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Vacas J, Antolí A, Sánchez-Raya A, Pérez-Dueñas C, Cuadrado F. Eye-Tracking Methodology to Detect Differences in Attention to Faces Between Developmental Language Disorder and Autism. JOURNAL OF SPEECH, LANGUAGE, AND HEARING RESEARCH : JSLHR 2024; 67:3148-3162. [PMID: 39196850 DOI: 10.1044/2024_jslhr-24-00109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/30/2024]
Abstract
PURPOSE Developmental language disorder (DLD) and autism sometimes appear as overlapping conditions in behavioral tests. There is much literature on the visual scanning pattern (VSP) of faces in autistic children, but this is scarce regarding those with DLD. The purpose of this study was to compare the VSP of faces in young children with DLD, those with autism, and typically developing peers, assessing the effect of three variables. METHOD Two eye-tracking experiments were designed to assess the effect of the emotion and the poser's gender (Experiment 1) and the poser's age (Experiment 2) on the VSP of participants (Experiment 1: N = 59, age range: 32-74 months; Experiment 2: N = 58, age range: 32-74 months). We operationalized the VSP in terms of attentional orientation, visual preference, and depth of processing of each sort of face. We developed two paired preference tasks in which pairs of images of faces showing different emotions were displayed simultaneously to compete for children's attention. RESULTS Data analysis revealed two VSP markers common to both disorders: (a) superficial processing of faces and (b) late orientation to angry and child faces. Moreover, one specific marker for each condition was also found: typical preference for child faces in children with DLD versus diminished preference for them in autistic children. CONCLUSIONS Considering the similarities found between children with DLD and those with autism, difficulties of children with DLD in attention to faces have been systematically underestimated. Thus, more effort must be made to identify and respond to the needs of this population. Clinical practice may benefit from the potential of eye-tracking methodology and the analysis of the VSP to assess attention to faces in both conditions. This would also contribute to the improvement of early differential diagnosis in the long run.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Vacas
- Department of Psychology, University of Córdoba, Spain
- Maimónides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba, Reina Sofía University Hospital of Córdoba, Spain
- Early Childhood Intervention Center, University of Córdoba, Spain
| | - Adoración Antolí
- Department of Psychology, University of Córdoba, Spain
- Maimónides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba, Reina Sofía University Hospital of Córdoba, Spain
- Early Childhood Intervention Center, University of Córdoba, Spain
| | - Araceli Sánchez-Raya
- Department of Psychology, University of Córdoba, Spain
- Maimónides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba, Reina Sofía University Hospital of Córdoba, Spain
- Early Childhood Intervention Center, University of Córdoba, Spain
| | - Carolina Pérez-Dueñas
- Department of Psychology, University of Córdoba, Spain
- Maimónides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba, Reina Sofía University Hospital of Córdoba, Spain
| | - Fátima Cuadrado
- Department of Psychology, University of Córdoba, Spain
- Maimónides Biomedical Research Institute of Córdoba, Reina Sofía University Hospital of Córdoba, Spain
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Macinska S, Lindsay S, Jellema T. Visual Attention to Dynamic Emotional Faces in Adults on the Autism Spectrum. J Autism Dev Disord 2024; 54:2211-2223. [PMID: 37079180 PMCID: PMC11143001 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-05979-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
Using eye-tracking, we studied allocation of attention to faces where the emotional expression and eye-gaze dynamically changed in an ecologically-valid manner. We tested typically-developed (TD) adults low or high in autistic-like traits (Experiment 1), and adults with high-functioning autism (HFA; Experiment 2). All groups fixated more on the eyes than on any of the other facial area, regardless of emotion and gaze direction, though the HFA group fixated less on the eyes and more on the nose than TD controls. The sequence of dynamic facial changes affected the groups similarly, with reduced attention to the eyes and increased attention to the mouth. The results suggest that dynamic emotional face scanning patterns are stereotypical and differ only modestly between TD and HFA adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylwia Macinska
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Road Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Shane Lindsay
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Road Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Tjeerd Jellema
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Road Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK.
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Yoon CD, Xia Y, Terol AK, Meadan H, Lee JD. Correlation Between Gaze Behaviors and Social Communication Skills of Young Autistic Children: A Meta-Analysis of Eye-Tracking Studies. J Autism Dev Disord 2024:10.1007/s10803-024-06257-x. [PMID: 38400896 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-024-06257-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/17/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2024]
Abstract
This meta-analysis examined correlations between eye-tracking measures of gaze behaviors manifested during dynamic salient social stimuli and behavioral assessment measures of social communication skills of young autistic children. We employed a multilevel model with random effects to perform three separate meta-analyses for correlation between social communication skills and (a) all gaze behaviors, (b) gaze duration, and (c) gaze transition. Subsequently, we performed meta-regression to assess the role of four moderators, including age, continuum of naturalness of stimuli, gaze metric, and area of interest, on correlation effect sizes that were heterogeneous at the population level. A total of 111 correlation coefficients from 17 studies for 1132 young autistic children or children with high-likelihood for autism (Mage range = 6-95 months) were included in this meta-analysis. The correlation effect sizes for all three meta-analyses were significant, supporting the relation between improved gaze behaviors and better social communication skills. In addition, age, gaze metric, and area of interest were significant moderators. This suggests the importance of identifying meaningful gaze behaviors related to social communication skills and the increasingly influential role of gaze behaviors in shaping social communication skills as young autistic children progress through the early childhood stage. The continuum of naturalness of stimuli, however, was revealed to trend towards having a significant moderating effect. Lastly, it is important to note the evidence of potential publication bias. Our findings are discussed in the context of early identification and intervention and unraveling the complex nature of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christy D Yoon
- Department of Special Education, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA.
| | - Yan Xia
- Department of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA
| | - Adriana Kaori Terol
- Department of Special Education, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA
| | - Hedda Meadan
- Department of Special Education, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, 1310 South Sixth Street, Champaign, IL, 61820, USA
| | - James D Lee
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, 6901 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA, 98115, USA
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Harada Y, Ohyama J, Sano M, Ishii N, Maida K, Wada M, Wada M. Temporal characteristics of facial ensemble in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: examination from arousal and attentional allocation. Front Psychiatry 2024; 15:1328708. [PMID: 38439795 PMCID: PMC10910007 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1328708] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show atypical recognition of facial emotions, which has been suggested to stem from arousal and attention allocation. Recent studies have focused on the ability to perceive an average expression from multiple spatially different expressions. This study investigated the effect of autistic traits on temporal ensemble, that is, the perception of the average expression from multiple changing expressions. Methods We conducted a simplified temporal-ensemble task and analyzed behavioral responses, pupil size, and viewing times for eyes of a face. Participants with and without diagnosis of ASD viewed serial presentations of facial expressions that randomly switched between emotional and neutral. The temporal ratio of the emotional expressions was manipulated. The participants estimated the intensity of the facial emotions for the overall presentation. Results We obtained three major results: (a) many participants with ASD were less susceptible to the ratio of anger expression for temporal ensembles, (b) they produced significantly greater pupil size for angry expressions (within-participants comparison) and smaller pupil size for sad expressions (between-groups comparison), and (c) pupil size and viewing time to eyes were not correlated with the temporal ensemble. Discussion These results suggest atypical temporal integration of anger expression and arousal characteristics in individuals with ASD; however, the atypical integration is not fully explained by arousal or attentional allocation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuki Harada
- Developmental Disorders Section, Department of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions, Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan
- Faculty of Humanities, Kyoto University of Advanced Science, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Junji Ohyama
- Human Augmentation Research Center, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Kashiwa, Chiba, Japan
| | - Misako Sano
- Developmental Disorders Section, Department of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions, Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan
- Graduate School of Medicine, Nagoya University, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan
| | - Naomi Ishii
- Developmental Disorders Section, Department of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions, Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan
| | - Keiko Maida
- Developmental Disorders Section, Department of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions, Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan
| | - Megumi Wada
- Developmental Disorders Section, Department of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions, Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan
- Graduate School of Contemporary Psychology, Rikkyo University, Niiza, Saitama, Japan
| | - Makoto Wada
- Developmental Disorders Section, Department of Rehabilitation for Brain Functions, Research Institute of National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan
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Toutain M, Dollion N, Henry L, Grandgeorge M. How Do Children and Adolescents with ASD Look at Animals? A Scoping Review. CHILDREN (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2024; 11:211. [PMID: 38397322 PMCID: PMC10887101 DOI: 10.3390/children11020211] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 01/05/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by interaction and communication differences, entailing visual attention skill specificities. Interactions with animals, such as in animal-assisted interventions or with service dogs, have been shown to be beneficial for individuals with ASD. While interacting with humans poses challenges for them, engaging with animals appears to be different. One hypothesis suggests that differences between individuals with ASD's visual attention to humans and to animals may contribute to these interaction differences. We propose a scoping review of the research on the visual attention to animals of youths with ASD. The objective is to review the methodologies and tools used to explore such questions, to summarize the main results, to explore which factors may contribute to the differences reported in the studies, and to deduce how youth with ASD observe animals. Utilizing strict inclusion criteria, we examined databases between 1942 and 2023, identifying 21 studies in international peer-reviewed journals. Three main themes were identified: attentional engagement and detection, visual exploration, and behavior. Collectively, our findings suggest that the visual attention of youths with ASD towards animals appears comparable to that of neurotypical peers, at least in 2D pictures (i.e., eye gaze patterns). Future studies should explore whether these results extend to real-life interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon Toutain
- CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie Animale et Humaine)—UMR 6552, University Rennes, Normandie University, F-35000 Rennes, France; (L.H.); (M.G.)
| | - Nicolas Dollion
- Laboratoire C2S (Cognition Santé Société)—EA6291, Université Reims Champagne-Ardenne, F-51100 Reims, France;
| | - Laurence Henry
- CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie Animale et Humaine)—UMR 6552, University Rennes, Normandie University, F-35000 Rennes, France; (L.H.); (M.G.)
| | - Marine Grandgeorge
- CNRS, EthoS (Éthologie Animale et Humaine)—UMR 6552, University Rennes, Normandie University, F-35000 Rennes, France; (L.H.); (M.G.)
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Clin E, Kissine M. Neurotypical, but not autistic, adults might experience distress when looking at someone avoiding eye contact: A live face-to-face paradigm. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2023; 27:1949-1959. [PMID: 36688307 DOI: 10.1177/13623613221148553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT What is already known about the topic?Autistics are usually reported to share less eye contact than neurotypicals with their interlocutors. However, the reason why autistics might pay less attention to eyes looking at them is still unknown: some autistics express being hyper-aroused by this eye contact, while some eye-tracking studies suggest that eye contact is associated with hypo-arousal in autism.What this paper adds?This study is based on a highly controlled live face-to-face paradigm, combining a wearable eye-tracker (to study eye behaviours) with electrodermal activity sensors (to assess potential stress). We draw a nuanced picture of social attention in autism, as our autistic participants did not differ from our neurotypical group in their eye behaviours nor their skin conductance responses. However, we found that neurotypicals, compared to autistics, seemed to be much more distressed when their interlocutor did not gaze at them during the experiment.Implications for practice, research or policy:Our study encourages to consider social interaction difficulties in autism as a relational issue, instead as an individual deficit. This step might be first taken in research, by implementing paradigms sensitive to the experimenter's role and attitude.
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Leung FYN, Stojanovik V, Micai M, Jiang C, Liu F. Emotion recognition in autism spectrum disorder across age groups: A cross-sectional investigation of various visual and auditory communicative domains. Autism Res 2023; 16:783-801. [PMID: 36727629 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/19/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Previous research on emotion processing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has predominantly focused on human faces and speech prosody, with little attention paid to other domains such as nonhuman faces and music. In addition, emotion processing in different domains was often examined in separate studies, making it challenging to evaluate whether emotion recognition difficulties in ASD generalize across domains and age cohorts. The present study investigated: (i) the recognition of basic emotions (angry, scared, happy, and sad) across four domains (human faces, face-like objects, speech prosody, and song) in 38 autistic and 38 neurotypical (NT) children, adolescents, and adults in a forced-choice labeling task, and (ii) the impact of pitch and visual processing profiles on this ability. Results showed similar recognition accuracy between the ASD and NT groups across age groups for all domains and emotion types, although processing speed was slower in the ASD compared to the NT group. Age-related differences were seen in both groups, which varied by emotion, domain, and performance index. Visual processing style was associated with facial emotion recognition speed and pitch perception ability with auditory emotion recognition in the NT group but not in the ASD group. These findings suggest that autistic individuals may employ different emotion processing strategies compared to NT individuals, and that emotion recognition difficulties as manifested by slower response times may result from a generalized, rather than a domain-specific underlying mechanism that governs emotion recognition processes across domains in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Florence Y N Leung
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK.,Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Vesna Stojanovik
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Martina Micai
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Cunmei Jiang
- Music College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fang Liu
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
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Facial emotion impairment in multiple sclerosis is linked to modifying observation strategies of emotional faces. Mult Scler Relat Disord 2023; 69:104439. [PMID: 36525898 DOI: 10.1016/j.msard.2022.104439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 12/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Facial emotion recognition (FER) may be impaired in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Nevertheless, the literature is heterogeneous, with studies not highlighting this kind of impairment. Moreover, most studies have not explored differences between MS spectrum disorders (radiologically isolated syndrome (RIS), clinically-isolated syndrome (CIS), relapsing-remitting (RRMS), and progressive (primary - (PPMS) and secondary - (SPMS)). One hypothesis would be that FER impairment results from an alteration of eye-gaze strategies while observing emotional faces. Consequently, a FER deficit would be found in MS patients for whom these observation strategies would be disturbed and more frequent in the progressive forms. METHODS We prospectively enroled 52 patients (10 RIS, 10 CIS, 12RRMS, 10 SPMS, 10 PPMS) and 23 healthy controls (HC) to assess FER using Ekman Faces Test. Eye movements (number and duration of fixations) were recorded with an eye-tracking device. RESULTS 21% of the MS participants had significant FER impairment. This impairment was observed in all phenotypes. In progressive forms, FER impairment was more frequent, more severe, and associated with modified emotional face observation strategies. MS participants with significant FER impairment had significantly more modification of eye-gaze strategies during observation of expressive faces than MS participants without FER impairment. CONCLUSION FER impairment seems to be linked to a deficit of attention orientation in MS. Remediation of eye-gaze strategies during observation of emotional faces could be beneficial, as observed in other neurological diseases.
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Rabadan V, Ricou C, Latinus M, Aguillon-Hernandez N, Wardak C. Facial mask disturbs ocular exploration but not pupil reactivity. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:1033243. [DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.1033243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 10/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic has imposed to wear a face mask that may have negative consequences for social interactions despite its health benefits. A lot of recent studies focused on emotion recognition of masked faces, as the mouth is, with the eyes, essential to convey emotional content. However, none have studied neurobehavioral and neurophysiological markers of masked faces perception, such as ocular exploration and pupil reactivity. The purpose of this eye tracking study was to quantify how wearing a facial accessory, and in particular a face mask, affected the ocular and pupillary response to a face, emotional or not.MethodsWe used videos of actors wearing a facial accessory to characterize the visual exploration and pupillary response in several occlusion (no accessory, sunglasses, scarf, and mask) and emotional conditions (neutral, happy, and sad) in a population of 44 adults.ResultsWe showed that ocular exploration differed for face covered with an accessory, and in particular a mask, compared to the classical visual scanning pattern of a non-covered face. The covered areas of the face were less explored. Pupil reactivity seemed only slightly affected by the mask, while its sensitivity to emotions was observed even in the presence of a facial accessory.DiscussionThese results suggest a mixed impact of the mask on attentional capture and physiological adjustment, which does not seem to be reconcilable with its strong effect on behavioral emotional recognition previously described.
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Gomez A, Lio G, Costa M, Sirigu A, Demily C. Dissociation of early and late face-related processes in autism spectrum disorder and Williams syndrome. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2022; 17:244. [PMID: 35733166 PMCID: PMC9215067 DOI: 10.1186/s13023-022-02395-6] [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: 11/09/2021] [Accepted: 06/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Williams syndrome (WS) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental conditions associated with atypical but opposite face-to-face interactions patterns: WS patients overly stare at others, ASD individuals escape eye contact. Whether these behaviors result from dissociable visual processes within the occipito-temporal pathways is unknown. Using high-density electroencephalography, multivariate signal processing algorithms and a protocol designed to identify and extract evoked activities sensitive to facial cues, we investigated how WS (N = 14), ASD (N = 14) and neurotypical subjects (N = 14) decode the information content of a face stimulus. Results We found two neural components in neurotypical participants, both strongest when the eye region was projected onto the subject's fovea, simulating a direct eye contact situation, and weakest over more distant regions, reaching a minimum when the focused region was outside the stimulus face. The first component peaks at 170 ms, an early signal known to be implicated in low-level face features. The second is identified later, 260 ms post-stimulus onset and is implicated in decoding salient face social cues. Remarkably, both components were found distinctly impaired and preserved in WS and ASD. In WS, we could weakly decode the 170 ms signal based on our regressor relative to facial features, probably due to their relatively poor ability to process faces’ morphology, while the late 260 ms component was highly significant. The reverse pattern was observed in ASD participants who showed neurotypical like early 170 ms evoked activity but impaired late evoked 260 ms signal. Conclusions Our study reveals a dissociation between WS and ASD patients and points at different neural origins for their social impairments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Gomez
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France. .,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France. .,Lyon Neuroscience Research Center (CRNL), Inserm U1028, CNRS UMR5292, UCBL1, UJM, Lyon, France.
| | - Guillaume Lio
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France.,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France.,Reference Center for Rare Diseases With Psychiatric Phenotype Génopsy, Le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France.,iMIND Excellence Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Lyon, France
| | - Manuela Costa
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France.,Laboratory for Clinical Neuroscience, Center for Biomedical Technology, University Politécnica de Madrid, Madrid, Spain
| | - Angela Sirigu
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France.,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France.,Reference Center for Rare Diseases With Psychiatric Phenotype Génopsy, Le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France
| | - Caroline Demily
- Institut Des Sciences, Cognitives Marc Jeannerod, Centre National de La Recherche Scientifique, 67 boulevard Pinel, 69500, Bron, France. .,Claude Bernard University Lyon, Lyon, France. .,Reference Center for Rare Diseases With Psychiatric Phenotype Génopsy, Le Vinatier Hospital, Bron, France. .,iMIND Excellence Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Lyon, France.
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Polet K, Hesse S, Morisot A, Kullmann B, Louchart de la Chapelle S, Pesce A, Iakimova G. Eye-gaze Strategies During Facial Emotion Recognition in Neurodegenerative Diseases and Links With Neuropsychiatric Disorders. Cogn Behav Neurol 2022; 35:14-31. [PMID: 35239596 DOI: 10.1097/wnn.0000000000000288] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Accepted: 03/31/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Facial emotion recognition (FER) is primarily and severely impaired in individuals with the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD) and is often mildy impaired in individuals with Alzheimer disease (AD) or Parkinson disease (PD). Such impairment is associated with inappropriate social behaviors. OBJECTIVE To determine whether FER impairment is linked to the use of inappropriate eye-gaze strategies to decode facial emotions, leading to misinterpretation of others' intentions and then to behavioral disorders. METHOD We assessed FER in 9 individuals with bvFTD, 23 with AD, and 20 with PD, as well as 22 healthy controls (HC), using the Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RME) Test and the Ekman Faces Test. Eye movements (number and duration of fixations) were recorded with an eye-tracking device. Behavior was assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory. RESULTS FER was mildly impaired in the AD and PD groups and severely impaired in the bvFTD group. FER impairment was accompanied by an increase in the number of fixations and a more attracted gaze toward the lower part of one's face. FER impairment and an increase in the number of fixations were positively correlated with behavioral disorders. CONCLUSION Our study demonstrated a link between FER impairment, modification of eye-gaze strategies during the observation of emotional faces, and behavioral disorders in individuals with bvFTD and those with AD or PD. These results suggest that an eye-gaze strategy rehabilitation program could have beneficial effects on emotion recognition and behavioral disorders in individuals with these diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kévin Polet
- Clinical Research Unit-Memory Clinic Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco
| | - Solange Hesse
- Clinical Research Unit-Memory Clinic Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco
| | - Adeline Morisot
- Clinical Research Unit-Memory Clinic Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco
- Public Health Department, Nice Côte d'Azur University, University Hospital Center of Nice, Nice, France
| | - Benoît Kullmann
- Clinical Research Unit-Memory Clinic Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco
- Bibliographic Research Association for Neurosciences, Nice, France
| | | | - Alain Pesce
- Clinical Research Unit-Memory Clinic Princess Grace Hospital, Monaco
| | - Galina Iakimova
- Laboratory of Clinical, Cognitive, and Social Anthropology and Psychology, Nice Côte d'Azur University, Nice, France
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Leung FYN, Sin J, Dawson C, Ong JH, Zhao C, Veić A, Liu F. Emotion recognition across visual and auditory modalities in autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2021.101000] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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13
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Bagherzadeh-Azbari S, Lau GKB, Ouyang G, Zhou C, Hildebrandt A, Sommer W, Lui M. Multimodal Evidence of Atypical Processing of Eye Gaze and Facial Emotion in Children With Autistic Traits. Front Hum Neurosci 2022; 16:733852. [PMID: 35242018 PMCID: PMC8886727 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2022.733852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
According to the shared signal hypothesis (SSH) the impact of facial expressions on emotion processing partially depends on whether the gaze is directed toward or away from the observer. In autism spectrum disorder (ASD) several aspects of face processing have been found to be atypical, including attention to eye gaze and the identification of emotional expressions. However, there is little research on how gaze direction affects emotional expression processing in typically developing (TD) individuals and in those with ASD. This question is investigated here in two multimodal experiments. Experiment 1 required processing eye gaze direction while faces differed in emotional expression. Forty-seven children (aged 9-12 years) participated. Their Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) scores ranged from 0 to 6 in the experiment. Event-related potentials (ERPs) were sensitive to gaze direction and emotion, but emotion processing did not depend on gaze direction. However, for angry faces the gaze direction effect on the N170 amplitude, as typically observed in TD individuals, diminished with increasing ADOS score. For neutral expressions this correlation was not significant. Experiment 2 required explicit emotion classifications in a facial emotion composite task while eye gaze was manipulated incidentally. A group of 22 children with ASD was compared to a propensity score-matched group of TD children (mean age = 13 years). The same comparison was carried out for a subgroup of nine children with ASD who were less trained in social cognition, according to clinician's report. The ASD group performed overall worse in emotion recognition than the TD group, independently of emotion or gaze direction. However, for disgust expressions, eye tracking data revealed that TD children fixated relatively longer on the eyes of the stimulus face with a direct gaze as compared with averted gaze. In children with ASD we observed no such modulation of fixation behavior as a function of gaze direction. Overall, the present findings from ERPs and eye tracking confirm the hypothesis of an impaired sensitivity to gaze direction in children with ASD or elevated autistic traits, at least for specific emotions. Therefore, we conclude that multimodal investigations of the interaction between emotional processing and stimulus gaze direction are promising to understand the characteristics of individuals differing along the autism trait dimension.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Gilbert Ka Bo Lau
- Center for Child Development, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Guang Ouyang
- Faculty of Education, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Changsong Zhou
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Beijing-Hong Kong-Singapore Joint Centre for Nonlinear and Complex Systems, Institute of Computational and Theoretical Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Andrea Hildebrandt
- Department of Psychology and Research Center Neurosensory Science, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany
| | - Werner Sommer
- Department of Psychology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Department of Physics, Centre for Nonlinear Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Psychology, Zhejiang Normal University, Jinhua, China
| | - Ming Lui
- Center for Child Development, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Education Studies, Hong Kong Baptist University, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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14
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Pazhoohi F, Forby L, Kingstone A. Facial masks affect emotion recognition in the general population and individuals with autistic traits. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0257740. [PMID: 34591895 PMCID: PMC8483373 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0257740] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Facial expressions, and the ability to recognize these expressions, have evolved in humans to communicate information to one another. Face masks are equipment used in healthcare by health professionals to prevent the transmission of airborne infections. As part of the social distancing efforts related to COVID-19, wearing facial masks has been practiced globally. Such practice might influence affective information communication among humans. Previous research suggests that masks disrupt expression recognition of some emotions (e.g., fear, sadness or neutrality) and lower the confidence in their identification. To extend the previous research, in the current study we tested a larger and more diverse sample of individuals and also investigated the effect of masks on perceived intensity of expressions. Moreover, for the first time in the literature we examined these questions using individuals with autistic traits. Specifically, across three experiments using different populations (college students and general population), and the 10-item Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ-10; lower and higher scorers), we tested the effect of facial masks on facial emotion recognition of anger, disgust, fear, happiness, sadness, and neutrality. Results showed that the ability to identify all facial expressions decreased when faces were masked, a finding observed across all three studies, contradicting previous research on fear, sad, and neutral expressions. Participants were also less confident in their judgements for all emotions, supporting previous research; and participants perceived emotions as less expressive in the mask condition compared to the unmasked condition, a finding novel to the literature. An additional novel finding was that participants with higher scores on the AQ-10 were less accurate and less confident overall in facial expression recognition, as well as perceiving expressions as less intense. Our findings reveal that wearing face masks decreases facial expression recognition, confidence in expression identification, as well as the perception of intensity for all expressions, affecting high-scoring AQ-10 individuals more than low-scoring individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farid Pazhoohi
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Leilani Forby
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Alan Kingstone
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
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15
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Ma X, Gu H, Zhao J. Atypical gaze patterns to facial feature areas in autism spectrum disorders reveal age and culture effects: A meta-analysis of eye-tracking studies. Autism Res 2021; 14:2625-2639. [PMID: 34542246 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/17/2021] [Revised: 08/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often present with atypical gaze patterns to others' faces, a finding substantiated throughout the literature. Yet, a quantification of atypical gaze patterns to different facial regions (e.g., eyes versus mouth) in ASD remains controversial. Also few study has investigated how age and culture impacted the pattern of gaze abnormalities in ASD. This research therefore conducted a meta-analysis of eye-tracking studies to evaluate age and culture effect on atypical gaze patterns of face processing in ASD. A total of 75 articles (91 studies) and 4209 individuals (ASD: 2027; controls: 2182) across all age ranges (i.e., childhood through to adulthood) from both Eastern and Western cultures were included in this meta-analysis. Individuals with ASD yielded shorter fixation durations to the eyes than individuals without ASD. Group differences in the time spent fixating on the eyes were not modulated by age, but affected by culture. Effect size in the eastern culture was larger than that in the western culture. In contrast, group differences on time spent looking at the mouth were not significant, but changed with age and modulated by culture. Relative to the neurotypical controls, Western individuals with ASD spent more time looking at the mouth from school age, whereas Eastern individuals with ASD did not gaze longer on mouth until adulthood. These results add to the body of evidence supporting atypical gaze behaviors to eyes in ASD and provide new insights into a potential mouth compensation strategy that develops with age in ASD. LAY SUMMARY: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show atypical gaze patterns when looking at others' faces compared to neurotypical individuals. This paper examines the role of age and culture on pattern of gaze abnormalities in individuals with ASD. Results show that reduction of gaze on eyes in ASD is stable across all ages and cultures, while increase of gaze on mouth emerges as individuals with ASD get older. The findings provide a developmental insight to the gaze patterns on the autism spectrum across culture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xue'er Ma
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Shaanxi Provincial Key Research Center of Child Mental and Behavioral Health, Xi'an, China
| | - Haixia Gu
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Shaanxi Provincial Key Research Center of Child Mental and Behavioral Health, Xi'an, China
| | - Jingjing Zhao
- School of Psychology, Shaanxi Normal University, Shaanxi Provincial Key Research Center of Child Mental and Behavioral Health, Xi'an, China
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16
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Nagy E, Prentice L, Wakeling T. Atypical Facial Emotion Recognition in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Exploratory Analysis on the Role of Task Demands. Perception 2021; 50:819-833. [PMID: 34428977 PMCID: PMC8438782 DOI: 10.1177/03010066211038154] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
People with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have difficulty with socio-emotional functioning; however, research on facial emotion recognition (FER) remains inconclusive. Individuals with ASD might be using atypical compensatory mechanisms that are exhausted in more complex tasks. This study compared response accuracy and speed on a forced-choice FER task using neutral, happy, sad, disgust, anger, fear and surprise expressions under both timed and non-timed conditions in children with and without ASD (n = 18). The results showed that emotion recognition accuracy was comparable in the two groups in the non-timed condition. However, in the timed condition, children with ASD were less accurate in identifying anger and surprise compared to children without ASD. This suggests that people with ASD have atypical processing of anger and surprise that might become challenged under time pressure. Understanding these atypical processes, and the environmental factors that challenge them, could be beneficial in supporting socio-emotional functioning in people ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emese Nagy
- 3042Psychology, School of Social Sciences, The University of Dundee, UK
| | - Louise Prentice
- 3042Psychology, School of Social Sciences, The University of Dundee, UK
| | - Tess Wakeling
- 3042Psychology, School of Social Sciences, The University of Dundee, UK
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17
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Federico G, Ferrante D, Marcatto F, Brandimonte MA. How the fear of COVID-19 changed the way we look at human faces. PeerJ 2021; 9:e11380. [PMID: 33987036 PMCID: PMC8088764 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.11380] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Accepted: 04/09/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Do we look at persons currently or previously affected by COVID-19 the same way as we do with healthy ones? In this eye-tracking study, we investigated how participants (N = 54) looked at faces of individuals presented as "COVID-19 Free", "Sick with COVID-19", or "Recovered from COVID-19". Results showed that participants tend to look at the eyes of COVID-19-free faces longer than at those of both COVID-19-related faces. Crucially, we also found an increase of visual attention for the mouth of the COVID-19-related faces, possibly due to the threatening characterisation of such area as a transmission vehicle for SARS-CoV-2. Thus, by detailing how people dynamically changed the way of looking at faces as a function of the perceived risk of contagion, we provide the first evidence in the literature about the impact of the pandemic on the most basic level of social interaction.
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18
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Morel-Kohlmeyer S, Thillay A, Roux S, Amado I, Brenugat L, Carteau-Martin I, Danset-Alexandre C, Gaudelus B, Graux J, Peyroux E, Prost Z, Krebs MO, Franck N, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Houy-Durand E. When Alterations in Social Cognition Meet Subjective Complaints in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evaluation With the "ClaCoS" Battery. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12:643551. [PMID: 34512407 PMCID: PMC8426662 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.643551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Deficit in social communication is a core feature in Autism Spectrum Disorder but remains poorly assessed in classical clinical practice, especially in adult populations. This gap between needs and practice is partly due to a lack of standardized evaluation tools. The multicentric Research group in psychiatry GDR3557 (Institut de Psychiatrie) developed a new battery for social cognitive evaluation named "ClaCoS," which allows testing the main components of social cognition: Emotion Recognition, Theory of Mind, Attributional Style, and Social Perception and Knowledge. It further provides an assessment of subjective complaints in social cognition. Methods: We compared the social cognition abilities of 45 adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder without intellectual disability and 45 neurotypically developed volunteers using the "ClaCoS" battery, in order to determine its relevance in the evaluation of social cognition impairments in autism. A correlational approach allowed us to test the links between subjective complaints and objectively measured impairments for the different components of social cognition. Results: As expected, the Autism Spectrum Disorder group showed deficits in all four components of social cognition. Moreover, they reported greater subjective complaints than controls regarding their social abilities, correlated to the neuropsychological assessments. Conclusion: The "ClaCoS" battery is an interesting tool allowing to assess social impairments in autism and to specify the altered components, for a better adjustment of tailored social cognition training programs. Our results further suggest that people with Autism Spectrum Disorder have a good social cognitive insight, i.e., awareness into social cognitive functioning, and may thus benefit from social cognitive training tools.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shasha Morel-Kohlmeyer
- Centre Universitaire de Pédopsychiatrie, CHRU de Tours, Centre d'Excellence Autisme et Troubles du Neuro-développement-Tours exac.t, Tours, France.,UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France.,Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France
| | - Alix Thillay
- Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France.,Se Rétablir 37, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Sylvie Roux
- UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France
| | - Isabelle Amado
- Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France.,GHU-Site Sainte Anne, Paris, France.,Centre Ressource de Remédiation Cognitive et Réhabilitation Psychosociale, île de France, Paris, France
| | - Lindsay Brenugat
- Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France.,GHU-Site Sainte Anne, Paris, France.,Centre Ressource de Remédiation Cognitive et Réhabilitation Psychosociale, île de France, Paris, France
| | | | - Charlotte Danset-Alexandre
- Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France.,Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire PEPIT, GHU Psychiatrie et Neurosciences - Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, France.,Inserm Institut Paris Neurosciences et Psychiatrie (IPNP)-UMR 1266, Paris, France
| | - Baptiste Gaudelus
- Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France.,Centre Ressource de Réhabilitation Psychosociale, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bron, France
| | - Jérôme Graux
- UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France.,Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France.,Se Rétablir 37, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Elodie Peyroux
- Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France.,Centre Ressource de Réhabilitation Psychosociale, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bron, France.,Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire ADIS, CRMR GénoPsy, Centre d'Excellence Autisme et Troubles du Neurodéveloppement iMind, Lyon, France
| | - Zelda Prost
- Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France.,Centre Ressource de Réhabilitation Psychosociale, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bron, France.,Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire ADIS, CRMR GénoPsy, Centre d'Excellence Autisme et Troubles du Neurodéveloppement iMind, Lyon, France.,Dispositif de Soins de Réhabilitation Psycho-Sociale, Centre Psychothérapique de l'Ain, Bourg-en-Bresse, France
| | - Marie-Odile Krebs
- Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France.,Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire PEPIT, GHU Psychiatrie et Neurosciences - Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, France.,Inserm Institut Paris Neurosciences et Psychiatrie (IPNP)-UMR 1266, Paris, France
| | - Nicolas Franck
- Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France.,Centre Ressource de Réhabilitation Psychosociale, Centre Hospitalier Le Vinatier, Bron, France.,UMR 5229 CNRS & Université Lyon 1, Lyon, France
| | - Frédérique Bonnet-Brilhault
- Centre Universitaire de Pédopsychiatrie, CHRU de Tours, Centre d'Excellence Autisme et Troubles du Neuro-développement-Tours exac.t, Tours, France.,UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France.,Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France
| | - Emmanuelle Houy-Durand
- Centre Universitaire de Pédopsychiatrie, CHRU de Tours, Centre d'Excellence Autisme et Troubles du Neuro-développement-Tours exac.t, Tours, France.,UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France.,Institut de Psychiatrie (CNRS GDR 3557), groupe de travail ≪ Cognition ≫, Paris, France
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19
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Clin E, Maes P, Stercq F, Kissine M. No preference for direct versus averted gaze in autistic adults: a reinforced preferential looking paradigm. Mol Autism 2020; 11:91. [PMID: 33208193 PMCID: PMC7672906 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00398-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background With the overarching objective to gain better insights into social attention in autistic adults, the present study addresses three outstanding issues about face processing in autism. First, do autistic adults display a preference for mouths over eyes; second, do they avoid direct gaze; third, is atypical visual exploration of faces in autism mediated by gender, social anxiety or alexithymia? Methods We used a novel reinforced preferential looking paradigm with a group of autistic adults (n = 43, 23 women) pairwise matched on age with neurotypical participants (n = 43, 21 women). Participants watched 28 different pairs of 5 s video recordings of a speaking person: the two videos, simultaneously displayed on the screen, were identical except that gaze was directed at the camera in one video and averted in the other. After a 680 ms transition phase, a short reinforcement animation appeared on the side that had displayed the direct gaze. Results None of the groups showed a preference for mouths over eyes. However, neurotypical participants fixated significantly more the stimuli with direct gaze, while no such preference emerged in autistic participants. As the experiment progressed, neurotypical participants also increasingly anticipated the appearance of the reinforcement, based on the location of the stimulus with the direct gaze, while no such anticipation emerged in autistic participants. Limitations Our autistic participants scored higher on the social anxiety and alexithymia questionnaires than neurotypicals. Future studies should match neurotypical and autistic participants on social anxiety and alexithymia and complement questionnaires with physiological measures of anxiety. Conclusions The absence of preference for direct versus averted gaze in the autistic group is probably due to difficulties in distinguishing eye gaze direction, potentially linked to a reduced spontaneous exploration or avoidance of the eye region. Social attention and preference for direct versus averted gaze correlated with alexithymia and social anxiety scores, but not gender.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elise Clin
- ACTE at LaDisco and ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F. D. Roosevelt, 50/175, 1050, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Pauline Maes
- ACTE at LaDisco and ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F. D. Roosevelt, 50/175, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Fanny Stercq
- ACTE at LaDisco and ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F. D. Roosevelt, 50/175, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Mikhail Kissine
- ACTE at LaDisco and ULB Neuroscience Institute, Université libre de Bruxelles, Avenue F. D. Roosevelt, 50/175, 1050, Brussels, Belgium
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20
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Qiao Y, Hu Q, Xuan R, Guo Q, Ge Y, Chen H, Zhu C, Ji G, Yu F, Wang K, Zhang L. High-definition transcranial direct current stimulation facilitates emotional face processing in individuals with high autistic traits: A sham-controlled study. Neurosci Lett 2020; 738:135396. [PMID: 32961273 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The deficit in emotional face processing is a critical impairment for individuals with high autistic traits. The temporalparietal junction(TPJ) is considered to be closely related to emotional face processing. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of highdefinition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) over the right temporal-parietal junction (rTPJ) on facial emotion processing of individuals with high autistic traits using eye-tracking technology. Twenty-nine participants with high autistic traits completed an eyetracking task (including happy, fearful and neutral faces) before and after five consecutive days of stimulation (anodal or sham). Results showed that anodal HD-tDCS significantly increased fixation time and fixation count in the mouth area, but this effect was not found after the sham stimulation. Moreover, this increased effect of mouth recognition with anodal rTPJ HD-tDCS was shown in both happy and fearful faces, but no remarkable difference was found in neutral faces. These findings suggest that right TPJ anodal HD-tDCS can facilitate emotional face processing in individuals with high autistic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuxi Qiao
- Department of Medical Psychology, Chaohu Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Qian Hu
- Department of Medical Psychology, Chaohu Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Rongrong Xuan
- Department of Medical Psychology, Chaohu Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Qianhui Guo
- Department of Medical Psychology, Chaohu Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Yuqi Ge
- Department of First Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Han Chen
- Department of First Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Chunyan Zhu
- Department of Medical Psychology, Chaohu Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Gongjun Ji
- Department of Medical Psychology, Chaohu Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Fengqiong Yu
- Department of Medical Psychology, Chaohu Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China
| | - Kai Wang
- Department of Medical Psychology, Chaohu Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Department of Neurology, First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
| | - Lei Zhang
- Department of Medical Psychology, Chaohu Clinical Medical College, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China; Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei 230032, China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Anhui Medical University, Hefei 230032, China.
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21
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Differences in the Late Positive Potential and P300 to Emotional Faces in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2020; 49:5009-5022. [PMID: 31486998 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-04207-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Despite evidence suggesting differences in early event-related potential (ERP) responses to social emotional stimuli, little is known about later stage ERP contributions to social emotional processing in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Adults with and without ASD completed a facial emotion recognition task involving stimuli that varied by emotional intensity while electroencephalograms were recorded. Principal components analysis was used to examine P300 and late positive potential (LPP) modulation by emotional intensity. Results indicated that greater ASD symptomatology evinced heightened P300 to high relative to low intensity faces, then heightened LPP to low relative to high intensity faces. Findings suggest that adults with greater ASD symptomatology may demonstrate a lag in engagement in elaborative processing of low intensity faces.
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22
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Reynolds RM, Novotny E, Lee J, Roth D, Bente G. Ambiguous Bodies: The Role of Displayed Arousal in Emotion [Mis]Perception. JOURNAL OF NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10919-019-00312-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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23
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Sadria M, Karimi S, Layton AT. Network centrality analysis of eye-gaze data in autism spectrum disorder. Comput Biol Med 2019; 111:103332. [PMID: 31276943 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2019.103332] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2019] [Revised: 06/17/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2019] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
Individuals suffering from autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit impaired social communication, the manifestations of which include abnormal eye contact and gaze. In this study, we first seek to characterize the spatial and temporal attributes of this atypical eye gaze. To achieve that goal, we analyze and compare eye-tracking data of ASD and typical development (TD) children. A fixation time analysis indicates that ASD children exhibit a distinct gaze pattern when looking at faces, spending significantly more time at the mouth and less at the eyes, compared with TD children. Another goal of this study is to identify an analytic approach that can better reveal differences between the face scanning patterns of ASD and TD children. Face scanning involves transitioning from one area of interest (AOI) to another and is not taken into account by the traditional fixation time analysis. Instead, we apply four network analysis approaches that measure the "importance" of a given AOI: degree centrality, betweenness centrality, closeness centrality, and eigenvector centrality. Degree centrality and eignevector centrality yield statistically significant difference in the mouth and right eye, respectively, between the ASD and TD groups, whereas betweenness centrality reveals statistically significant between-group differences in four AOIs. Closeness centrality yields statistically meaningful differences in three AOIs, but those differences are negligible. Thus, our results suggest that betweenness centrality is the most effective network analysis approach in distinguishing the eye gaze patterns between ASD and TD children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mehrshad Sadria
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada.
| | - Soroush Karimi
- Department of Physics, Shahid Beheshti University, G.C, Evin, Tehran, 19839, Iran
| | - Anita T Layton
- Department of Applied Mathematics, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada; Department of Biology and School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, N2L 3G1, Canada
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24
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Król ME, Król M. A novel machine learning analysis of eye-tracking data reveals suboptimal visual information extraction from facial stimuli in individuals with autism. Neuropsychologia 2019; 129:397-406. [PMID: 31071324 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2019.04.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2019] [Revised: 04/24/2019] [Accepted: 04/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
We propose a new method of quantifying the utility of visual information extracted from facial stimuli for emotion recognition. The stimuli are convolved with a Gaussian fixation distribution estimate, revealing more information in those facial regions the participant fixated on. Feeding this convolution to a machine-learning emotion recognition algorithm yields an error measure (between actual and predicted emotions) reflecting the quality of extracted information. We recorded the eye-movements of 21 participants with autism and 23 age-, sex- and IQ-matched typically developing participants performing three facial analysis tasks: free-viewing, emotion recognition, and brow-mouth width comparison. In the emotion recognition task, fixations of participants with autism were positioned on lower areas of the faces and were less focused on the eyes compared to the typically developing group. Additionally, the utility of information extracted by them in the emotion recognition task was lower. Thus, the emotion recognition deficit typical in autism can be at least partly traced to the earliest stage of face processing, i.e. to the extraction of visual information via eye-fixations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Magdalena Ewa Król
- Wrocław Faculty of Psychology, SWPS University of Social Sciences and Humanities in Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland.
| | - Michał Król
- School of Social Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
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25
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Gurtner LM, Bischof WF, Mast FW. Recurrence quantification analysis of eye movements during mental imagery. J Vis 2019; 19:17. [PMID: 30699229 DOI: 10.1167/19.1.17] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Several studies demonstrated similarities of eye fixations during mental imagery and visual perception but-to our knowledge-the temporal characteristics of eye movements during imagery have not yet been considered in detail. To fill this gap, the same data is analyzed with conventional spatial techniques such as analysis of areas of interest (AOI), ScanMatch, and MultiMatch and with recurrence quantification analysis (RQA), a new way of analyzing gaze data by tracking re-fixations and their temporal dynamics. Participants viewed and afterwards imagined three different kinds of pictures (art, faces, and landscapes) while their eye movements were recorded. While fixation locations during imagery were related to those during perception, participants returned more often to areas they had previously looked at during imagery and their scan paths were more clustered and more repetitive when compared to visual perception. Furthermore, refixations of the same area occurred sooner after initial fixation during mental imagery. The results highlight not only content-driven spatial similarities between imagery and perception but also shed light on the processes of mental imagery maintenance and interindividual differences in these processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilla M Gurtner
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Walter F Bischof
- Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, Vancouver BC, Canada
| | - Fred W Mast
- Department of Psychology, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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26
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Gica S, Poyraz BC, Gulec H. Are emotion recognition deficits in patients with schizophrenia states or traits? A 6-month follow-up study. Indian J Psychiatry 2019; 61:45-52. [PMID: 30745653 PMCID: PMC6341926 DOI: 10.4103/psychiatry.indianjpsychiatry_307_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Patients with schizophrenia were found to be less successful at emotion recognition tasks (ERTs) than healthy individuals. There is a debate surrounding whether this deficit is permanent or temporary. The current study aims to assess how emotion recognition skills are affected by treatment processes and during the course of the disease and also to determine the relation of this change with clinical assessment scales, other cognitive functions, and quantitative electroencephalography (QEEG). MATERIALS AND METHODS Twenty-four inpatients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia have been included in the study. Patients were assessed before beginning clozapine and 6 months later. During both assessments, clinical evaluation scales (Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and Global Assessment of Functioning), Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) for schizophrenia which is used for assessment of cognitive functions were used. Electroencephalography (EEG) monitorings were performed only once before treatment. In this study, CANTAB ERT was used for emotion recognition. RESULTS There was no statistically significant change in the emotion recognition when the first and final ERTs were compared. There was a moderately positive relationship between emotional recognition and functioning (r = 0.65, P < 0.05). Cognitive functions such as visual memory, attention, flexible thinking, and planning were found to be in correlation with emotion recognition. Furthermore, slow waves such as delta and theta activities obtained from frontal, temporoparietal, and occipital regions were associated with emotion recognition. CONCLUSION The current study supports that emotion recognition deficits are long-term stable features of schizophrenia, slow-wave electrical activity in the frontal, temporoparietal, and occipital areas in QEEG, and cognitive functions such as visual memory, attention, flexible thinking, and planning are found to be correlated with emotion recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakir Gica
- Department of Psychiatry, Bakirkoy Prof. Dr. Mazhar Osman Mental Health and Neurological Disease Training and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Burc Cagri Poyraz
- Department of Psychiatry, Cerrahpasa Faculty of Medicine, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey
| | - Huseyin Gulec
- Department of Psychiatry, Erenkoy Mental Health and Neurological Disease Trainig and Research Hospital, Istanbul, Turkey
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27
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Lynch G. Using Pupillometry to Assess the Atypical Pupillary Light Reflex and LC-NE System in ASD. Behav Sci (Basel) 2018; 8:E108. [PMID: 30469373 PMCID: PMC6262612 DOI: 10.3390/bs8110108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2018] [Revised: 11/11/2018] [Accepted: 11/18/2018] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
With recent advances in technology, there has been growing interest in use of eye-tracking and pupillometry to assess the visual pathway in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Within emerging literature, an atypical pupillary light reflex (PLR) has been documented, holding potential for use as a clinical screening biomarker for ASD. This review outlines dominant theories of neuropathology associated with ASD and integrates underlying neuroscience associated with the atypical PLR through a reciprocal model of brainstem involvement and cortical underconnectivity. This review draws from animal models of ASD demonstrating disruption of cranial motor nuclei and brain imaging studies examining arousal and the influence of the locus coeruleus norepinephrine (LC-NE) system on the pupillary response. Pupillometry methods are explained in relation to existing data examining the PLR in ASD and pupillary parameters of constriction latency and tonic pupil diameter as key parameters for investigation. This focused review provides preliminary data toward future work developing pupillometry metrics and offers direction for studies aimed at rigorous study replication using pupillometry with the ASD population. Experimental conditions and testing protocol for capturing pupil parameters with this clinical population are discussed to promote clinical research and translational application.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgina Lynch
- Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University, Spokane, WA 99210-1495, USA.
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28
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Bours CCAH, Bakker-Huvenaars MJ, Tramper J, Bielczyk N, Scheepers F, Nijhof KS, Baanders AN, Lambregts-Rommelse NNJ, Medendorp P, Glennon JC, Buitelaar JK. Emotional face recognition in male adolescents with autism spectrum disorder or disruptive behavior disorder: an eye-tracking study. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2018; 27:1143-1157. [PMID: 29922873 PMCID: PMC6133091 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-018-1174-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2017] [Accepted: 05/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD), and Conduct Disorder (CD) are often associated with emotion recognition difficulties. This is the first eye-tracking study to examine emotional face recognition (i.e., gazing behavior) in a direct comparison of male adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder, and typically developing (TD) individuals. We also investigate the role of psychopathic traits, callous-unemotional (CU) traits, and subtypes of aggressive behavior in emotional face recognition. A total of 122 male adolescents (N = 50 ASD, N = 44 ODD/CD, and N = 28 TD) aged 12-19 years (M = 15.4 years, SD= 1.9) were included in the current study for the eye-tracking experiment. Participants were presented with neutral and emotional faces using a Tobii 1750 eye-tracking monitor to record gaze behavior. Our main dependent eye-tracking variables were: (1) fixation duration to the eyes of a face and (2) time to the first fixation to the eyes. Since distributions of eye-tracking variables were not completely Gaussian, non-parametric tests were chosen to investigate gaze behavior across the diagnostic groups with Autism Spectrum Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder, and Typically Developing individuals. Furthermore, we used Spearman correlations to investigate the links with psychopathy, callous, and unemotional traits and subtypes of aggression as assessed by questionnaires. The relative total fixation duration to the eyes was decreased in both the Autism Spectrum Disorder group and the Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder group for several emotional expressions. In both the Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Oppositional Defiant Disorder/Conduct Disorder group, increased time to first fixation on the eyes of fearful faces only was nominally significant. The time to first fixation on the eyes was nominally correlated with psychopathic traits and proactive aggression. The current findings do not support strong claims for differential cross-disorder eye-gazing deficits and for a role of shared underlying psychopathic traits, callous-unemotional traits, and aggression subtypes. Our data provide valuable and novel insights into gaze timing distributions when looking at the eyes of a fearful face.
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Affiliation(s)
- C C A H Bours
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands.
| | - M J Bakker-Huvenaars
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - J Tramper
- Centre for Cognition, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - N Bielczyk
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - F Scheepers
- Brain Center Rudolf Magnus, UMC Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - K S Nijhof
- Pluryn, Hoenderloo, The Netherlands
- Department of Developmental Psychology, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - A N Baanders
- Stichting Otto Gerhard Heldring, Zetten, The Netherlands
| | - N N J Lambregts-Rommelse
- Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychiatry, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - P Medendorp
- Centre for Cognition, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - J C Glennon
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - J K Buitelaar
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
- Karakter Child and Adolescent Psychiatry University Centre Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
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29
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Zhou C, Jiang T, Zhu L. Direct Gaze Blurs Self-Other Boundaries. The Journal of General Psychology 2018; 145:280-295. [PMID: 30152731 DOI: 10.1080/00221309.2018.1469465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
Abstract
Self-other merging can arise not only between acquainted people but also between strangers. To date, the factors determining self-other merging between strangers remain to be elucidated. We investigate whether strangers' facial appearance (i.e. gaze direction) modulates such initial processes of self-other merging. In the two experiments, participants viewed strangers' faces whose gaze either directed to or averted from them. The extent of self-other merging was measured in terms of perception of face resemblance, Inclusion of the Other in the Self (IOS) scale, and correlations of personality judgments. We found that direct gaze blurred the self-other boundaries at both facial and conceptual levels. Participants felt a stranger who directly gazed at them to be closer and more similar to themselves about face and personality.
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30
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Morel A, Peyroux E, Leleu A, Favre E, Franck N, Demily C. Overview of Social Cognitive Dysfunctions in Rare Developmental Syndromes With Psychiatric Phenotype. Front Pediatr 2018; 6:102. [PMID: 29774207 PMCID: PMC5943552 DOI: 10.3389/fped.2018.00102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2017] [Accepted: 03/27/2018] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Rare neurodevelopmental syndromes often present social cognitive deficits that may underlie difficulties in social interactions and increase the risk of psychosis or autism spectrum disorders. However, little is known regarding the specificities of social cognitive impairment across syndromes while it remains a major challenge for the care. Our review provides an overview of social cognitive dysfunctions in rare diseases associated with psychiatric symptoms (with a prevalence estimated between 1 in 1,200 and 1 in 25,000 live births: 22q11.2 deletion syndrome, Angelman syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, Prader-Willi syndrome, Rett syndrome, Smith-Magenis syndrome, Turner syndrome, and Williams syndrome) and shed some light on the specific mechanisms that may underlie these skills in each clinical presentation. We first detail the different processes included in the generic expression "social cognition" before summarizing the genotype, psychiatric phenotype, and non-social cognitive profile in each syndrome. Then, we offer a systematic review of the social cognitive abilities and the disturbed mechanisms they are likely associated with. We followed the PRISMA process, including the definition of the relevant search terms, the selection of studies based on clear inclusion, and exclusion criteria and the quality appraisal of papers. We finally provide insights that may have considerable influence on the development of adapted therapeutic interventions such as social cognitive training (SCT) therapies specifically designed to target the psychiatric phenotype. The results of this review suggest that social cognition impairments share some similarities across syndromes. We propose that social cognitive impairments are strongly involved in behavioral symptoms regardless of the overall cognitive level measured by intelligence quotient. Better understanding the mechanisms underlying impaired social cognition may lead to adapt therapeutic interventions. The studies targeting social cognition processes offer new thoughts about the development of specific cognitive training programs, as they highlight the importance of connecting neurocognitive and SCT techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aurore Morel
- Scientific Brain Training, Reference Center for Rare Diseases GénoPsy, CH Le Vinatier, UMR 5229, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Lyon, France
| | - Elodie Peyroux
- Reference Center for Rare Diseases GénoPsy, SUR/CL3R: Service Universitaire de Réhabilitation, CH Le Vinatier, UMR 5229, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Lyon, France
| | - Arnaud Leleu
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l'Alimentation, AgroSup Dijon, INRA, Université Bourgogne Franche-Comté, CNRS, Dijon, France
| | - Emilie Favre
- Reference Center for Rare Diseases GénoPsy, CH Le Vinatier, UMR 5229, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Lyon, France
| | - Nicolas Franck
- Centre ressource de réhabilitation psychosociale et de remédiation cognitive, CH Le Vinatier, Lyon et UMR 5229 (CNRS and Université Lyon), Lyon, France
| | - Caroline Demily
- Reference Center for Rare Diseases GénoPsy, CH Le Vinatier, UMR 5229, Université Lyon 1, CNRS, Lyon, France
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31
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Cygan HB, Okuniewska H, Jednoróg K, Marchewka A, Wypych M, Nowicka A. Face processing in a case of high functioning autism with developmental prosopagnosia. Acta Neurobiol Exp (Wars) 2018. [DOI: 10.21307/ane-2018-011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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32
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Lee CSC, Lam SHF, Tsang STK, Yuen CMC, Ng CKM. The Effectiveness of Technology-Based Intervention in Improving Emotion Recognition Through Facial Expression in People with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systematic Review. REVIEW JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s40489-017-0125-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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33
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Libertus K, Landa RJ, Haworth JL. Development of Attention to Faces during the First 3 Years: Influences of Stimulus Type. Front Psychol 2017; 8:1976. [PMID: 29204130 PMCID: PMC5698271 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2017] [Accepted: 10/27/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The development of attention toward faces was explored during the first 3 years of life in 54 children aged between 3 and 36 months. In contrast to previous research, attention to faces was assessed using both static images and a dynamic video sequence in the same participants. Separate analyses at each age and exploratory longitudinal analyses indicate a preference for faces during the first year, followed by a decline during the second year. These results suggest that attention to faces does not follow a linear increasing pattern over development, and that social attention patterns are influenced by stimulus characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klaus Libertus
- Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, United States
| | - Rebecca J. Landa
- Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, MD, United States
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States
| | - Joshua L. Haworth
- Science & Learning Center, Whittier College, Whittier, CA, United States
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34
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Black MH, Chen NT, Iyer KK, Lipp OV, Bölte S, Falkmer M, Tan T, Girdler S. Mechanisms of facial emotion recognition in autism spectrum disorders: Insights from eye tracking and electroencephalography. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 80:488-515. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.06.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 122] [Impact Index Per Article: 17.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2016] [Revised: 05/07/2017] [Accepted: 06/30/2017] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
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35
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Fedor J, Lynn A, Foran W, DiCicco-Bloom J, Luna B, O'Hearn K. Patterns of fixation during face recognition: Differences in autism across age. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2017; 22:866-880. [PMID: 28782371 DOI: 10.1177/1362361317714989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Difficulties with face recognition increase from adolescence to adulthood in autism, reflecting a lack of typical late development. We examined whether this reflects differences in the development of patterns of fixation to eyes and mouths during face recognition. Children, adolescents, and adults (aged 7-30) with and without autism completed the Cambridge Face Memory Test while gaze was recorded. Average duration and number of fixations were calculated for eyes and mouth regions of interest, defined individually for each face image in the task. All groups and age groups made more and longer fixations to eyes than mouths. However, during face memorization, typically developing children and adults, but not adolescents, made more fixations to eyes than did their peers with autism. During face recognition, typically developing children and adults made shorter fixations on mouths than did their peers with autism; this pattern was reversed in adolescence, with adolescents with autism making more fixations to mouths than typically developing adolescents. Results suggest that group differences in patterns of fixations to faces change with age. Furthermore, different relationships between patterns of fixations and face recognition performance in typical development and autism suggest that these differences contribute, at least in part, to difficulties in autism.
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36
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Jung W, Kang JG, Jeon H, Shim M, Sun Kim J, Leem HS, Lee SH. Neural correlates of the eye dominance effect in human face perception: the left-visual-field superiority for faces revisited. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2017; 12:1342-1350. [PMID: 28379584 PMCID: PMC5597872 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsx056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2016] [Accepted: 04/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Faces are processed best when they are presented in the left visual field (LVF), a phenomenon known as LVF superiority. Although one eye contributes more when perceiving faces, it is unclear how the dominant eye (DE), the eye we unconsciously use when performing a monocular task, affects face processing. Here, we examined the influence of the DE on the LVF superiority for faces using event-related potentials. Twenty left-eye-dominant (LDE group) and 23 right-eye-dominant (RDE group) participants performed the experiments. Face stimuli were randomly presented in the LVF or right visual field (RVF). The RDE group exhibited significantly larger N170 amplitudes compared with the LDE group. Faces presented in the LVF elicited N170 amplitudes that were significantly more negative in the RDE group than they were in the LDE group, whereas the amplitudes elicited by stimuli presented in the RVF were equivalent between the groups. The LVF superiority was maintained in the RDE group but not in the LDE group. Our results provide the first neural evidence of the DE’s effects on the LVF superiority for faces. We propose that the RDE may be more biologically specialized for face processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wookyoung Jung
- Clinical Emotion and Cognition Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Inje University, Goyang 10380, Korea
| | - Joong-Gu Kang
- Clinical Emotion and Cognition Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Inje University, Goyang 10380, Korea.,Department of Optometry, Eulji University, Seongnam 13135, Korea
| | - Hyeonjin Jeon
- Clinical Emotion and Cognition Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Inje University, Goyang 10380, Korea
| | - Miseon Shim
- Clinical Emotion and Cognition Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Inje University, Goyang 10380, Korea.,Department of Biomedical Engineering, Hanyang University, Seoul 04763, Korea
| | - Ji Sun Kim
- Clinical Emotion and Cognition Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Inje University, Goyang 10380, Korea
| | - Hyun-Sung Leem
- Department of Optometry, Eulji University, Seongnam 13135, Korea
| | - Seung-Hwan Lee
- Clinical Emotion and Cognition Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry, Inje University, Goyang 10380, Korea.,Department of Psychiatry, Ilsan Paik Hospital, College of Medicine, Inje University, Goyang 10380, Korea
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37
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Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairment in social communication and restricted and repetitive interests. While not included in the diagnostic characterization, aspects of face processing and learning have shown disruptions at all stages of development in ASD, although the exact nature and extent of the impairment vary by age and level of functioning of the ASD sample as well as by task demands. In this review, we examine the nature of face attention, perception, and learning in individuals with ASD focusing on three broad age ranges (early development, middle childhood, and adolescence/adulthood). We propose that early delays in basic face processing contribute to the atypical trajectory of social communicative skills in individuals with ASD and contribute to poor social learning throughout development. Face learning is a life-long necessity, as the social world of individual only broadens with age, and thus addressing both the source of the impairment in ASD as well as the trajectory of ability throughout the lifespan, through targeted treatments, may serve to positively impact the lives of individuals who struggle with social information and understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sara Jane Webb
- University of Washington, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science
- Seattle Children’s Research Institute (SCRI), Center on Child Health, Behavior and Development (CHBD)
| | | | - Susan Faja
- Harvard University
- Boston Children’s Hospital
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38
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Davis J, McKone E, Zirnsak M, Moore T, O'Kearney R, Apthorp D, Palermo R. Social and attention-to-detail subclusters of autistic traits differentially predict looking at eyes and face identity recognition ability. Br J Psychol 2017; 108:191-219. [PMID: 26988108 DOI: 10.1111/bjop.12188] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/24/2015] [Revised: 12/20/2015] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
This study distinguished between different subclusters of autistic traits in the general population and examined the relationships between these subclusters, looking at the eyes of faces, and the ability to recognize facial identity. Using the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) measure in a university-recruited sample, we separate the social aspects of autistic traits (i.e., those related to communication and social interaction; AQ-Social) from the non-social aspects, particularly attention-to-detail (AQ-Attention). We provide the first evidence that these social and non-social aspects are associated differentially with looking at eyes: While AQ-Social showed the commonly assumed tendency towards reduced looking at eyes, AQ-Attention was associated with increased looking at eyes. We also report that higher attention-to-detail (AQ-Attention) was then indirectly related to improved face recognition, mediated by increased number of fixations to the eyes during face learning. Higher levels of socially relevant autistic traits (AQ-Social) trended in the opposite direction towards being related to poorer face recognition (significantly so in females on the Cambridge Face Memory Test). There was no evidence of any mediated relationship between AQ-Social and face recognition via reduced looking at the eyes. These different effects of AQ-Attention and AQ-Social suggest face-processing studies in Autism Spectrum Disorder might similarly benefit from considering symptom subclusters. Additionally, concerning mechanisms of face recognition, our results support the view that more looking at eyes predicts better face memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Davis
- Research School of Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Elinor McKone
- Research School of Psychology, and ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Marc Zirnsak
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, California, USA
| | - Tirin Moore
- Department of Neurobiology, Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford University, California, USA
| | - Richard O'Kearney
- Research School of Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Deborah Apthorp
- Research School of Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Romina Palermo
- Research School of Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.,ARC Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders, and School of Psychology, University of Western Australia, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
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39
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Åsberg Johnels J, Hovey D, Zürcher N, Hippolyte L, Lemonnier E, Gillberg C, Hadjikhani N. Autism and emotional face-viewing. Autism Res 2016; 10:901-910. [DOI: 10.1002/aur.1730] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2016] [Revised: 09/12/2016] [Accepted: 10/15/2016] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jakob Åsberg Johnels
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Center, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg; Sweden
- Section of speech and language pathology; Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg; Sweden
| | - Daniel Hovey
- Department of Pharmacology; Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg; Gothenburg Sweden
| | - Nicole Zürcher
- Harvard Medical School/MGH/MIT, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging; Boston USA
| | - Loyse Hippolyte
- Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois; Lausanne Switzerland
| | - Eric Lemonnier
- Centre Resources Autisme; Limoges France
- Laboratoire de Neurosciences, UBO; Brest France
| | - Christopher Gillberg
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Center, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg; Sweden
| | - Nouchine Hadjikhani
- Gillberg Neuropsychiatry Center, Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg; Sweden
- Harvard Medical School/MGH/MIT, Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging; Boston USA
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40
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Investigating the genetic basis of attention to facial expressions: the role of the norepinephrine transporter gene. Psychiatr Genet 2016; 26:266-271. [PMID: 27541794 DOI: 10.1097/ypg.0000000000000146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Levels of norepinephrine (NE) in the brain are related to attention ability in animals and risk of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in humans. Given the modulation of the norepinephrine transporter (NET) on NE levels in the brain and the link between NE and attention impairment of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, it was possible that the NET gene underpinned individual differences in attention processes in healthy populations. METHODS To investigate to what extent NET could modulate one's attention orientation to facial expressions, we categorized individuals according to the genotypes of the -182 T/C (rs2242446) polymorphism and measured individuals' attention orientation with the spatial cueing task. RESULTS Our results indicated that the -182 T/C polymorphism significantly modulated attention orientation to facial expressions, of which the CC genotype facilitated attention reorientation to the locations where cued faces were previously presented. However, this polymorphism showed no significant effects on the regulations of emotional cues on attention orientation. CONCLUSION Our findings suggest that the NET gene modulates the individual difference in attention to facial expressions, which provides new insights into the roles of NE in social interactions.
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Cheng Y, Luo SY, Lin HC, Yang CS. Investigating mobile emotional learning for children with autistic spectrum disorders. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2016; 64:25-34. [PMID: 34141288 PMCID: PMC8115545 DOI: 10.1080/20473869.2016.1206729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Realizing facial expression is likely to be one of the earliest facilitators of social engagement, and it is a core deficit for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to build social relationship. Mobile learning creates the possibility of a learning environment and visual stimuli that can adapt its informal learning contexts to improve recognizing emotions for people with ASD. This study adopted features of mobile learning to help the realization of facial expression for the ASD. The proposed 3D Complex Facial Expression Recognition (3CFER) system was developed to help the deficit in facial expressions for this population. This study therefore, explored how children with ASD performed realizing facial expression using the 3CFER system; and how the phenomena of using the learning system for people with ASD performs. Participants (n = 24, 16 males and 8 females, m = 11.3 years old) were randomly assigned to either a control or an experimental group, and were involved with the pre-and post-test sessions. The control was not engaged in the system-treatment; and the experimental undertook the system-operation. The result showed that the experimental had great improvement in realizing facial expression compared with control, and surprise and shyness were mostly easy to be identified for them. The performance of using mobile learning system was promising well. However, the informal experience of recognizing facial expression in different social contexts was meaningful learning for this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yufang Cheng
- Department of Industrial Education and Technology, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Shu-yun Luo
- Department of Industrial Education and Technology, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Hsin-chieh Lin
- Department of Industrial Education and Technology, National Changhua University of Education, Changhua, Taiwan, Republic of China
| | - Chung-Sung Yang
- Department of Applied Chemistry, National Chia Yi University, Chiayi, Taiwan, Republic of China
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Chita-Tegmark M. Attention Allocation in ASD: a Review and Meta-analysis of Eye-Tracking Studies. REVIEW JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s40489-016-0077-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Lin PI, Hsieh CD, Juan CH, Hossain MM, Erickson CA, Lee YH, Su MC. Predicting Aggressive Tendencies by Visual Attention Bias Associated with Hostile Emotions. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0149487. [PMID: 26901770 PMCID: PMC4763877 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0149487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2015] [Accepted: 02/02/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
The goal of the current study is to clarify the relationship between social information processing (e.g., visual attention to cues of hostility, hostility attribution bias, and facial expression emotion labeling) and aggressive tendencies. Thirty adults were recruited in the eye-tracking study that measured various components in social information processing. Baseline aggressive tendencies were measured using the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ). Visual attention towards hostile objects was measured as the proportion of eye gaze fixation duration on cues of hostility. Hostility attribution bias was measured with the rating results for emotions of characters in the images. The results show that the eye gaze duration on hostile characters was significantly inversely correlated with the AQ score and less eye contact with an angry face. The eye gaze duration on hostile object was not significantly associated with hostility attribution bias, although hostility attribution bias was significantly positively associated with the AQ score. Our findings suggest that eye gaze fixation time towards non-hostile cues may predict aggressive tendencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ping-I Lin
- Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Cheng-Da Hsieh
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Chi-Hung Juan
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
| | - Md Monir Hossain
- Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Craig A. Erickson
- Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, Ohio, United States of America
| | - Yang-Han Lee
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Tamkang University, New Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Mu-Chun Su
- Department of Computer Science and Information Engineering, National Central University, Taoyuan, Taiwan
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Linz C, Gerdes ABM, Meyer-Marcotty P, Müller-Richter U, Böhm H, Ernestus RI, Kübler A, Alpers GW, Schweitzer T. Perception of children's faces with unilateral coronal synostosis--an eye-tracking investigation. Childs Nerv Syst 2016; 32:135-41. [PMID: 26231563 DOI: 10.1007/s00381-015-2798-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2015] [Accepted: 06/19/2015] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Premature unilateral coronal craniosynostosis results in distinctive cranial and facial abnormalities of varying severity, including orbital dystopia and an abnormal head shape. As the face is affected, these children may encounter stigmatization. To avoid this scenario, many parents elect for their child to undergo surgical correction. Laypeople's perception of children with either untreated or treated unilateral coronal craniosynostosis (UCS) has not yet been objectively evaluated. METHODS This study introduces eye tracking as an objective instrument in order to evaluate the perception of 14 children with coronal synostosis, both pre- and postoperatively. Age-matched healthy children served as a control group. Using standardized photos, the involuntary eye movements and the fixations of 30 unaffected laypeople were evaluated. RESULTS In the untreated children, whose faces were characterized by striking orbital dystopia, the eyes drew more attention than those of the healthy children. The results of our study demonstrate that the operative correction of unilateral coronal synostosis results in the normalization of the asymmetry of the fronto-orbital region, whereas the C-shaped deformity of the midface, which is not addressed via surgery, subsequently attracts more attention. CONCLUSION Eye tracking objectively evaluates both the perception of craniofacial abnormalities and the extent of the approximation of normality after surgical correction. We introduce eye tracking as an objective measurement tool for craniofacial abnormalities for the first time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian Linz
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, 97070, Würzburg, Germany.
| | - Antje B M Gerdes
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | | | - Urs Müller-Richter
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, 97070, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Hartmut Böhm
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, 97070, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Ralf-Ingo Ernestus
- Department of Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Alexander Kübler
- Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Plastic Surgery, University Hospital of Würzburg, Pleicherwall 2, 97070, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Georg W Alpers
- Department of Psychology, School of Social Sciences, University of Mannheim, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Tilmann Schweitzer
- Department of Neurosurgery, Section of Pediatric Neurosurgery, University Hospital of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
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Aguillon-Hernandez N, Roché L, Bonnet-Brilhault F, Roux S, Barthelemy C, Martineau J. Eye Movement Monitoring and Maturation of Human Face Exploration. Med Princ Pract 2016; 25:548-554. [PMID: 27347673 PMCID: PMC5588732 DOI: 10.1159/000447971] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2015] [Accepted: 06/26/2016] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to characterize ocular exploration of neutral and emotional faces in the typical development of a child. SUBJECTS AND METHOD In this eye-tracking study, visual exploration of faces (with neutral or emotional expressions: happiness or sadness) was characterized in a population of 52 children (24 girls and 28 boys from 4 to 15 years of age) and 44 adults (22 women and 22 men from 18 to 35 years of age). The time spent on the eyes, nose and mouth of the faces was measured. RESULTS All participants spent more time on the eyes (13%) rather than the nose and mouth (6%). The youngest participants spent less time exploring the eyes than the older participants, suggesting the progressive establishment of interest in these informative regions of the face during maturation. This process seemed to occur later in females (7-9 years) than males (4-6 years). CONCLUSION These results confirm the importance of the eye area and the capacity of this region to capture attention. In addition, this study shows that the exploration of this region increases with age and is lower among girls aged 4-6 years compared with boys of the same age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadia Aguillon-Hernandez
- Unité Mixte de Recherche, Inserm U 930, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
- Université François-Rabelais de Tours, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
- *Dr. Nadia Aguillon-Hernandez, UMR Inserm U 930, Imagerie et Cerveau, Equipe 1 −− 'Autisme', Université François-Rabelais de Tours, Bâtiment B1A, Bretonneau, CHRU, FR−−37044 Tours Cedex 9 (France), E-Mail
| | - Laëtitia Roché
- Université François-Rabelais de Tours, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Frédérique Bonnet-Brilhault
- Unité Mixte de Recherche, Inserm U 930, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
- Université François-Rabelais de Tours, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
- Service de Pédopsychiatrie, Hôpital Bretonneau, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Sylvie Roux
- Unité Mixte de Recherche, Inserm U 930, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
- Université François-Rabelais de Tours, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Catherine Barthelemy
- Unité Mixte de Recherche, Inserm U 930, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
- Université François-Rabelais de Tours, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
- Service de Pédopsychiatrie, Hôpital Bretonneau, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
| | - Joëlle Martineau
- Unité Mixte de Recherche, Inserm U 930, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
- Université François-Rabelais de Tours, CHRU de Tours, Tours, France
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Villani D, Morganti F, Cipresso P, Ruggi S, Riva G, Gilli G. Visual exploration patterns of human figures in action: an eye tracker study with art paintings. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1636. [PMID: 26579021 PMCID: PMC4620395 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01636] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/06/2015] [Accepted: 10/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Art exploration is a complex process conditioned by factors at different levels and includes both basic visual principles and complex cognitive factors. The human figure is considered a critical factor attracting the attention in art painting. Using an eye-tracking methodology, the goal of this study was to explore different elements of the human figure performing an action (face and body parts in action) in complex social scenes characterized by different levels of social interaction between agents depicted in scenes (individual vs. social). The sample included 44 laypersons, and the stimuli consisted of 10 fine art paintings representing the figurative style of classical art. The results revealed different scanning patterns of the human figure elements related to the level of social interaction of agents depicted in the scene. The agents’ face attracted eye movements in social interaction scenes while the agents’ body parts attracted eye movements only when the agents were involved in individual actions. These processes were confirmed specifically in participants with high empathic abilities who became immediately fixated on faces to develop a mimetic engagement with other agents. Future studies integrating other measures would help confirm the results obtained and strengthen their implication for embodiment processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniela Villani
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano, Italy
| | - Francesca Morganti
- Dipartimento di Scienze Umane e Sociali, Università di Bergamo Bergamo, Italy
| | - Pietro Cipresso
- Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, Istituto Auxologico Italiano - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Milano, Italy
| | - Simona Ruggi
- Unità di Ricerca in Psicologia dell'Arte, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Riva
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano, Italy ; Applied Technology for Neuro-Psychology Lab, Istituto Auxologico Italiano - Istituto di Ricovero e Cura a Carattere Scientifico Milano, Italy
| | - Gabriella Gilli
- Unità di Ricerca in Psicologia dell'Arte, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore Milano, Italy
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Abstract
Visual scanning of faces in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has been intensively studied using eye-tracking technology. However, most of studies have relied on the same analytic approach based on the quantification of fixation time, which may have failed to reveal some important features of the scanning strategies employed by individuals with ASD. In the present study, we examined the scanning of faces in a group of 20 preschoolers with ASD and their typically developing (TD) peers, using both classical fixation time approach and a new developed approach based on transition matrices and network analysis. We found between group differences in the eye region in terms of fixation time, with increased right eye fixation time for the ASD group and increased left eye fixation time for the TD group. Our complementary network approach revealed that the left eye might play the role of an anchor in the scanning strategies of TD children but not in that of children with ASD. In ASD, fixation time on the different facial parts was almost exclusively dependent on exploratory activity. Our study highlights the importance of developing innovative measures that bear the potential of revealing new properties of the scanning strategies employed by individuals with ASD.
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48
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Sacco R, Lintas C, Persico AM. Autism genetics: Methodological issues and experimental design. SCIENCE CHINA-LIFE SCIENCES 2015; 58:946-57. [PMID: 26335734 DOI: 10.1007/s11427-012-4315-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Autism is a complex neuropsychiatric disorder of developmental origin, where multiple genetic and environmental factors likely interact resulting in a clinical continuum between "affected" and "unaffected" individuals in the general population. During the last two decades, relevant progress has been made in identifying chromosomal regions and genes in linkage or association with autism, but no single gene has emerged as a major cause of disease in a large number of patients. The purpose of this paper is to discuss specific methodological issues and experimental strategies in autism genetic research, based on fourteen years of experience in patient recruitment and association studies of autism spectrum disorder in Italy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberto Sacco
- Department of Child Neuropsychiatry and Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, University "Campus Bio-Medico", Rome, I-00128, Italy.,Department of Experimental Neurosciences, I.R.C.C.S. "Fondazione Santa Lucia", Rome, I-00143, Italy
| | - Carla Lintas
- Department of Child Neuropsychiatry and Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, University "Campus Bio-Medico", Rome, I-00128, Italy.,Department of Experimental Neurosciences, I.R.C.C.S. "Fondazione Santa Lucia", Rome, I-00143, Italy
| | - Antonio M Persico
- Department of Child Neuropsychiatry and Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, University "Campus Bio-Medico", Rome, I-00128, Italy. .,Department of Experimental Neurosciences, I.R.C.C.S. "Fondazione Santa Lucia", Rome, I-00143, Italy.
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Brief Report: Patterns of Eye Movements in Face to Face Conversation are Associated with Autistic Traits: Evidence from a Student Sample. J Autism Dev Disord 2015; 46:305-314. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2546-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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50
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Amestoy A, Guillaud E, Bouvard MP, Cazalets JR. Developmental changes in face visual scanning in autism spectrum disorder as assessed by data-based analysis. Front Psychol 2015; 6:989. [PMID: 26236264 PMCID: PMC4503892 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00989] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2015] [Accepted: 06/29/2015] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present reduced visual attention to faces. However, contradictory conclusions have been drawn about the strategies involved in visual face scanning due to the various methodologies implemented in the study of facial screening. Here, we used a data-driven approach to compare children and adults with ASD subjected to the same free viewing task and to address developmental aspects of face scanning, including its temporal patterning, in healthy children, and adults. Four groups (54 subjects) were included in the study: typical adults, typically developing children, and adults and children with ASD. Eye tracking was performed on subjects viewing unfamiliar faces. Fixations were analyzed using a data-driven approach that employed spatial statistics to provide an objective, unbiased definition of the areas of interest. Typical adults expressed a spatial and temporal strategy for visual scanning that differed from the three other groups, involving a sequential fixation of the right eye (RE), left eye (LE), and mouth. Typically developing children, adults and children with autism exhibited similar fixation patterns and they always started by looking at the RE. Children (typical or with ASD) subsequently looked at the LE or the mouth. Based on the present results, the patterns of fixation for static faces that mature from childhood to adulthood in typical subjects are not found in adults with ASD. The atypical patterns found after developmental progression and experience in ASD groups appear to remain blocked in an immature state that cannot be differentiated from typical developmental child patterns of fixation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anouck Amestoy
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charles Perrens Hospital, Université de Bordeaux, BordeauxFrance
- CNRS UMR 5287, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d’Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, BordeauxFrance
| | - Etienne Guillaud
- CNRS UMR 5287, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d’Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, BordeauxFrance
| | - Manuel P. Bouvard
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Charles Perrens Hospital, Université de Bordeaux, BordeauxFrance
- CNRS UMR 5287, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d’Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, BordeauxFrance
| | - Jean-René Cazalets
- CNRS UMR 5287, Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d’Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, BordeauxFrance
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