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. 2002 May-Jun;73(3):700-17.
doi: 10.1111/1467-8624.00433.

Neural correlates of face and object recognition in young children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, and typical development

Geraldine Dawson  1 , Leslie Carver, Andrew N Meltzoff, Heracles Panagiotides, James McPartland, Sara J Webb
Affiliations

Neural correlates of face and object recognition in young children with autism spectrum disorder, developmental delay, and typical development

Geraldine Dawson et al. Child Dev. 2002 May-Jun.

Abstract

This study utilized electroencephalographic recordings to examine whether young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have impaired face recognition ability. High-density brain event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded to photos of the child's mother's face versus an unfamiliar female face and photos of a favorite versus an unfamiliar toy from children with ASD, children with typical development, and children with developmental delay, all 3 to 4 years of age (N = 118). Typically developing children showed ERP amplitude differences in two components, P400 and Nc, to a familiar versus an unfamiliar face, and to a familiar versus an unfamiliar object. In contrast, children with ASD failed to show differences in ERPs to a familiar versus an unfamiliar face, but they did show P400 and Nc amplitude differences to a familiar versus an unfamiliar object. Developmentally delayed children showed significant ERP amplitude differences for the positive slow wave for both faces and objects. These data suggest that autism is associated with face recognition impairment that is manifest early in life.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Electrode groups over which data were averaged for each component (reference electrode during recording at location Cz). The Nc component is shown in the light-shaded areas (top). The P400 component is shown in the dark-shaded areas (bottom). Electrodes that are shaded black indicate the slow-wave component.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Voltage maps of event-related potentials to unfamiliar faces at 450 ms for children with (A) autism spectrum disorder, (B) typical development, and (C) developmental delay.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Averaged event-related potential waveforms at the anterior (top) and posterior (bottom), right hemisphere, midline, and left hemisphere scalp locations for familiar and unfamiliar (A) faces and (B) objects for children with typical development. Areas in which significant differences were found for familiar versus unfamiliar stimuli are shaded in black.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Averaged event-related potential waveforms at the anterior (top) and posterior (bottom), right hemisphere, midline, and left hemisphere scalp locations for familiar and unfamiliar (A) faces and (B) objects for children with autism spectrum disorder. Areas in which significant differences were found for familiar versus unfamiliar stimuli are shaded in black.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Averaged event-related potential waveforms at the anterior (top) and posterior (bottom), right hemisphere, midline, and left hemisphere scalp locations for familiar and unfamiliar (A) faces and (B) objects for children with developmental delay. Areas in which significant differences were found for familiar versus unfamiliar stimuli are shaded in black.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Voltage maps of event-related potentials to unfamiliar objects at 490 ms for children with (A) autism spectrum disorder, (B) typical development, and (C) developmental delay.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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