavioural signs and symptoms of ASD. A comprehensive and critical review of the phenomenological, empirical, neuroscientific and theoretical literature pertaining to visual processing in ASD is presented, along with a brief justification of a new theory which may help to explain some of the data, and link it with other current hypotheses about the genetic and neural aetiologies of this enigmatic condition.
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Van Hecke AV, Lebow J, Bal E, Lamb D, Harden E, Kramer A, Denver J, Bazhenova O, Porges SW. Electroencephalogram and Heart Rate Regulation to Familiar and Unfamiliar People in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders. Child Dev 2009; 80:1118-33. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2009.01320.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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24
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Hughes JR. A review of recent reports on autism: 1000 studies published in 2007. Epilepsy Behav 2008; 13:425-37. [PMID: 18627794 DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2008.06.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2008] [Revised: 06/24/2008] [Accepted: 06/27/2008] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
From 1000 studies published in 2007 on all aspects of autism, those that reached clear conclusions or included quantitative data were selected for this review. Possible etiologies include elemental metals, especially the inconsistent evidence regarding mercury from the vaccine preservative thimerosal, not used after 2001, and chromosomes and genes with the conclusion that autism has a complex genetic architecture. Also, various parental conditions are considered, as are many different abnormalities in the central nervous system, especially underconnectivity within the cortex. Furthermore, deficiencies in mirror neurons have been proposed, leading to the "theory of mind" explanation that autistic children tend to disregard others. In addition, various global deficiencies, like an increase in inhibitory synaptic transmission, are proposed. Characteristics of these children include selective (inward) attention; underresponsiveness; stereotyped repetitive motor behavior; increased head size, weight, and height; various cognitive and communicative disorders; and also epilepsy. Therapy has emphasized risperidone, but some atypical antipsychotic medications have been helpful, as have robotic aids, massage, hyperbaric oxygen, and music. Nearly every conceivable problem that a child could have can be observed in these unfortunate children.
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Affiliation(s)
- John R Hughes
- Department of Neurology, University of Illinois Medical Center (M/C 796), 912 South Wood Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA
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Brief report: face configuration accuracy and processing speed among adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 2008; 39:532-8. [PMID: 18751880 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-008-0635-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2008] [Accepted: 08/01/2008] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigates the accuracy and speed of face processing employed by high-functioning adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Two behavioral experiments measured sensitivity to distances between features and face recognition when performance depended on holistic versus featural information. Results suggest adults with ASD were less accurate, but responded as quickly as controls for both tasks. In contrast to previous findings with children, adults with ASD demonstrated a holistic advantage only when the eye region was tested. Both groups recognized large manipulations to second-order relations more accurately than no change or small changes, but controls responded more quickly than participants with ASD when recognizing these large manipulations to configural information.
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