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Published on: December 7, 2018
A functional and structural study of emotion and face processing in children with autism
Blythe A Corbett1, Vanessa Carmean, Susan Ravizza
1Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California, Davis, CA 95817, USA. blythe.corbett@ucdmc.ucdavis.edu
Psychiatry Research
|August 12, 2009
Summary
Children with autism show typical emotion matching but reduced brain activation in key areas. They struggle with person recognition, indicating altered social-emotional processing despite normal amygdala size.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by difficulties in socioemotional information processing.
- The amygdala, crucial for socioemotional functions, is implicated in ASD neuropathology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate brain activation patterns and amygdala volume in children with high-functioning autism during socioemotional tasks.
- To explore the relationship between age, social anxiety, and amygdala volume in children with autism.
Main Methods:
- Structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used in children aged 8-12.
- Participants included children with high-functioning autism (n=12) and typical development (n=15).
- Tasks involved matching facial expressions and identifying people; volumetric analysis of the amygdala was also performed.
Main Results:
- Children with autism demonstrated intact emotion matching but reduced activation in the fusiform gyrus (FG) and amygdala.
- Deficits were observed in person matching with variable FG and amygdala activation in the autism group.
- No significant differences in amygdala volume were found between groups; smaller volumes correlated with higher anxiety and younger age in children with autism.
Conclusions:
- Findings suggest abnormalities in neural circuits for emotion and face processing in children with autism.
- Reduced amygdala and fusiform gyrus activation during socioemotional tasks align with previous research in older individuals with autism.
- The study highlights altered brain function related to social-emotional processing in pediatric autism, even with normal amygdala volumes.
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