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Lee JP, Chang YH, Tseng YL, Chou TL, Chien YL. Pupillary response during social emotion tasks in autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2024. [PMID: 39096024 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3206] [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] [Received: 02/04/2024] [Accepted: 07/22/2024] [Indexed: 08/04/2024]
Abstract
Autistic individuals encounter challenges in recognizing emotional expressions of others. Pupillary response has been proposed as an indicator of arousal dysregulation or cognitive load. The pupillary response of autistic individuals during socio-affective tasks remains unclear. This study investigated pupillary response in autistic adults when viewing emotional faces/eyes and recognizing emotions during the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and watching interpersonal touch scenes in the social touch task. The study included 98 participants diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and 37 typically developing controls (TD). Pupil size was measured using the Tobii X2-30 Eye Tracker. The results showed that autistic adults had larger maximal pupil sizes, smaller minimal pupil sizes, and greater change rates of pupil size, particularly during the RMET Eyes task. Clinical correlations revealed that attention switching difficulty positively correlated with mean pupil size in TD participants, while social communication deficits positively correlated with mean pupil size in autistic participants. In conclusion, our findings suggest atypical pupillary responses in autistic adults during socio-affective tasks, indicating heightened cognitive demand. Further investigation is necessary to understand the underlying mechanisms and their association with autistic traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juei-Po Lee
- Department of Medical Education, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsuan Chang
- College of Public Health, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Li Tseng
- Department of Electrical Engineering, National Sun Yat-Sen University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Tai-Li Chou
- Department of Psychology, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Graduate Institute of Brain and Mind Sciences, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
- Neurobiology and Cognitive Science Center, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ling Chien
- Department of Psychiatry, National Taiwan University Hospital and College of Medicine, Taipei, Taiwan
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2
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Hall SS, Britton TC. Differential Effects of a Behavioral Treatment Probe on Social Gaze Behavior in Fragile X Syndrome and Non-Syndromic Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2024; 54:2719-2732. [PMID: 37142899 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-05919-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to examine potential differences in social learning between individuals with fragile X syndrome (FXS), the leading known inherited cause of intellectual disability, and individuals with non-syndromic autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Thirty school-aged males with FXS and 26 age and symptom-matched males with non-syndromic ASD, were administered a behavioral treatment probe designed to improve levels of social gaze during interactions with others. The treatment probe was administered by a trained behavior therapist over two days in our laboratory and included reinforcement of social gaze in two alternating training conditions - looking while listening and looking while speaking. Prior to each session, children in each group were taught progressive muscle relaxation and breathing techniques to counteract potential increased hyperarousal. Measures included the rate of learning in each group during treatment, in addition to levels of social gaze and heart rate obtained during administration of a standardized social conversation task administered prior to and following the treatment probe. Results showed that learning rates obtained during administration of the treatment probe were significantly less steep and less variable for males with FXS compared to males with non-syndromic ASD. Significant improvements in social gaze were also observed for males with FXS during the social conversation task. There was no effect of the treatment probe on heart rate in either group. These data reveal important differences in social learning between the two groups and have implications for early interventions in the two conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Scott S Hall
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
| | - Tobias C Britton
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
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Rudling M, Nyström P, Bussu G, Bölte S, Falck-Ytter T. Infant responses to direct gaze and associations to autism: A live eye-tracking study. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024; 28:1677-1689. [PMID: 37882485 PMCID: PMC11191372 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231203037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT When other people look directly towards us, we often respond by looking back at them, and such direct-gaze responses are important for establishing eye contact. Atypical eye contact is common in autism, but how and when this aspect of autism develops is not well understood. Here, we studied whether how much and how quickly infants respond to others' direct gaze is associated with autism in toddlerhood. We did this by measuring direct-gaze responses in a playful social interaction using live eye tracking. The study included 169 infants, of whom 129 had an elevated likelihood of developing autism due to having a first-degree family member with the condition, and 40 with typical likelihood of autism. In the elevated likelihood group, 35 were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at 3 years of age, and 94 were not. The results showed that infants in all three groups tended to increase their looking towards the adult's face after the adult looked directly at them. However, neither how much nor how quickly the infants responded to direct gaze by looking back at the adult reliably differentiated the infants with or without subsequent autism. While infants in the elevated likelihood of autism and subsequent diagnosis group tended to look away quicker from faces with direct gaze than infants in the typical likelihood group, this measure did not differentiate between the two elevated likelihood groups. We interpret the results as supporting the view that atypical direct-gaze responses are not early markers of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maja Rudling
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University
| | - Pär Nyström
- Uppsala Child and Babylab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University
| | - Giorgia Bussu
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University
| | - Sven Bölte
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women’s and Children’s Health & Stockholm Health Care Services, Karolinska Institutet & Region Stockholm
- Autism Research Group (CARG), Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm
| | - Terje Falck-Ytter
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University
- Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women’s and Children’s Health & Stockholm Health Care Services, Karolinska Institutet & Region Stockholm
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Wang Y, Cao R, Chakravarthula PN, Yu H, Wang S. Atypical neural encoding of faces in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:172-186. [PMID: 38696606 PMCID: PMC11065108 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2023] [Revised: 02/02/2024] [Accepted: 02/03/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience pervasive difficulties in processing social information from faces. However, the behavioral and neural mechanisms underlying social trait judgments of faces in ASD remain largely unclear. Here, we comprehensively addressed this question by employing functional neuroimaging and parametrically generated faces that vary in facial trustworthiness and dominance. Behaviorally, participants with ASD exhibited reduced specificity but increased inter-rater variability in social trait judgments. Neurally, participants with ASD showed hypo-activation across broad face-processing areas. Multivariate analysis based on trial-by-trial face responses could discriminate participant groups in the majority of the face-processing areas. Encoding social traits in ASD engaged vastly different face-processing areas compared to controls, and encoding different social traits engaged different brain areas. Interestingly, the idiosyncratic brain areas encoding social traits in ASD were still flexible and context-dependent, similar to neurotypicals. Additionally, participants with ASD also showed an altered encoding of facial saliency features in the eyes and mouth. Together, our results provide a comprehensive understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying social trait judgments in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yue Wang
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, 4525 Scott Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States
| | - Runnan Cao
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, 4525 Scott Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States
| | - Puneeth N Chakravarthula
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, 4525 Scott Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States
| | - Hongbo Yu
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, United States
| | - Shuo Wang
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, 4525 Scott Ave, St. Louis, MO 63110, United States
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Heo MQ, English MCW, Maybery MT, Visser TAW. Visuospatial cueing differences as a function of autistic traits. Atten Percept Psychophys 2024; 86:1342-1359. [PMID: 38561567 PMCID: PMC11093807 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-024-02871-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
Atypical orienting of visuospatial attention in autistic individuals or individuals with a high level of autistic-like traits (ALTs) has been well documented and viewed as a core feature underlying the development of autism. However, there has been limited testing of three alternative theoretical positions advanced to explain atypical orienting - difficulty in disengagement, cue indifference, and delay in orienting. Moreover, research commonly has not separated facilitation (reaction time difference between neutral and valid cues) and cost effects (reaction time difference between invalid and neutral cues) in orienting tasks. We addressed these limitations in two experiments that compared groups selected for Low- and High-ALT levels on exogenous and endogenous versions of the Posner cueing paradigm. Experiment 1 showed that High-ALT participants exhibited a significantly reduced cost effect compared to Low-ALT participants in the endogenous cueing task, although the overall orienting effect remained small. In Experiment 2, we increased task difficulty of the endogenous task to augment cueing effects. Results were comparable to Experiment 1 regarding the finding of a reduced cost effect for High-ALT participants on the endogenous cueing task and additionally demonstrated a reduced facilitation effect in High-ALT participants on the same task. No ALT group differences were observed on an exogenous cueing task included in Experiment 2. These findings suggest atypical orienting in High-ALT individuals may be attributable to general cue indifference, which implicates differences in top-down attentional processes between Low- and High-ALT individuals. We discuss how indifference to endogenous cues may contribute to social cognitive differences in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Min Quan Heo
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - Michael C W English
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Murray T Maybery
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Troy A W Visser
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
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Zhao S, Cao R, Lin C, Wang S, Yu H. Differences in the link between social trait judgment and socio-emotional experience in neurotypical and autistic individuals. Sci Rep 2024; 14:5400. [PMID: 38443486 PMCID: PMC10915137 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-56005-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/29/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024] Open
Abstract
Neurotypical (NT) individuals and individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) make different judgments of social traits from others' faces; they also exhibit different social emotional responses in social interactions. A common hypothesis is that the differences in face perception in ASD compared with NT is related to distinct social behaviors. To test this hypothesis, we combined a face trait judgment task with a novel interpersonal transgression task that induces measures social emotions and behaviors. ASD and neurotypical participants viewed a large set of naturalistic facial stimuli while judging them on a comprehensive set of social traits (e.g., warm, charismatic, critical). They also completed an interpersonal transgression task where their responsibility in causing an unpleasant outcome to a social partner was manipulated. The purpose of the latter task was to measure participants' emotional (e.g., guilt) and behavioral (e.g., compensation) responses to interpersonal transgression. We found that, compared with neurotypical participants, ASD participants' self-reported guilt and compensation tendency was less sensitive to our responsibility manipulation. Importantly, ASD participants and neurotypical participants showed distinct associations between self-reported guilt and judgments of criticalness from others' faces. These findings reveal a novel link between perception of social traits and social emotional responses in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shangcheng Zhao
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Runnan Cao
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Chujun Lin
- Department of Psychology, University of California San Diego, San Diego, CA, 92093, USA
| | - Shuo Wang
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA
| | - Hongbo Yu
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, 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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Wang J, Cao R, Chakravarthula PN, Li X, Wang S. A critical period for developing face recognition. PATTERNS (NEW YORK, N.Y.) 2024; 5:100895. [PMID: 38370121 PMCID: PMC10873156 DOI: 10.1016/j.patter.2023.100895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2023] [Revised: 11/09/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Face learning has important critical periods during development. However, the computational mechanisms of critical periods remain unknown. Here, we conducted a series of in silico experiments and showed that, similar to humans, deep artificial neural networks exhibited critical periods during which a stimulus deficit could impair the development of face learning. Face learning could only be restored when providing information within the critical period, whereas, outside of the critical period, the model could not incorporate new information anymore. We further provided a full computational account by learning rate and demonstrated an alternative approach by knowledge distillation and attention transfer to partially recover the model outside of the critical period. We finally showed that model performance and recovery were associated with identity-selective units and the correspondence with the primate visual systems. Our present study not only reveals computational mechanisms underlying face learning but also points to strategies to restore impaired face learning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jinge Wang
- Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
| | - Runnan Cao
- Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
| | | | - Xin Li
- Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
- Department of Computer Science, University at Albany, Albany, NY 12222, USA
| | - Shuo Wang
- Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV 26506, USA
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO 63110, USA
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Casartelli L, Maronati C, Cavallo A. From neural noise to co-adaptability: Rethinking the multifaceted architecture of motor variability. Phys Life Rev 2023; 47:245-263. [PMID: 37976727 DOI: 10.1016/j.plrev.2023.10.036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/27/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
In the last decade, the source and the functional meaning of motor variability have attracted considerable attention in behavioral and brain sciences. This construct classically combined different levels of description, variable internal robustness or coherence, and multifaceted operational meanings. We provide here a comprehensive review of the literature with the primary aim of building a precise lexicon that goes beyond the generic and monolithic use of motor variability. In the pars destruens of the work, we model three domains of motor variability related to peculiar computational elements that influence fluctuations in motor outputs. Each domain is in turn characterized by multiple sub-domains. We begin with the domains of noise and differentiation. However, the main contribution of our model concerns the domain of adaptability, which refers to variation within the same exact motor representation. In particular, we use the terms learning and (social)fitting to specify the portions of motor variability that depend on our propensity to learn and on our largely constitutive propensity to be influenced by external factors. A particular focus is on motor variability in the context of the sub-domain named co-adaptability. Further groundbreaking challenges arise in the modeling of motor variability. Therefore, in a separate pars construens, we attempt to characterize these challenges, addressing both theoretical and experimental aspects as well as potential clinical implications for neurorehabilitation. All in all, our work suggests that motor variability is neither simply detrimental nor beneficial, and that studying its fluctuations can provide meaningful insights for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Casartelli
- Theoretical and Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Scientific Institute IRCCS E. MEDEA, Italy
| | - Camilla Maronati
- Move'n'Brains Lab, Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy
| | - Andrea Cavallo
- Move'n'Brains Lab, Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Torino, Italy; C'MoN Unit, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genova, Italy.
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Williams EH, Thompson NM, McCray G, Chakrabarti B. Autistic traits modulate the influence of face masks on gaze perception. Sci Rep 2023; 13:14921. [PMID: 37691074 PMCID: PMC10493222 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-41900-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2023] [Accepted: 08/31/2023] [Indexed: 09/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Detecting when others are looking at us is a crucial social skill. Accordingly, a range of gaze angles is perceived as self-directed; this is termed the "cone of direct gaze" (CoDG). Multiple cues, such as nose and head orientation, are integrated during gaze perception. Thus, occluding the lower portion of the face, such as with face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, may influence how gaze is perceived. Individual differences in the prioritisation of eye-region and non-eye-region cues may modulate the influence of face masks on gaze perception. Autistic individuals, who may be more reliant on non-eye-region directional cues during gaze perception, might be differentially affected by face masks. In the present study, we compared the CoDG when viewing masked and unmasked faces (N = 157) and measured self-reported autistic traits. The CoDG was wider for masked compared to unmasked faces, suggesting that reduced reliability of lower face cues increases the range of gaze angles perceived as self-directed. Additionally, autistic traits positively predicted the magnitude of CoDG difference between masked and unmasked faces. This study provides crucial insights into the effect of face masks on gaze perception, and how they may affect autistic individuals to a greater extent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elin H Williams
- Centre for Autism, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6DZ, UK.
| | - Nicholas M Thompson
- Centre for Autism, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6DZ, UK
- Faculty of Health, Education and Society, University of Northampton, Northampton, UK
| | | | - Bhismadev Chakrabarti
- Centre for Autism, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, RG6 6DZ, UK
- India Autism Centre, Kolkata, India
- Department of Psychology, Ashoka University, Sonipat, India
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Lott-Sandkamp LL, Spengler FB, Heinrichs M. Impairment in reading negative social cues extends beyond the face in autism. J Psychiatr Res 2023; 164:350-356. [PMID: 37399756 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.06.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/28/2022] [Revised: 06/21/2023] [Accepted: 06/23/2023] [Indexed: 07/05/2023]
Abstract
Nonverbal expressions are essential to regulating social communication and interaction. Impaired emotion recognition from facial expressions has been linked to various psychiatric conditions characterized by severe social deficits such as autism. As body expressions as an additional source of social-emotional information have attracted little research attention, little is known about whether emotion recognition impairments are specific to faces, or extend to body expressions. This study explored and compared emotion recognition from face versus body expressions in autism spectrum disorder. We compared 30 men with autism spectrum disorder to 30 male age- and IQ-matched control participants in their ability to recognize angry, happy, and neutral expressions from dynamic face and body expressions. Participants with autism spectrum disorder showed impaired recognition of angry expressions from both faces and bodies, while there were no group differences in recognizing happy and neutral expressions. In autism spectrum disorder, recognizing angry face expressions was inversely predicted by gaze avoidance, while recognizing angry body expressions was inversely predicted by impairments in social interaction and autistic traits. These findings suggest that distinct mechanisms may underlie the impaired emotion recognition from face and body expressions in autism spectrum disorder, respectively. Overall, our study demonstrates that emotion-specific recognition difficulties in autism spectrum disorder are not limited to face expressions but extend to emotional body expressions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lea L Lott-Sandkamp
- Laboratory for Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Strasse 8, 79104, Freiburg, Germany; Laboratory for Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Engelbergerstr. 41, 79106, Freiburg, Germany; Laboratory for Social Neuroscience, Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany
| | - Franny B Spengler
- Laboratory for Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Strasse 8, 79104, Freiburg, Germany; Laboratory for Social Neuroscience, Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany.
| | - Markus Heinrichs
- Laboratory for Biological Psychology, Clinical Psychology, and Psychotherapy, Department of Psychology, University of Freiburg, Stefan-Meier-Strasse 8, 79104, Freiburg, Germany; Laboratory for Social Neuroscience, Freiburg Brain Imaging Center, University Medical Center, Freiburg, Germany.
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Mottron L, Gagnon D. Prototypical autism: New diagnostic criteria and asymmetrical bifurcation model. Acta Psychol (Amst) 2023; 237:103938. [PMID: 37187094 DOI: 10.1016/j.actpsy.2023.103938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2022] [Revised: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023] Open
Abstract
The current "autism spectrum" DSM 5 diagnostic criteria and autism standardized diagnostic instruments promote considerable heterogeneity or clinical indecision and may be detrimental to the advancement of fundamental research on autism mechanisms. To increase clinical specificity and reorient research towards core autistic presentations, we propose new diagnostic criteria for prototypical autism during the age of 2- to 5-years. We include autism within other non-dominant, familiarly aggregated phenomena sharing asymmetrical developmental bifurcations, such as twin pregnancy, left handedness, and breech presentation/delivery. Following this model, nature, trajectory, and positive/negative signs structure of autism would result from the polarized problem of whether or not language and information is processed in a socially biased manner. Prototypical autism would follow a canonical developmental trajectory by which a gradual decline in social bias in the processing of incoming information, overtly beginning at the end of the first year, bifurcates into a prototypical autistic presentation in the second half of the second year of life. This bifurcation event is followed by a plateau, in which these atypicalities show maximal stringency and distinctiveness, and then ultimately, in most cases, by partial normalization. During the plateau period, the orientation towards, and processing of, information is considerably modified, with an absence of bias for social information, contrasting with a high level of interest in complex, unbiased information, independently of its social or non-social nature. Integrating autism into asymmetrical developmental bifurcations would explain the absence of deleterious neurological and genetic markers and the presence of familial transmission in canonical autistic presentations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent Mottron
- Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, University of Montreal, 2900 blvd Edouard-Montpetit, Montreal, Qc H3T 1J4, Canada; CIUSSS-NIM Research Center, Riviere-des-Prairies Hospital, 7070, blvd Perras, Montreal, QC H1E 1A4, Canada.
| | - David Gagnon
- Department of Psychiatry and Addictology, University of Montreal, 2900 blvd Edouard-Montpetit, Montreal, Qc H3T 1J4, Canada; CIUSSS-NIM Research Center, Riviere-des-Prairies Hospital, 7070, blvd Perras, Montreal, QC H1E 1A4, Canada
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13
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Yasin S, Othmani A, Raza I, Hussain SA. Machine learning based approaches for clinical and non-clinical depression recognition and depression relapse prediction using audiovisual and EEG modalities: A comprehensive review. Comput Biol Med 2023; 159:106741. [PMID: 37105109 DOI: 10.1016/j.compbiomed.2023.106741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2022] [Revised: 02/25/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Mental disorders are rapidly increasing each year and have become a major challenge affecting the social and financial well-being of individuals. There is a need for phenotypic characterization of psychiatric disorders with biomarkers to provide a rich signature for Major Depressive Disorder, improving the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying these mental disorders. This comprehensive review focuses on depression and relapse detection modalities such as self-questionnaires, audiovisuals, and EEG, highlighting noteworthy publications in the last ten years. The article concentrates on the literature that adopts machine learning by audiovisual and EEG signals. It also outlines preprocessing, feature extraction, and public datasets for depression detection. The review concludes with recommendations that will help improve the reliability of developed models and the determinism of computational intelligence-based systems in psychiatry. To the best of our knowledge, this survey is the first comprehensive review on depression and relapse prediction by self-questionnaires, audiovisual, and EEG-based approaches. The findings of this review will serve as a useful and structured starting point for researchers studying clinical and non-clinical depression recognition and relapse through machine learning-based approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sana Yasin
- Department of Computer Science, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus Lahore, Pakistan; Department of Computer Science, University of Okara, Okara, Pakistan.
| | - Alice Othmani
- Université Paris-Est Créteil (UPEC), LISSI, Vitry sur Seine, 94400, France.
| | - Imran Raza
- Department of Computer Science, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus Lahore, Pakistan.
| | - Syed Asad Hussain
- Department of Computer Science, COMSATS University Islamabad, Lahore Campus Lahore, Pakistan.
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14
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Wang Y, Peng S, Shao Z, Feng T. Active Viewing Facilitates Gaze to the Eye Region in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2023; 53:1082-1090. [PMID: 35129796 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05462-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have shown reduced attention to the eyes in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, most eye-tracking evidence regarding this impairment has been derived from passive viewing tasks. Here, we compared the passive viewing of faces with an active task involving face identification with morphing faces. While typical controls prioritized the eyes over other facial features regardless of viewing condition, autistic children exhibited reduced eye-looking in passive viewing, but displayed increased attention allocation to the eyes when instructed to identify faces. The proportional eye-looking in ASD during facial recognition was negatively related to the autism symptoms severity. These findings provide evidence regarding the specific situations in which diminished eye-looking may rise in young ASD children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yige Wang
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No.2, Tiansheng RD., Beibei, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Shuai Peng
- Rehabilitation Center for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, The First Branch of Ninth People's Hospital, No.1, Benyue RD., Beibei, Chongqing, 400715, China
| | - Zhi Shao
- Rehabilitation Center for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, The First Branch of Ninth People's Hospital, No.1, Benyue RD., Beibei, Chongqing, 400715, China.
| | - Tingyong Feng
- Faculty of Psychology, Southwest University, No.2, Tiansheng RD., Beibei, Chongqing, 400715, China.
- Key Laboratory of Cognition and Personality, Ministry of Education, Chongqing, China.
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15
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Hustyi KM, Ryan AH, Hall SS. A Scoping Review of Behavioral Interventions for Promoting Social Gaze in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Developmental Disabilities. RESEARCH IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS 2023; 100:102074. [PMID: 36843962 PMCID: PMC9956996 DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2022.102074] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Background Individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) commonly experience difficulties maintaining social gaze with others during interactions. Although behavioral interventions targeted to promote social gaze in ASD are evident in the literature, to our knowledge, no review of the literature has been conducted to summarize and evaluate the evidence for these interventions. Methods We reviewed and summarized behavioral intervention studies designed to promote social gaze in individuals diagnosed with ASD and other developmental disabilities published in English between 1977 and January 2022 using PsychINFO and PubMed databases. Results 41 studies met the inclusion criteria describing interventions conducted on 608 individuals. A variety of intervention strategies were employed to promote social gaze in these individuals including discrete trial instruction, prompting, modeling, and imitation. Most studies employed single-case research designs and reported successful outcomes, but limited data were available concerning the generalization, maintenance and social validity of these interventions. An increasing number of studies utilized technology-based procedures including computer application gameplay, gaze-contingent eye tracking devices and humanoid robots. Conclusions The present review indicates that behavioral interventions can be successfully employed to promote social gaze in individuals with ASD and other developmental disabilities. However, future research is needed to establish the generalization, maintenance and social validity of these interventions. There are also important ethical issues to be addressed given the increasing divide between treatment advocates and proponents of the neurodiversity movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristin M. Hustyi
- LittleStar ABA Therapy, 550 Congressional Boulevard, Suite 220, Carmel, IN 46032
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA 94305-5795
| | - Alexa H. Ryan
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA 94305-5795
| | - Scott S. Hall
- Stanford University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford, CA 94305-5795
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16
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Jónsdóttir LK, Neufeld J, Falck-Ytter T, Kleberg JL. Autistic Children Quickly Orient Away from Both Eyes and Mouths During Face Observation. J Autism Dev Disord 2023; 53:495-502. [PMID: 35138557 PMCID: PMC9889486 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05378-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
Studies have supported two different hypotheses of reduced eye gaze in people with ASD; gaze avoidance and gaze indifference, while less is known about the role of anxiety. We tested these hypotheses using an eye-tracking paradigm that cued the eyes or mouth of emotional faces. Autistic children (n = 12, mean age 7 years) looked faster away from both eyes and mouths than controls (n = 22). This effect was not explained by anxiety symptoms. No difference was found in latency towards either area. These results indicate that attentional avoidance of autistic children is not specific to eyes, and that they do not show attentional indifference to eyes compared to controls. Atypicalities in visual scanning in ASD are possibly unrelated to specific facial areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lilja Kristín Jónsdóttir
- grid.8993.b0000 0004 1936 9457Uppsala Child and Baby Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Box 1225, 751 42 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Janina Neufeld
- grid.4714.60000 0004 1937 0626Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women’s & Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet & Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Terje Falck-Ytter
- grid.4714.60000 0004 1937 0626Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women’s & Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet & Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden ,grid.8993.b0000 0004 1936 9457Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden ,grid.462826.c0000 0004 5373 8869Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Johan Lundin Kleberg
- grid.4714.60000 0004 1937 0626Center for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet & Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden ,grid.4714.60000 0004 1937 0626Department of Molecular Medicine and Surgery, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
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17
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Xue H, Zhang L, Wang J, Liu W, Liu S, Ming D. Dynamic eye avoidance patterns in the high autistic traits group: An eye-tracking study. Front Psychiatry 2023; 14:1086282. [PMID: 37032943 PMCID: PMC10079916 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1086282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2022] [Accepted: 03/01/2023] [Indexed: 04/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Reduced fixation to the eye area is the main characteristic of social deficits associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder; a similar pattern may exist in individuals with high autistic traits. However, their scanning patterns to the eye area of emotional faces are still unclear on the time scale. Methods In the present study, we recruited 46 participants and divided them into the high autistic traits (HAT) group (23 participants) and the low autistic traits (LAT) group (20 participants) based on their Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) scores. Moreover, we captured their eye movement patterns when observing different angular emotional faces. We extracted the proportional fixation time to the eye area under different time windows. Results The results showed that the fixation time of the HAT group was always significantly smaller than that of the LAT group (p < 0.05), and the difference between the two groups increased in the middle and late stages of face presentation. The results of the linear regression analysis showed that the proportional fixation time was negatively correlated with AQ scores (p < 0.05), indicating that the proportional fixation time to the eye area could be a potential indicator to measure the level of autistic traits. We then calculated the latency to orient the eye area and the latency to disengage the eye area to explore the priority of observation of the eyes. The results showed that compared with the LAT group, the HAT group has a longer latency to orient the eye area (p < 0.05) and has longer latency to disengage the eye area (p < 0.05), illustrating that the HAT group saw the eyes more slowly and left them faster.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huiqin Xue
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Ludan Zhang
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Junling Wang
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
| | - Wei Liu
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Children’s Hospital, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- *Correspondence: Wei Liu,
| | - Shuang Liu
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
- Shuang Liu,
| | - Dong Ming
- Academy of Medical Engineering and Translational Medicine, Tianjin University, Tianjin, China
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18
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Wilkinson EH, Britton TC, Hall SS. Examining Phenotypic Differences in Gaze Avoidance Between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Fragile X Syndrome. AMERICAN JOURNAL ON INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2022; 127:435-454. [PMID: 36306410 PMCID: PMC9667749 DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-127.6.435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Accepted: 08/31/2021] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
We examined potential phenotypic differences in eye gaze avoidance exhibited by boys with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and boys with fragile X syndrome (FXS). In Study 1, the Eye Contact Avoidance Scale (ECAS) was administered to caregivers of boys aged 7-18 years with FXS (n = 148), ASD (n = 168), and mixed developmental disabilities (MDD; n = 128). In Study 2, subsets of boys with FXS (n = 31) and boys with ASD (n = 25) received a brief behavioral treatment probe to improve eye contact. Results showed that boys with FXS obtained significantly higher scores on the ECAS compared to boys with ASD and MDD. Exposure to the brief behavioral treatment probe resulted in significant decreases in scores for boys with FXS, but not for boys with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen H Wilkinson
- Ellen H. Wilkinson, Tobias C. Britton, and Scott S. Hall, Stanford University School of Medicine
| | - Tobias C Britton
- Ellen H. Wilkinson, Tobias C. Britton, and Scott S. Hall, Stanford University School of Medicine
| | - Scott S Hall
- Ellen H. Wilkinson, Tobias C. Britton, and Scott S. Hall, Stanford University School of Medicine
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19
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Naples AJ, Foss-Feig JH, Wolf JM, Srihari VH, McPartland JC. Predictability modulates neural response to eye contact in ASD. Mol Autism 2022; 13:42. [PMID: 36309762 PMCID: PMC9618208 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-022-00519-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deficits in establishing and maintaining eye-contact are early and persistent vulnerabilities of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the neural bases of these deficits remain elusive. A promising hypothesis is that social features of autism may reflect difficulties in making predictions about the social world under conditions of uncertainty. However, no research in ASD has examined how predictability impacts the neural processing of eye-contact in naturalistic interpersonal interactions. METHOD We used eye tracking to facilitate an interactive social simulation wherein onscreen faces would establish eye-contact when the participant looked at them. In Experiment One, receipt of eye-contact was unpredictable; in Experiment Two, receipt of eye-contact was predictable. Neural response to eye-contact was measured via the N170 and P300 event-related potentials (ERPs). Experiment One included 23 ASD and 46 typically developing (TD) adult participants. Experiment Two included 25 ASD and 43 TD adult participants. RESULTS When receipt of eye-contact was unpredictable, individuals with ASD showed increased N170 and increased, but non-specific, P300 responses. The magnitude of the N170 responses correlated with measures of sensory and anxiety symptomology, such that increased response to eye-contact was associated with increased symptomology. However, when receipt of eye-contact was predictable, individuals with ASD, relative to controls, exhibited slower N170s and no differences in the amplitude of N170 or P300. LIMITATIONS Our ASD sample was composed of adults with IQ > 70 and included only four autistic women. Thus, further research is needed to evaluate how these results generalize across the spectrum of age, sex, and cognitive ability. Additionally, as analyses were exploratory, some findings failed to survive false-discovery rate adjustment. CONCLUSIONS Neural response to eye-contact in ASD ranged from attenuated to hypersensitive depending on the predictability of the social context. These findings suggest that the vulnerabilities in eye-contact during social interactions in ASD may arise from differences in anticipation and expectation of eye-contact in addition to the perception of gaze alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adam J Naples
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Jennifer H Foss-Feig
- Department of Psychiatry, Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment Mount Sinai Icahn School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA
| | - Julie M Wolf
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Vinod H Srihari
- Department of Psychiatry, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - James C McPartland
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
- Center for Brain and Mind Health, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA.
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20
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Yi L, Wang Q, Song C, Han ZR. Hypo‐ or hyperarousal? The mechanisms underlying social information processing in autism. CHILD DEVELOPMENT PERSPECTIVES 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/cdep.12466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Li Yi
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences & Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health Peking University Beijing China
- IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU Peking University Beijing China
| | - Qiandong Wang
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology Beijing Normal University Beijing China
- Education Research Center for Children with ASD, Faculty of Education Beijing Normal University Beijing China
| | - Ci Song
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences & Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health Peking University Beijing China
| | - Zhuo Rachel Han
- Beijing Key Laboratory of Applied Experimental Psychology, National Demonstration Center for Experimental Psychology Education, Faculty of Psychology Beijing Normal University Beijing China
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21
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Dinishak J, Akhtar N. Integrating autistic perspectives into autism science: A role for autistic autobiographies. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2022; 27:578-587. [PMID: 36081352 DOI: 10.1177/13623613221123731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Autism science faces challenges in how to think about autism and what questions to focus on, and sometimes contributes to stigma against autistic people. We examine one way that non-autistic researchers may start to combat these challenges: by reading and reflecting on autistic people's descriptions of their personal experiences (e.g. autobiographies) of what it is like to be autistic. In this article, we review some of the advantages and challenges of this approach and how it may help combat some of the challenges currently facing autism science by focusing studies on the questions autistic people find most important, counteracting stereotypes, and increasing understanding of autistic experiences.
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22
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Rossion B. Twenty years of investigation with the case of prosopagnosia PS to understand human face identity recognition. Part I: Function. Neuropsychologia 2022; 173:108278. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2022.108278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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23
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Atherton G, Cross L. Reading the mind in cartoon eyes: Comparing human versus cartoon emotion recognition in those with high and low levels of autistic traits. Psychol Rep 2022; 125:1380-1396. [PMID: 33715510 PMCID: PMC9136470 DOI: 10.1177/0033294120988135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
People who have a high degree of autistic traits often underperform on theory of mind tasks such as perspective-taking or facial emotion recognition compared to those with lower levels of autistic traits. However, some research suggests that this may not be the case if the agent they are evaluating is anthropomorphic (i.e. animal or cartoon) rather than typically human. The present studies examined the relation between facial emotion recognition and autistic trait profiles in over 750 adults using either a standard or cartoon version of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes (RME) test. Results showed that those scoring above the clinical cut off for autistic traits on the Autism Quotient performed significantly worse than those with the lowest levels of autistic traits on the standard RME, while scores across these groups did not differ substantially on the cartoon version of the task. These findings add further evidence that theory of mind ability such as facial emotion recognition is not at a global deficit in those with a high degree of autistic traits. Instead, differences in this ability may be specific to evaluating human agents.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gray Atherton
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
| | - Liam Cross
- Department of Psychology, Edge Hill University, Ormskirk, UK
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24
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Cai XE, Le J, Shou XJ, Wu-Yun GW, Wang XX, Han SP, Han JS, Kendrick KM, Zhang R. The salience of competing nonsocial objects reduces gaze toward social stimuli, but not the eyes, more in typically developing than autistic boys. Autism Res 2022; 15:1043-1055. [PMID: 35357777 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2714] [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: 02/19/2021] [Revised: 01/17/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Decreased attention to social information is considered an early emerging symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), although the underlying causes remain controversial. Here we explored the impact of nonsocial object salience on reduced attention to social stimuli in male ASD compared with typically developing (TD) children. Correlations with blood concentrations of neuropeptides linked with social cognition were also investigated. Eye-tracking was performed in 102 preschool-aged boys (50 ASD, 52 TD) using a paradigm with social (faces) versus nonsocial (objects) stimuli presented in pairs in two conditions where nonsocial stimulus salience was varied. Basal oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin concentrations were measured in blood. Compared with TD boys those with ASD viewed social stimuli less only when they were paired with low-salience nonsocial objects. Additionally, boys with ASD spent less time than TD ones viewing facial features, particularly the eyes. In TD boys, OXT concentrations and cognitive development scores were positively associated with time spent viewing the eye region, whereas for boys with ASD associations with time spent viewing faces were negative. Reduced gaze toward social stimuli in ASD relative to TD individuals may therefore be influenced by how salient the paired nonsocial objects are for the latter. On the other hand, reduced interest in the eyes of faces in boys with ASD is not influenced by how salient competing nonsocial stimuli are. Basal OXT concentrations and cognitive development scores are predictive of time spent viewing social stimuli in TD boys (eyes) and those with ASD (faces) but in the opposite direction. LAY SUMMARY: Children with autism exhibit reduced attention to social paired with nonsocial stimuli compared to typically developing children. Using eye-tracking we show this difference is due to typically developing rather than autistic boys being more influenced by how interesting competing nonsocial objects are. On the other hand, reduced time looking at the eyes in autistic relative to typically developing boys is unaffected by nonsocial object salience. Time spent viewing social stimuli is associated with cognitive development and blood levels of oxytocin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-E Cai
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Department of Neurobiology, Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China.,Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jiao Le
- Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiao-Jing Shou
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Department of Neurobiology, Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China.,State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Key Laboratory of Brain Imaging and Connectomics and IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Gao-Wa Wu-Yun
- Department of Preschool Education, Teachers' College of Beijing Union University, Beijing, China
| | - Xiao-Xi Wang
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Department of Neurobiology, Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China.,Institute of Acupuncture and Moxibustion, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Song-Ping Han
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Department of Neurobiology, Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China
| | - Ji-Sheng Han
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Department of Neurobiology, Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Rong Zhang
- Neuroscience Research Institute, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Department of Neurobiology, Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Education, Key Laboratory for Neuroscience, Ministry of Health, Beijing, China.,Autism Research Center, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China.,Department of Integration of Chinese and Western Medicine, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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25
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Yu H, Cao R, Lin C, Wang S. Distinct neurocognitive bases for social trait judgments of faces in autism spectrum disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:104. [PMID: 35292617 PMCID: PMC8924227 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-01870-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2021] [Revised: 02/18/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties in social processes, interactions, and communication. Yet, the neurocognitive bases underlying these difficulties are unclear. Here, we triangulated the 'trans-diagnostic' approach to personality, social trait judgments of faces, and neurophysiology to investigate (1) the relative position of autistic traits in a comprehensive social-affective personality space, and (2) the distinct associations between the social-affective personality dimensions and social trait judgment from faces in individuals with ASD and neurotypical individuals. We collected personality and facial judgment data from a large sample of online participants (N = 89 self-identified ASD; N = 307 neurotypical controls). Factor analysis with 33 subscales of 10 social-affective personality questionnaires identified a 4-dimensional personality space. This analysis revealed that ASD and control participants did not differ significantly along the personality dimensions of empathy and prosociality, antisociality, or social agreeableness. However, the ASD participants exhibited a weaker association between prosocial personality dimensions and judgments of facial trustworthiness and warmth than the control participants. Neurophysiological data also indicated that ASD participants had a weaker association with neuronal representations for trustworthiness and warmth from faces. These results suggest that the atypical association between social-affective personality and social trait judgment from faces may contribute to the social and affective difficulties associated with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hongbo Yu
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA.
| | - Runnan Cao
- Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - Chujun Lin
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH, 03755, USA
| | - Shuo Wang
- Lane Department of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA.
- Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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26
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Lee GT, Tang Y, Xu S. Improving Eye Contact and Gaze Following in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Systematic Withdrawal of Stimulus Prompts and Tangible Reinforcers. Behav Modif 2022; 46:1406-1431. [PMID: 35287481 DOI: 10.1177/01454455211073741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a procedure involving systematic withdrawal of stimulus prompts and tangible reinforcers on the acquisition, maintenance, and generalization of eye contact and gaze following for two children with ASD in China. Two boys with ASD (5-6 years of age) participated. A concurrent multiple probe design across behaviors and participants was used. Results indicate that the procedure effectively established eye contact and gaze following for both children. Generalization to new instructors occurred in the free play setting, and the acquired behaviors were maintained for 1 month following training. Eye contact was maintained with social consequences for one child; the other child required tokens along with social consequences to maintain eye contact. Social consequences were sufficient to maintain gaze following for both children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Yuwei Tang
- Chancheng District Qizhi School, Foshan, Guangdong Province, China
| | - Sheng Xu
- East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,Chongqing Key Laboratory of Psychological Diagnosis and Education Technology for Children with Special Needs, Chongqing, China
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Carnevali L, Gui A, Jones EJH, Farroni T. Face Processing in Early Development: A Systematic Review of Behavioral Studies and Considerations in Times of COVID-19 Pandemic. Front Psychol 2022; 13:778247. [PMID: 35250718 PMCID: PMC8894249 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.778247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Human faces are one of the most prominent stimuli in the visual environment of young infants and convey critical information for the development of social cognition. During the COVID-19 pandemic, mask wearing has become a common practice outside the home environment. With masks covering nose and mouth regions, the facial cues available to the infant are impoverished. The impact of these changes on development is unknown but is critical to debates around mask mandates in early childhood settings. As infants grow, they increasingly interact with a broader range of familiar and unfamiliar people outside the home; in these settings, mask wearing could possibly influence social development. In order to generate hypotheses about the effects of mask wearing on infant social development, in the present work, we systematically review N = 129 studies selected based on the most recent PRISMA guidelines providing a state-of-the-art framework of behavioral studies investigating face processing in early infancy. We focused on identifying sensitive periods during which being exposed to specific facial features or to the entire face configuration has been found to be important for the development of perceptive and socio-communicative skills. For perceptive skills, infants gradually learn to analyze the eyes or the gaze direction within the context of the entire face configuration. This contributes to identity recognition as well as emotional expression discrimination. For socio-communicative skills, direct gaze and emotional facial expressions are crucial for attention engagement while eye-gaze cuing is important for joint attention. Moreover, attention to the mouth is particularly relevant for speech learning. We discuss possible implications of the exposure to masked faces for developmental needs and functions. Providing groundwork for further research, we encourage the investigation of the consequences of mask wearing for infants' perceptive and socio-communicative development, suggesting new directions within the research field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Carnevali
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
| | - Anna Gui
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Emily J. H. Jones
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Teresa Farroni
- Department of Developmental Psychology and Socialization, University of Padua, Padua, Italy
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28
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Sun S, Webster PJ, Wang Y, Yu H, Yu R, Wang S. Reduced Pupil Oscillation During Facial Emotion Judgment in People with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2022; 53:1963-1973. [PMID: 35178651 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-022-05478-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 02/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show abnormal face perception and emotion recognition. However, it remains largely unknown whether these differences are associated with abnormal physiological responses when viewing faces. In this study, we employed a sensitive emotion judgment task and conducted a detailed investigation of pupil dilation/constriction and oscillation in high-functioning adult participants with ASD and matched controls. We found that participants with ASD showed normal pupil constriction to faces; however, they demonstrated reduced pupil oscillation, which was independent of stimulus properties and participants' perception of the emotion. Together, our results have revealed an abnormal physiological response to faces in people with ASD, which may in turn be associated with impaired face perception previously found in many studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sai Sun
- Frontier Research Institute for Interdisciplinary Sciences, Tohoku University, Aoba-6-3 Aramaki, Aoba Ward, Sendai, 980-8578, Japan. .,Research Institute of Electrical Communication, Tohoku University, 2-1-1 Katahira, Aoba Ward, Sendai, 980-8577, Japan.
| | - Paula J Webster
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA
| | - Yu Wang
- Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Hongbo Yu
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, 93106, USA
| | - Rongjun Yu
- Department of Management, School of Business, Hong Kong Baptist University, HKSAR, Kowloon Tong, Hong Kong
| | - Shuo Wang
- Department of Chemical and Biomedical Engineering and Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, 26506, USA. .,Department of Radiology, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, 63110, USA.
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29
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Klin A. Frontiers in the research of autism pathogenesis. Medicina (B Aires) 2022; 82 Suppl 1:33-36. [PMID: 35171805 PMCID: PMC10842444] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023] Open
Abstract
This review focuses on four interrelated teams and research lines that form the basis for new research on the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at the Marcus Autism Center, in Atlanta (US). These themes probe typical social behavior and brain development from birth, and disruptions thereof in babies later diagnosed with ASD. These four themes are: to leverage lifetime maximal neuroplasticity; to test the hypothesis that developmental disruption of early-emerging mechanisms of socialization drives pathogenesis and results in autistic social disability; the focus on the infant-caregiver dyad, and the iterative context associated with mutually reinforcing and adapted social and communitive inter-action, or emerging cycles of social contingency, from the first days and weeks of life; and the study of time-varying neurodevelopmental transitions in social behavior from experience-expectant (reflexive, endogenous) and subcortically-guided to experience-dependent (caregiver- and reward-driven) and cortically-guided, a transition that our work suggests is uniquely disrupted in babies later diagnosed with ASD. This science is opening a world of opportunities to optimize children's outcomes despite the genetic liabilities that they are born with. It provides the scientific grounding for new community-viable solutions for increasing access to early interventions using treatments that scaffold and strengthen infant-caregiver interactions, which is the platform for early brain development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ami Klin
- Marcus Autism Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia 30329-4010, USA
- Division of Autism & Related Disorders, Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia 30329-4010, USA
- Center for Translational Social Neuroscience, Emory University, 954 Gatewood Road, Atlanta, Georgia 30329-4252, USA. E-mail:
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30
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Mundy P, Bullen J. The Bidirectional Social-Cognitive Mechanisms of the Social-Attention Symptoms of Autism. Front Psychiatry 2022; 12:752274. [PMID: 35173636 PMCID: PMC8841840 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2021.752274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2021] [Accepted: 12/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Differences in social attention development begin to be apparent in the 6th to 12th month of development in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and theoretically reflect important elements of its neurodevelopmental endophenotype. This paper examines alternative conceptual views of these early social attention symptoms and hypotheses about the mechanisms involved in their development. One model emphasizes mechanism involved in the spontaneous allocation of attention to faces, or social orienting. Alternatively, another model emphasizes mechanisms involved in the coordination of attention with other people, or joint attention, and the socially bi-directional nature of its development. This model raises the possibility that atypical responses of children to the attention or the gaze of a social partner directed toward themselves may be as important in the development of social attention symptoms as differences in the development of social orienting. Another model holds that symptoms of social attention may be important to early development, but may not impact older individuals with ASD. The alterative model is that the social attention symptoms in infancy (social orienting and joint attention), and social cognitive symptoms in childhood and adulthood share common neurodevelopmental substrates. Therefore, differences in early social attention and later social cognition constitute a developmentally continuous axis of symptom presentation in ASD. However, symptoms in older individuals may be best measured with in vivo measures of efficiency of social attention and social cognition in social interactions rather than the accuracy of response on analog tests used in measures with younger children. Finally, a third model suggests that the social attention symptoms may not truly be a symptom of ASD. Rather, they may be best conceptualized as stemming from differences domain general attention and motivation mechanisms. The alternative argued for here that infant social attention symptoms meet all the criteria of a unique dimension of the phenotype of ASD and the bi-directional phenomena involved in social attention cannot be fully explained in terms of domain general aspects of attention development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter Mundy
- Department of Learning and Mind Sciences, School of Education, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science and The MIND Institute, UC Davis School of Medicine, Sacramento, CA, United States
| | - Jenifer Bullen
- Department of Human Development, School of Human Ecology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, United States
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31
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Kikuchi Y, Akechi H, Senju A, Tojo Y, Osanai H, Saito A, Hasegawa T. Attention to live eye contact in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2022; 15:702-711. [PMID: 35080154 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2676] [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: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 12/27/2021] [Accepted: 01/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
A number of studies have reported diminished attention to the eyes in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). These studies predominantly used static images of faces as stimuli. Recent studies, however, have shown enhanced response to eye contact in typically developing (TD) individuals when they observe a person in a live interaction. We investigated physiological orienting to perceived eye contact in adolescents with ASD and TD adolescents when they observed a person in live interaction or viewed a photograph of the same person's face. We measured heart rate (HR) deceleration as an index of attentional orienting. Adolescents with ASD, as well as TD adolescents, showed significant HR deceleration for the direct gaze compared to an averted gaze in the live condition, but not in the photographic condition. The results suggest an intact response to perceived eye contact in individuals with ASD during a live face-to-face interaction. LAY SUMMARY: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a different eye gaze pattern when observing photographic faces. However, little is known about how individuals with ASD process a real person's face. We measured heart rate (HR) and found that adolescents with ASD showed the typical decline in HR when they made eye contact with a real person, which suggests that both groups of individuals directed their attention to eye contact in a live face-to-face interaction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yukiko Kikuchi
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Tokyo, Japan.,College of Education, Ibaraki University, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hironori Akechi
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS), Tokyo, Japan.,Division of Information System Design, Tokyo Denki University, Saitama, Japan
| | - Atsushi Senju
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Yoshikuni Tojo
- College of Education, Ibaraki University, Ibaraki, Japan
| | - Hiroo Osanai
- Musashino Higashi Center for Education and Research, Musashino Higashi Gakuen, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Atsuko Saito
- Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Toshikazu Hasegawa
- Department of Cognitive and Behavioral Science, Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
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32
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Chaddad A, Li J, Lu Q, Li Y, Okuwobi IP, Tanougast C, Desrosiers C, Niazi T. Can Autism Be Diagnosed with Artificial Intelligence? A Narrative Review. Diagnostics (Basel) 2021; 11:2032. [PMID: 34829379 PMCID: PMC8618159 DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics11112032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2021] [Revised: 10/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Radiomics with deep learning models have become popular in computer-aided diagnosis and have outperformed human experts on many clinical tasks. Specifically, radiomic models based on artificial intelligence (AI) are using medical data (i.e., images, molecular data, clinical variables, etc.) for predicting clinical tasks such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this review, we summarized and discussed the radiomic techniques used for ASD analysis. Currently, the limited radiomic work of ASD is related to the variation of morphological features of brain thickness that is different from texture analysis. These techniques are based on imaging shape features that can be used with predictive models for predicting ASD. This review explores the progress of ASD-based radiomics with a brief description of ASD and the current non-invasive technique used to classify between ASD and healthy control (HC) subjects. With AI, new radiomic models using the deep learning techniques will be also described. To consider the texture analysis with deep CNNs, more investigations are suggested to be integrated with additional validation steps on various MRI sites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmad Chaddad
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Guilin Universiy of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, China; (J.L.); (Q.L.); (Y.L.); (I.P.O.)
- The Laboratory for Imagery, Vision and Artificial Intelligence, École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS), Montreal, QC H3C 1K3, Canada;
| | - Jiali Li
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Guilin Universiy of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, China; (J.L.); (Q.L.); (Y.L.); (I.P.O.)
| | - Qizong Lu
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Guilin Universiy of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, China; (J.L.); (Q.L.); (Y.L.); (I.P.O.)
| | - Yujie Li
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Guilin Universiy of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, China; (J.L.); (Q.L.); (Y.L.); (I.P.O.)
| | - Idowu Paul Okuwobi
- School of Artificial Intelligence, Guilin Universiy of Electronic Technology, Guilin 541004, China; (J.L.); (Q.L.); (Y.L.); (I.P.O.)
| | - Camel Tanougast
- Laboratoire de Conception, Optimisation et Modélisation des Systèmes, University of Lorraine, 57070 Metz, France;
| | - Christian Desrosiers
- The Laboratory for Imagery, Vision and Artificial Intelligence, École de Technologie Supérieure (ETS), Montreal, QC H3C 1K3, Canada;
| | - Tamim Niazi
- Lady Davis Institute for Medical Research, McGill University, Montreal, QC H3T 1E2, Canada;
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33
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Eye Direction Detection and Perception as Premises of a Social Brain: A Narrative Review of Behavioral and Neural Data. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2021; 22:1-20. [PMID: 34642895 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-021-00959-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
The eyes and the gaze are important stimuli for social interaction in humans. Impaired recognition of facial identity, facial emotions, and inference of the intentions of others may result from difficulties in extracting information relevant to the eye region, mainly the direction of gaze. Therefore, a review of these data is of interest. Behavioral data demonstrating the importance of the eye region and how humans respond to gaze direction are reviewed narratively, and several theoretical models on how visual information on gaze is processed are discussed to propose a unified hypothesis. Several issues that have not yet been investigated are identified. The authors tentatively suggest experiments that might help progress research in this area. The neural aspects are subsequently reviewed to best describe the low-level and higher-level visual information processing stages in the targeted subcortical and cortical areas. A specific neural network is proposed on the basis of the literature. Various gray areas, such as the temporality of the processing of visual information, the question of salience priority, and the coordination between the two hemispheres, remain unclear and require further investigations. Finally, disordered gaze direction detection mechanisms and their consequences on social cognition and behavior are discussed as key deficiencies in several conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder, 22q11.2 deletion, schizophrenia, and social anxiety disorder. This narrative review provides significant additional data showing that the detection and perception of someone's gaze is an essential part of the development of our social brain.
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34
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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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35
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Avni I, Meiri G, Michaelovski A, Menashe I, Shmuelof L, Dinstein I. Basic oculomotor function is similar in young children with ASD and typically developing controls. Autism Res 2021; 14:2580-2591. [PMID: 34405961 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2592] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Revised: 06/29/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A variety of eye tracking studies have demonstrated that young children with ASD gaze at images and movies of social interactions differently than typically developing children. These findings have supported the hypothesis that gaze behavior differences are generated by a weaker preference for social stimuli in ASD children. The hypothesis assumes that gaze differences are not caused by abnormalities in oculomotor function including saccade frequency and kinematics. Previous studies of oculomotor function have mostly been performed with school-age children, adolescents, and adults using visual search, anti-saccade, and gap saccade tasks that are less suitable for young pre-school children. Here, we examined oculomotor function in 144 children (90 with ASD and 54 controls), 1-10-years-old, as they watched two animated movies interleaved with the presentation of multiple salient stimuli that elicited saccades-to-targets. The results revealed that the number of fixations, fixation duration, number of saccades, saccade duration, saccade accuracy, and saccade latency did not differ significantly across groups. Minor initial differences in saccade peak velocity were not supported by analysis with a linear mixed model. These findings suggest that most children with ASD exhibit similar oculomotor function to that of controls, when performing saccades-to-targets or freely viewing child-friendly movies. This suggests that previously reported gaze abnormalities in children with ASD are not due to underlying oculomotor deficiencies. LAY SUMMARY: This study demonstrates that children with ASD perform similar eye movements to those of controls when freely observing movies or making eye movements to targets. Similar results were apparent across groups in the number of eye movements, their accuracy, duration, and other measures that assess eye movement control. These findings are important for interpreting previously reported differences in gaze behavior of children with ASD, which are likely due to atypical social preferences rather than impaired control of eye movements.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inbar Avni
- Cognitive and Brain Sciences Department, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.,National Autism Research Center of Israel, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Gal Meiri
- National Autism Research Center of Israel, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.,Pre-school Psychiatry Unit, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheba, Israel
| | - Analya Michaelovski
- National Autism Research Center of Israel, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.,Zusman Child Development Center, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Idan Menashe
- National Autism Research Center of Israel, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.,Public Health Department, Ben-Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Lior Shmuelof
- Cognitive and Brain Sciences Department, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Ilan Dinstein
- Cognitive and Brain Sciences Department, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.,National Autism Research Center of Israel, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel.,Psychology Department, Ben Gurion University, Beer Sheva, Israel
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36
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Di Giorgio E, Rosa-Salva O, Frasnelli E, Calcagnì A, Lunghi M, Scattoni ML, Simion F, Vallortigara G. Abnormal visual attention to simple social stimuli in 4-month-old infants at high risk for Autism. Sci Rep 2021; 11:15785. [PMID: 34349200 PMCID: PMC8338945 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-95418-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 07/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite an increasing interest in detecting early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the pathogenesis of the social impairments characterizing ASD is still largely unknown. Atypical visual attention to social stimuli is a potential early marker of the social and communicative deficits of ASD. Some authors hypothesized that such impairments are present from birth, leading to a decline in the subsequent typical functioning of the learning-mechanisms. Others suggested that these early deficits emerge during the transition from subcortically to cortically mediated mechanisms, happening around 2–3 months of age. The present study aimed to provide additional evidence on the origin of the early visual attention disturbance that seems to characterize infants at high risk (HR) for ASD. Four visual preference tasks were used to investigate social attention in 4-month-old HR, compared to low-risk (LR) infants of the same age. Visual attention differences between HR and LR infants emerged only for stimuli depicting a direct eye-gaze, compared to an adverted eye-gaze. Specifically, HR infants showed a significant visual preference for the direct eye-gaze stimulus compared to LR infants, which may indicate a delayed development of the visual preferences normally observed at birth in typically developing infants. No other differences were found between groups. Results are discussed in the light of the hypotheses on the origins of early social visual attention impairments in infants at risk for ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisa Di Giorgio
- Dipartimento Di Psicologia Dello Sviluppo E Della Socializzazione, Università Degli Studi Di Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padova, PD, Italy.
| | - Orsola Rosa-Salva
- CIMeC, Center for Mind/Brain Sciences, University of Trento, Mattarello, Italy
| | | | - Antonio Calcagnì
- Dipartimento Di Psicologia Dello Sviluppo E Della Socializzazione, Università Degli Studi Di Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padova, PD, Italy
| | - Marco Lunghi
- Dipartimento Di Psicologia Dello Sviluppo E Della Socializzazione, Università Degli Studi Di Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padova, PD, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Scattoni
- Research Coordination and Support Service, Istituto Superiore Di Sanità, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Simion
- Dipartimento Di Psicologia Dello Sviluppo E Della Socializzazione, Università Degli Studi Di Padova, Via Venezia 8, 35131, Padova, PD, Italy
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37
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Illuminating Autism Spectrum Disorder With Eye Tracking. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2021; 6:765-766. [PMID: 34366092 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 04/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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38
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Two Faces of a Coin? A Systematic Review of Source Monitoring and Its Relationship with Memory in Autism. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11050640. [PMID: 34063387 PMCID: PMC8156924 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11050640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2021] [Revised: 05/06/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to discriminate the origin of stimuli, known as source monitoring, is crucial for self–other distinction and the integration of internally generated and externally generated experiences. Despite its valence, evidence on source monitoring in autism is yet scarce and unclear. We systematically reviewed literature concerning source monitoring in autism and its relationship with other constructs, such as memory type, encoding effects, social cognition, general intelligence, and clinical factors. Source-monitoring performance (operationalized as error or accuracy) was reduced in autistic participants in 9 of the 15 studies that met the inclusion criteria. When explicitly investigated, free-recall memory impairments in autism were shown to influence source monitoring deficits. General intelligence was another important factor linked to source-monitoring performance. Conversely, other memory types or encoding effects were not impaired in autism, and no univocal association could be found with source monitoring. Social cognition and clinical symptoms were rarely assessed in spite of their possible involvement in source monitoring. The heterogeneity of the task design, outcome measures and demographical factors limited study comparability. As a research framework on source monitoring as a construct of primary interest in autism is still lacking, we propose preliminary indications for future investigations based on the collected findings.
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39
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Seernani D, Ioannou C, Damania K, Hill H, Foulsham T, Smyrnis N, Biscaldi M, Klein C. Social and non-social gaze cueing in autism spectrum disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and a comorbid group. Biol Psychol 2021; 162:108096. [PMID: 33891995 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2021.108096] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2020] [Revised: 04/16/2021] [Accepted: 04/18/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Recent trends in literature, along with the changes to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM), make it imperative to study Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) together, in order to better understand potential aetiological commonalities between these highly comorbid disorders. The present study examines social cueing, a highly studied construct in ASD, and intra-subject variability (ISV), a potential endophenotype of ADHD, in four groups of typically developing (TD), ADHD, ASD- (ASD without ADHD), ASD+ (ASD with ADHD) participants (N = 85) aged 10-13 years. Results showed that social cueing is intact in the 'pure' ASD group when task expectations are clear. The ADHD group showed faster saccadic reaction times, no increased ISV and a pattern of viewing comparable to the TD group. However, the ASD + group showed a differences in processing style and ISV. A secondary analysis gives evidence of non-additive effects of the ASD and ADHD factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Seernani
- Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - C Ioannou
- Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - H Hill
- Institute of Sports and Sports Sciences, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Germany
| | - T Foulsham
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, UK
| | - N Smyrnis
- 2nd Psychiatry Department, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Athens, Greece
| | - M Biscaldi
- Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Germany
| | - C Klein
- Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical Faculty, University of Freiburg, Germany; 2nd Psychiatry Department, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Medical School, University General Hospital "ATTIKON", Athens, Greece; Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical Faculty, University of Cologne, Germany.
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Niedźwiecka A. Eye contact effect: The role of vagal regulation and reactivity, and self-regulation of attention. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-021-01682-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
AbstractEye contact is a crucial aspect of social interactions that may enhance an individual’s cognitive performance (i.e. the eye contact effect) or hinder it (i.e. face-to-face interference effect). In this paper, I focus on the influence of eye contact on cognitive performance in tasks engaging executive functions. I present a hypothesis as to why some individuals benefit from eye contact while others do not. I propose that the relations between eye contact and executive functioning are modulated by an individual’s autonomic regulation and reactivity and self-regulation of attention. In particular, I propose that individuals with more optimal autonomic regulation and reactivity, and more effective self-regulation of attention benefit from eye contact. Individuals who are less well regulated and over- or under-reactive and who do not employ effective strategies of self-regulation of attention may not benefit from eye contact and may perform better when eye contact is absent. I present some studies that justify the proposed hypothesis and point to a method that could be employed to test them. This approach could help to better understand the complex mechanisms underlying the individual differences in participant’s cognitive performance during tasks engaging executive functions.
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Parker TC, Crowley MJ, Naples AJ, Rolison MJ, Wu J, Trapani JA, McPartland JC. The N170 event-related potential reflects delayed neural response to faces when visual attention is directed to the eyes in youths with ASD. Autism Res 2021; 14:1347-1356. [PMID: 33749161 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2505] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2020] [Revised: 03/10/2021] [Accepted: 03/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Atypical neural response to faces is thought to contribute to social deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Compared to typically developing (TD) controls, individuals with ASD exhibit delayed brain responses to upright faces at a face-sensitive event-related potential (ERP), the N170. Given observed differences in patterns of visual attention to faces, it is not known whether slowed neural processing may simply reflect atypical looking to faces. The present study manipulated visual attention to facial features to examine whether directed attention to the eyes normalizes N170 latency in ASD. ERPs were recorded in 30 children and adolescents with ASD as well as 26 TD children and adolescents. Results replicated prior findings of shorter N170 latency to the eye region of the face in TD individuals. In contrast, those with ASD did not demonstrate modulation of N170 latency by point of regard to the face. Group differences in latency were most pronounced when attention was directed to the eyes. Results suggest that well-replicated findings of N170 delays in ASD do not simply reflect atypical patterns of visual engagement with experimental stimuli. These findings add to a body of evidence indicating that N170 delays are a promising marker of atypical neural response to social information in ASD. LAY SUMMARY: This study looks at how children's and adolescents' brains respond when looking at different parts of a face. Typically developing children and adolescents processed eyes faster than other parts of the face, whereas this pattern was not seen in ASD. Children and adolescents with ASD processed eyes more slowly than typically developing children. These findings suggest that observed inefficiencies in face processing in ASD are not simply reflective of failure to attend to the eyes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Termara C Parker
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Michael J Crowley
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Adam J Naples
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Max J Rolison
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Jia Wu
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
| | - Julie A Trapani
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama, USA
| | - James C McPartland
- Child Study Center, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
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42
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Eggleston JD, Olivas AN, Vanderhoof HR, Chavez EA, Alvarado C, Boyle JB. Children With Autism Exhibit More Individualized Responses to Live Animation Biofeedback Than Do Typically Developing Children. Percept Mot Skills 2021; 128:1037-1058. [PMID: 33663275 DOI: 10.1177/0031512521998280] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Children with autism have displayed imbalances in responding to feedback and feedforward learning information and they have shown difficulty imitating movements. Previous research has focused on motor learning and coordination problems for these children, but little is known about their motoric responses to visual live animation feedback. Thus, we compared motor output responses to live animation biofeedback training in both 15 children with autism and 15 age- and sex-matched typically developing children (age range: 8-17 years). We collected kinematic data via Inertial Measurement Unit devices while participants performed a series of body weight squats at a pre-test, during live animation biofeedback training, and at post-test. Dependent t-tests (α = 0.05), were used to test for statistical significance between pre- and post-test values within groups, and repeated measures analyses of variance (α = 0.05) were used to test for differences among the training blocks, within each group. The Model Statistic technique (α = 0.05) was used to test for pre- and post-test differences on a single-subject level for every participant. Grouped data revealed little to no significant findings in the children with autism, as these participants showed highly individualized responses. However, typically developing children, when grouped, exhibited significant differences in their left hip position (p = 0.03) and ascent velocity (p = 0.004). Single-subject analyses showed more individualistic live animation responses of children with autism than typically developing children on every variable of interest except descent velocity. Thus, to teach children with autism new movements in optimal fashion, it is particularly important to understand their individualistic motor learning characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeffrey D Eggleston
- Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Doctoral Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, United States.,Department of Kinesiology, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, United States
| | - Alyssa N Olivas
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, United States
| | - Heather R Vanderhoof
- Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Doctoral Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, United States
| | - Emily A Chavez
- Interdisciplinary Health Sciences Doctoral Program, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, United States
| | - Carla Alvarado
- Department of Psychiatry, Paul L. Foster School of Medicine, Texas Tech Health Sciences Center El Paso, El Paso, United States
| | - Jason B Boyle
- Department of Kinesiology, The University of Texas at El Paso, El Paso, United States
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Smith K, Hogan AL, Will E, Roberts JE. Attention Bias and Prodromal Anxiety Symptoms in Toddlers With Fragile X Syndrome and Down Syndrome. AMERICAN JOURNAL ON INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2021; 126:167-181. [PMID: 33651888 PMCID: PMC8108623 DOI: 10.1352/1944-7558-126.2.167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Early identification of behavioral risk markers for anxiety is essential to optimize long-term outcomes in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. This study analyzed attentional avoidance and its relation to anxiety and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptomatology during social and nonsocial fear conditions in toddlers with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and Down syndrome (DS). Toddlers with FXS and DS exhibited increased nonsocial attentional avoidance relative to typically developing (TD) toddlers. Attentional avoidance was not related to anxiety symptom severity in any group; however, higher ASD symptom severity was related to more social attentional avoidance in the FXS and TD groups. Findings suggest that there may be different underlying mechanisms driving attentional avoidance across neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kayla Smith
- Kayla Smith, Abigail L. Hogan, Elizabeth Will, and Jane E. Roberts, University of South Carolina
| | - Abigail L Hogan
- Kayla Smith, Abigail L. Hogan, Elizabeth Will, and Jane E. Roberts, University of South Carolina
| | - Elizabeth Will
- Kayla Smith, Abigail L. Hogan, Elizabeth Will, and Jane E. Roberts, University of South Carolina
| | - Jane E Roberts
- Kayla Smith, Abigail L. Hogan, Elizabeth Will, and Jane E. Roberts, University of South Carolina
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Hesp C, Smith R, Parr T, Allen M, Friston KJ, Ramstead MJD. Deeply Felt Affect: The Emergence of Valence in Deep Active Inference. Neural Comput 2021; 33:398-446. [PMID: 33253028 PMCID: PMC8594962 DOI: 10.1162/neco_a_01341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 77] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2020] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
The positive-negative axis of emotional valence has long been recognized as fundamental to adaptive behavior, but its origin and underlying function have largely eluded formal theorizing and computational modeling. Using deep active inference, a hierarchical inference scheme that rests on inverting a model of how sensory data are generated, we develop a principled Bayesian model of emotional valence. This formulation asserts that agents infer their valence state based on the expected precision of their action model-an internal estimate of overall model fitness ("subjective fitness"). This index of subjective fitness can be estimated within any environment and exploits the domain generality of second-order beliefs (beliefs about beliefs). We show how maintaining internal valence representations allows the ensuing affective agent to optimize confidence in action selection preemptively. Valence representations can in turn be optimized by leveraging the (Bayes-optimal) updating term for subjective fitness, which we label affective charge (AC). AC tracks changes in fitness estimates and lends a sign to otherwise unsigned divergences between predictions and outcomes. We simulate the resulting affective inference by subjecting an in silico affective agent to a T-maze paradigm requiring context learning, followed by context reversal. This formulation of affective inference offers a principled account of the link between affect, (mental) action, and implicit metacognition. It characterizes how a deep biological system can infer its affective state and reduce uncertainty about such inferences through internal action (i.e., top-down modulation of priors that underwrite confidence). Thus, we demonstrate the potential of active inference to provide a formal and computationally tractable account of affect. Our demonstration of the face validity and potential utility of this formulation represents the first step within a larger research program. Next, this model can be leveraged to test the hypothesized role of valence by fitting the model to behavioral and neuronal responses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Casper Hesp
- Department of Psychology and Amsterdam Brain and Cognition Centre, University of Amsterdam, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands; Institute for Advanced Study, University of Amsterdam, 1012 GC Amsterdam, Netherlands; and Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
| | - Ryan Smith
- Laureate Institute for Brain Research, Tulsa, OK 74136, U.S.A.
| | - Thomas Parr
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
| | - Micah Allen
- Aarhus Institute of Advanced Studies, Aarhus University, Aarhus 8000, Denmark; Centre of Functionally Integrative Neuroscience, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus 8200, Denmark; and Cambridge Psychiatry, Cambridge University, Cambridge CB2 8AH, U.K.
| | - Karl J Friston
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.
| | - Maxwell J D Ramstead
- Wellcome Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London WC1N 3BG, U.K.; Division of Social and Transcultural Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry and Culture, Mind, and Brain Program, McGill University, Montreal H3A 0G4, QC, Canada
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45
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Khalulyan A, Byrd K, Tarbox J, Little A, Moll H. The role of eye contact in young children's judgments of others' visibility: A comparison of preschoolers with and without autism spectrum disorder. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION DISORDERS 2021; 89:106075. [PMID: 33388696 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2020.106075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2018] [Revised: 12/10/2020] [Accepted: 12/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Typically-developing (TD) children under age 5 often deny that they can see a person whose eyes are covered (e.g., Moll & Khalulyan, 2017). This has been interpreted as a manifestation of their preference for reciprocal interactions. We investigated how 3- to 4-year-old children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n = 12) respond in this situation. Because a lack of interpersonal connectedness and reciprocal communication are core features of this disorder, we predicted that young children with ASD will not make mutual regard a condition for seeing another person and therefore acknowledge being able to see her. Against this prediction, children with ASD gave the same negative answers as a group of TD (n = 36) age-mates. Various interpretations are discussed, including the possibility that some children with ASD are capable of relating to others as second persons.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Katie Byrd
- University of Southern California, United States.
| | | | | | - Henrike Moll
- University of Southern California, United States.
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Abstract
A small but growing body of research has been conducted on vocational outcomes for adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); however, limited resources have been directed towards understanding outcomes for competitive employers. While ASD does present with a range of social communication and adaptive behavior deficits, adults on the spectrum may be extremely efficient, trustworthy, reliable, and cost-effective employees. Nevertheless, fewer than half of young adults with ASD maintain a job. Many businesses are unwilling to hire these capable candidates, concerned among other things about an increase in supervision costs and a decrease in productivity. This is a bias based on misperceptions; the financial and social benefits of hiring adults with ASD, for businesses and the individual, often outweigh the costs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Calvin Solomon
- Yale University, 115 Central Park West, Apt 30C, New York, NY, 10023, USA.
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Macari SL, Vernetti A, Chawarska K. Attend Less, Fear More: Elevated Distress to Social Threat in Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Res 2020; 14:1025-1036. [PMID: 33283976 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2020] [Revised: 11/01/2020] [Accepted: 11/21/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
Differential emotional reactivity to social and nonsocial stimuli has been hypothesized but rarely examined empirically in ASD despite its potential importance for development of social motivation, cognition, and comorbid psychopathology. This study examined emotional reactivity, regulation, and attention to social and nonsocial threat in toddlers with ASD (n = 42, Mage : 22 months) and typically developing (TD) toddlers (n = 22, Mage : 23 months), and their mutual associations with autism symptom severity. Participants were exposed to social (stranger), nonsocial (mechanical objects), and ambiguous (masks) threats, and their intensity of distress (iDistress), attention to threat (Attention), and presence of emotion regulation (ER) strategies were measured. Autism symptom severity was quantified using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2. In response to social threat, toddlers with ASD exhibited elevated iDistress (P < 0.038) but lower Attention (P < 0.002) and a wider variety of ER strategies (P < 0.040) compared to TD controls, though their ER strategies were less likely to be social. However, nonsocial and ambiguous threat elicited lower iDistress in ASD than in TD toddlers (P = 0.012 and P = 0.034, respectively), but comparable Attention and ER strategy use. Autism severity was not associated with iDistress. The study demonstrates elevated emotional salience but diminished attentional salience of social threat in ASD. A failure to attend adequately to social threats may restrict opportunities to appraise their threat value and engender often observed in ASD negative emotional responses to novel social situations. Early atypical emotional reactivity may independently contribute to the shaping of complex autism phenotypes and may be linked with later emerging affective and behavioral symptoms. LAY SUMMARY: Compared to typically developing toddlers, toddlers with ASD show diminished attention yet enhanced distress in response to social threat. Poor attention to potential social threat may limit opportunities to assess its threat value and thus contribute to often observed negative emotional responses to novel social situations. Identifying the precursors of atypical emotional reactivity in infancy and its links with later psychopathology will inform about novel treatment targets and mechanisms of change in the early stages of ASD. Autism Res 2021, 14: 1025-1036. © 2020 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suzanne L Macari
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
| | - Angelina Vernetti
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
| | - Katarzyna Chawarska
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
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48
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Morrison KE, DeBrabander KM, Jones DR, Ackerman RA, Sasson NJ. Social Cognition, Social Skill, and Social Motivation Minimally Predict Social Interaction Outcomes for Autistic and Non-Autistic Adults. Front Psychol 2020; 11:591100. [PMID: 33324295 PMCID: PMC7723837 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.591100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Social cognition, social skill, and social motivation have been extensively researched and characterized as atypical in autistic people, with the assumption that each mechanistically contributes to the broader social interaction difficulties that diagnostically define the condition. Despite this assumption, research has not directly assessed whether or how these three social domains contribute to actual real-world social interaction outcomes for autistic people. The current study administered standardized measures of social cognition, social skill, and social motivation to 67 autistic and 58 non-autistic (NA) adults and assessed whether performance on these measures, both individually and relationally between dyadic partners, predicted outcomes for autistic and NA adults interacting with unfamiliar autistic and NA partners in a 5 minute unstructured "get to know you" conversation. Consistent with previous research, autistic adults scored lower than NA adults on the three social domains and were evaluated less favorably by their conversation partners. However, links between autistic adults' performance on the three social domains and their social interaction outcomes were minimal and, contrary to prediction, only the social abilities of NA adults predicted some interaction outcomes within mixed diagnostic dyads. Collectively, results suggest that reduced performance by autistic adults on standardized measures of social cognition, social skill, and social motivation do not correspond in clear and predictable ways with their real-world social interaction outcomes. They also highlight the need for the development and validation of more ecological assessments of autistic social abilities and the consideration of relational dynamics, not just individual characteristics, when assessing social disability in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Noah J. Sasson
- School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Richardson, TX, United States
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Vettori S, Van der Donck S, Nys J, Moors P, Van Wesemael T, Steyaert J, Rossion B, Dzhelyova M, Boets B. Combined frequency-tagging EEG and eye-tracking measures provide no support for the "excess mouth/diminished eye attention" hypothesis in autism. Mol Autism 2020; 11:94. [PMID: 33228763 PMCID: PMC7686749 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00396-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/25/2020] [Accepted: 11/02/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Scanning faces is important for social interactions. Difficulty with the social use of eye contact constitutes one of the clinical symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It has been suggested that individuals with ASD look less at the eyes and more at the mouth than typically developing (TD) individuals, possibly due to gaze aversion or gaze indifference. However, eye-tracking evidence for this hypothesis is mixed. While gaze patterns convey information about overt orienting processes, it is unclear how this is manifested at the neural level and how relative covert attention to the eyes and mouth of faces might be affected in ASD. METHODS We used frequency-tagging EEG in combination with eye tracking, while participants watched fast flickering faces for 1-min stimulation sequences. The upper and lower halves of the faces were presented at 6 Hz and 7.5 Hz or vice versa in different stimulation sequences, allowing to objectively disentangle the neural saliency of the eyes versus mouth region of a perceived face. We tested 21 boys with ASD (8-12 years old) and 21 TD control boys, matched for age and IQ. RESULTS Both groups looked longer at the eyes than the mouth, without any group difference in relative fixation duration to these features. TD boys looked significantly more to the nose, while the ASD boys looked more outside the face. EEG neural saliency data partly followed this pattern: neural responses to the upper or lower face half were not different between groups, but in the TD group, neural responses to the lower face halves were larger than responses to the upper part. Face exploration dynamics showed that TD individuals mostly maintained fixations within the same facial region, whereas individuals with ASD switched more often between the face parts. LIMITATIONS Replication in large and independent samples may be needed to validate exploratory results. CONCLUSIONS Combined eye-tracking and frequency-tagged neural responses show no support for the excess mouth/diminished eye gaze hypothesis in ASD. The more exploratory face scanning style observed in ASD might be related to their increased feature-based face processing style.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie Vettori
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium.
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Stephanie Van der Donck
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jannes Nys
- Department of Physics and Astronomy, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- IDLab - Department of Computer Science, University of Antwerp - IMEC, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Pieter Moors
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Tim Van Wesemael
- Department of Electrical Engineering (ESAT), Stadius Center for Dynamical Systems, Signal Processing and Data Analytics, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean Steyaert
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bruno Rossion
- Institute of Research in Psychological Science, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
- CNRS, CRAN - UMR 7039, Université de Lorraine, 54000, Nancy, France
- CHRU-Nancy, Service de Neurologie, Université de Lorraine, 54000, Nancy, France
| | - Milena Dzhelyova
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
- Institute of Research in Psychological Science, Institute of Neuroscience, University of Louvain, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), University of Leuven (KU Leuven), Leuven, Belgium
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50
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Lee K, Schertz HH. Brief Report: Analysis of the Relationship Between Turn Taking and Joint Attention for Toddlers with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2020; 50:2633-2640. [PMID: 30854592 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-03979-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
The relationship between turn taking (i.e., back-and-forth preverbal communicative exchanges) and joint attention has not been studied in interactions between children with autism and caregivers. In joint attention, a form of preverbal social communication, young children socially share attention with a partner about objects, a competency that is difficult for toddlers with autism. Video data of interactions between caregivers and 61 toddlers with autism who received joint attention-focused intervention were analyzed to determine associations between turn taking and joint attention. Results indicate a positive relationship between the two forms of social communication. Further study is needed to determine the extent to which turn taking may play a foundational role in supporting joint attention development for toddlers with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwangwon Lee
- Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Indiana University, 201 N. Rose Ave., Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA.
| | - Hannah H Schertz
- Department of Curriculum and Instruction, Indiana University, 201 N. Rose Ave., Bloomington, IN, 47405, USA
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