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Updated: Feb 27, 2026
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Differences in Neural Correlates of Speech Perception in 3 Month Olds at High and Low Risk for Autism Spectrum
Laura A Edwards1,2,3, Jennifer B Wagner4, Helen Tager-Flusberg5
1Marcus Autism Center, 1920 Briarcliff Rd NE, Atlanta, GA, 30329, USA.
Abstract:
In this study, we investigated neural precursors of language acquisition as potential endophenotypes of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in 3-month-old infants at high and low familial ASD risk. Infants were imaged using functional near-infrared spectroscopy while they listened to auditory stimuli containing syllable repetitions; their neural responses were analyzed over left and right temporal regions. While female low risk infants showed initial neural activation that decreased over exposure to repetition-based stimuli, potentially indicating a habituation response to repetition in speech, female high risk infants showed no changes in neural activity over exposure. This finding may indicate a potential neural endophenotype of language development or ASD specific to females at risk for the disorder.
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