Reduced neural sensitivity to social stimuli in infants at risk for autism

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Developmental Psychology
• Genetics

Background:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is highly heritable, placing later-born siblings of diagnosed children at increased risk.
• Early identification of autism is challenging, as reliable diagnosis is typically not possible until 3 years of age.
• Identifying early biological markers is crucial for timely intervention and understanding ASD development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in temporal lobe specialization for social stimuli processing in infants at high risk for ASD.
• To determine if early neural responses in infancy can serve as predictors for later autism diagnosis or the broader autism phenotype.

Main Methods:

• Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) was used to assess brain activity in infants.
• Participants included 4-6 month-old infants at high risk (younger siblings of children with ASD) and low-risk controls.
• Neural responses to visual and auditory social stimuli were compared between the two groups.

Main Results:

• Infants at high risk for ASD exhibited less selective neural responses to social stimuli compared to low-risk controls.
• These observed group differences were not explained by variations in attention, developmental stage, or chronological age.
• This study provides the first evidence of distinct brain function patterns in at-risk infants within the first six months of life.

Conclusions:

• Early differences in neural processing of social stimuli are detectable in infants at high risk for autism.
• These findings suggest potential early biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder.
• Further research is needed to confirm if these infant neural patterns predict later ASD diagnosis or related phenotypes.