TY - JOUR
T1 - Altered automatic face processing in individuals with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders
T2 - Evidence from visual evoked potentials
AU - Fujita, Takako
AU - Kamio, Yoko
AU - Yamasaki, Takao
AU - Yasumoto, Sawa
AU - Hirose, Shinichi
AU - Tobimatsu, Shozo
N1 - Funding Information:
This work was supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas , “Face perception and recognition” for S.T. and in part by a grant from JST , RISTEX . This work was also supported in part by Grants-in-Aid for Scientists, No. 23601010 (for T.Y.) from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology in Japan . We would like to thank Ms. Ikue Ijichi and Yuka Miyanaga for their technical contributions.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have different automatic responses to faces than typically developing (TD) individuals. We recorded visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in 10 individuals with high-functioning ASD (HFASD) and 10 TD individuals. Visual stimuli consisted of upright and inverted faces (fearful and neutral) and objects presented subliminally in a backward-masking paradigm. In all participants, the occipital N1 (about 100 ms) and P1 (about 120 ms) peaks were major components of the evoked response. We calculated "subliminal face effect (SFE)" scores by subtracting the N1/P1 amplitudes and latencies of the object stimuli from those of the face stimuli. In the TD group, the SFE score for the N1 amplitude was significantly higher for upright fearful faces but not neutral faces, and this score was insignificant when the stimuli were inverted. In contrast, the N1 amplitude of the HFASD subjects did not show this SFE in the upright orientation. There were no significant group differences in SFE scores for P1 amplitude, latency, or N1 latency. Our findings suggest that individuals with HFASD have altered automatic visual processing for emotional faces within the lower level of the visual cortex. This impairment could be a neural component of the disrupted social cognition observed in individuals with HFASD.
AB - Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have different automatic responses to faces than typically developing (TD) individuals. We recorded visual evoked potentials (VEPs) in 10 individuals with high-functioning ASD (HFASD) and 10 TD individuals. Visual stimuli consisted of upright and inverted faces (fearful and neutral) and objects presented subliminally in a backward-masking paradigm. In all participants, the occipital N1 (about 100 ms) and P1 (about 120 ms) peaks were major components of the evoked response. We calculated "subliminal face effect (SFE)" scores by subtracting the N1/P1 amplitudes and latencies of the object stimuli from those of the face stimuli. In the TD group, the SFE score for the N1 amplitude was significantly higher for upright fearful faces but not neutral faces, and this score was insignificant when the stimuli were inverted. In contrast, the N1 amplitude of the HFASD subjects did not show this SFE in the upright orientation. There were no significant group differences in SFE scores for P1 amplitude, latency, or N1 latency. Our findings suggest that individuals with HFASD have altered automatic visual processing for emotional faces within the lower level of the visual cortex. This impairment could be a neural component of the disrupted social cognition observed in individuals with HFASD.
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U2 - 10.1016/j.rasd.2013.03.001
DO - 10.1016/j.rasd.2013.03.001
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84876105575
SN - 1750-9467
VL - 7
SP - 710
EP - 720
JO - Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
JF - Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
IS - 6
ER -
