Neural Correlates of Infant Face Processing and Autism Symptom Severity in Etiologically-Distinct High-Risk Participants

• In Event: Socio-cognitive abilities in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Etiologically-distinct infants at a high risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have demonstrated unique, atypical neural responses during face processing (Guy et al., 2018). Specifically, infant siblings of children diagnosed with ASD (ASIBs) were found to have more muted, hyporeactive neural responses, while infants with fragile X syndrome (FXS) were found to have more hyperactive responses. In the current study, heterogeneous pathways to ASD were investigated by examining relations between ERP responses in infancy and the severity of ASD symptoms in early childhood in these distinct high-risk groups. Fifty participants were recruited, including 18 ASIBs, 14 infants with FXS, and 18 low-risk controls. Twelve-month-old participants completed an ERP experiment examining neural responses to faces and toys, and then completed the Autism Diagnostic Observation Scale-2 (ADOS-2) at approximately 48 months of age. The ADOS-2 was used to compute Overall, Social Affect (SA), and Restricted and Repetitive Behavior (RRB) calibrated severity scores. Symptom severity was examined in relation to amplitude of the N290 ERP component, which has been most closely associated with specialized face processing in infancy (Conte et al., 2020). Results revealed that infant ERP responses were related to the severity of later ASD symptoms. There were significant interactions of group, stimulus type, and symptom severity scores on N290 amplitude (Overall: F (2,1188) = 10.05, p < .001; SA: F (2, 1188) = 4.21, p = .015; RRB: F (2, 1188) = 9.30, p < .001). For ASIBs, more negative N290 responses to faces and toys were associated with higher Overall and SA scores. Additionally, more negative N290 responses to toys were associated with higher RRB scores. Infants with FXS showed that a more negative N290 to faces was associated with higher Overall scores and more positive N290 responses to toys were associated with higher SA and RRB scores. These results differed from LRC participants, who showed more positive N290 amplitude in response to faces was associated with higher Overall and SA scores. Relations between N290 amplitude to faces and toys and Overall scores are illustrated in Figure 1. Plots labeled “Low Overall CSS” include participants with an Overall CSS of three or less on the ADOS-2. “High Overall CSS” includes participants with an Overall CSS of seven or higher. The N290 is evident as the negative deflection occurring approximately 300 ms after stimulus onset. The change in amplitude from the preceding peak of the P1 to the peak of the N290 is greater for ASIB and FXS participants with high Overall scores compared with low Overall scores, particularly in response to faces. The results of this study indicate that infant ERP responses may be predictive of later symptoms of ASD and provides support for further investigation of their use as a biomarker for ASD. In particular, it was interesting to find that despite unique patterns of neural responses to faces and toys across ASIBs and infants with FXS, a similar enhanced N290 response to faces was associated with the presentation of more severe ASD symptoms for both groups.

Authors

• Maggie W Guy, Loyola University Chicago
  Presenting Author

• John E Richards, University of South Carolina
  Non-Presenting Author

• Abigail L Hogan, University of South Carolina
  Non-Presenting Author

• Jane E Roberts, University of South Carolina
  Non-Presenting Author