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Updated: Aug 5, 2026
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A Semantic Priming Event-related Potential (ERP) Task to Study Lexico-semantic and Visuo-semantic Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 12, 2018
Neural Endophenotypes of Semantic Processing and Social Functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Shu-Hui Lee1, Chuan-Ching Liao2, Tai-Li Chou2,3,4
1Center for General Education, National Tsing Hua University, Hsinchu, Taiwan.
Summary
Family risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) influences brain activity in semantic processing. Siblings show intermediate neural patterns, linking brain function to social challenges in ASD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Genetics
- Developmental Psychology
Background:
- Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a high heritability, but the neural basis of its semantic and social processing deficits, and their link to familial risk, is unclear.
- Unaffected siblings (SIB) of individuals with ASD share genetic liability and can serve as a model for identifying intermediate neural phenotypes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the neural architecture of semantic processing in individuals with ASD, their unaffected siblings (SIB), and typically developing controls (TD).
- To determine if neural activation patterns reflect familial risk for ASD and are associated with social functioning.
Main Methods:
- Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used during a semantic judgment task.
- Participants included 36 individuals with ASD, 36 SIB, and 37 TD controls, matched for age, IQ, and handedness.
- Social functioning was assessed using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS).
Main Results:
- A graded pattern of reduced inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) activation was observed, with ASD < SIB < TD.
- Middle temporal gyrus (MTG) activation showed a similar trend, though SIB did not differ from TD.
- Heightened cuneus activation was found in both ASD and SIB groups, suggesting a heritable shift towards perceptual processing.
- Reduced MTG and IFG activation correlated with higher SRS scores in both ASD and SIB groups, linking semantic processing to social functioning.
Conclusions:
- Familial liability for ASD shapes neural organization for semantic processing, with unaffected siblings exhibiting intermediate brain activation patterns.
- Neural differences in semantic processing are associated with social functioning, suggesting a dimensional continuity of these traits across the autism spectrum.
- These findings highlight the interplay between genetic risk, neural phenotypes, and social outcomes in ASD.
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