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Altered Dynamics of the fMRI Response to Faces in Individuals with Autism

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Abstract

Abnormal fMRI habituation in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) has been proposed as a critical component in social impairment. This study investigated habituation to fearful faces and houses in ASD and whether fMRI measures of brain activity discriminate between ASD and typically developing (TD) controls. Two identical fMRI runs presenting masked fearful faces, houses, and scrambled images were collected. We found significantly slower fMRI responses to fearful faces but not houses in ASD. In addition, the pattern of slow to emerge amygdala activation to faces had robust discriminability [ASD vs. TD; area under the curve (AUC) = .852, p < .001]. In contrast, habituation to houses had no predictive value (AUC = .573, p = .365). Amygdala habituation to emotional faces may be useful for quantifying risk in ASD.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U19 HD34565) and the National Institute of Mental Health (U54MH066399). A subset of the data presented here were previously published in Kleinhans et al. (2011).

Author Contributions

NK conceived of the study and its design, processed the data, performed the statistical analyses, and drafted the manuscript; TR participated in acquiring, processing and interpreting the data, JG performed the diagnostic evaluations and behavioral testing and provided feedback on the manuscript, GD provided feedback on the study design, interpretation of the data, and the manuscript, EA participated in the design of the fMRI tasks, interpretation of the data, and provided feedback on the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Author notes

  1. Geraldine Dawson

    Present address: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27701, USA

  2. Elizabeth Aylward

    Present address: Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, University of Washington, Box 357115, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Natalia M. Kleinhans, Todd Richards & Elizabeth Aylward

  2. Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Jessica Greenson

  3. UW Autism Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Natalia M. Kleinhans, Jessica Greenson, Geraldine Dawson & Elizabeth Aylward

  4. Integrative Brain Imaging Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Natalia M. Kleinhans & Todd Richards

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  1. Natalia M. Kleinhans
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  2. Todd Richards
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Correspondence to Natalia M. Kleinhans.

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Kleinhans, N.M., Richards, T., Greenson, J. et al. Altered Dynamics of the fMRI Response to Faces in Individuals with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 46, 232–241 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2565-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-015-2565-8

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