Altered Dynamics of the fMRI Response to Faces in Individuals with Autism.
Abnormal fMRI habituation in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been proposed as a critical component in social impairment. This study investigated habituation to fearful faces and houses in ASD and whether fMRI measures of brain activity discriminate between ASD and typically developing (TD) controls. Two identical fMRI runs presenting masked fearful faces, houses, and scrambled images were collected. We found significantly slower fMRI responses to fearful faces but not houses in ASD. In addition, the pattern of slow to emerge amygdala activation to faces had robust discriminability [ASD vs. TD; area under the curve (AUC) = .852, p < .001]. In contrast, habituation to houses had no predictive value (AUC = .573, p = .365). Amygdala habituation to emotional faces may be useful for quantifying risk in ASD.
Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Box 357115, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA. nkleinha@u.washington.edu.|UW Autism Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA. nkleinha@u.washington.edu.|Integrative Brain Imaging Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA. nkleinha@u.washington.edu.
Natalia M
NM
Kleinhans
Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Box 357115, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.|Integrative Brain Imaging Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
Todd
T
Richards
Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.|UW Autism Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.
Jessica
J
Greenson
UW Autism Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.|Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27701, USA.
Geraldine
G
Dawson
Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Box 357115, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.|UW Autism Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA.|Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA.
Elizabeth
E
Aylward
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004644:Emotions / Q000502:physiology; D005149:Facial Expression; D005239:Fear / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D059907:Functional Neuroimaging; D006185:Habituation, Psychophysiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D055815:Young Adult
Adaptation; Amygdala; Faces; Fusiform; Habituation; Houses