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Processing of novel and familiar faces in infants at average and high risk for autism

Alexandra P F Key1, Wendy L Stone

  • 1Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37203, USA. sasha.key@vanderbilt.edu

Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
|April 10, 2012
PubMed

Insights

Infant siblings of children with autism (sibs-ASD) showed differences in processing familiar faces compared to typical infants. Faster processing of familiar faces correlated with better social skills in infants, suggesting an early marker for development.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with early behavioral indicators.
  • Infant siblings of children with ASD are at higher risk and are often studied to identify early markers.
  • Understanding face processing in infancy is crucial for early detection and intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate differences in familiar and novel face processing between infant siblings of children with ASD (sibs-ASD) and typical infants.
  • To examine the association between sensitivity to face familiarity and infants' social and communicative behaviors.
  • To identify potential early neurophysiological markers for atypical social development.

Main Methods:

  • Recorded visual event-related potentials (ERPs) in 35 nine-month-old infants (20 typical, 15 sibs-ASD) using an oddball paradigm with mother's and stranger's faces.
  • Utilized eye-tracking to assess gaze patterns and their potential influence on ERP findings.
  • Administered parental reports to assess infants' social and communicative behaviors.

Main Results:

  • No significant group differences were found in eye-tracking measures (fixation distribution, number, or duration).
  • Both groups demonstrated differentiation between familiar (mother) and novel (stranger) faces via N290/P400 and Nc amplitude modulations.
  • Typical infants showed a delayed P400 response to stranger faces, unlike sibs-ASD. Shorter Nc latency to familiar faces correlated with better interpersonal skills across both groups.

Conclusions:

  • Infants at risk for ASD (sibs-ASD) exhibit distinct patterns in processing familiar versus novel faces compared to typical infants.
  • The speed of processing familiar faces, as indicated by Nc latency, is associated with social competence.
  • Individual differences in face familiarity processing speed may serve as an early indicator for atypical social development in infants.

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