John A Richey1, Denis Gracanin2, Stephen LaConte3,4, Jonathan Lisinski3, Inyoung Kim3,5, Marika Coffman1,6,7, Ligia Antezana1, Corinne N Carlton1, Katelyn M Garcia1, Susan W White8. 1. Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech. 2. Department of Computer Science, Virginia Tech. 3. Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion. 4. Department of Biomedical Engineering and Mechanics, Virginia Tech. 5. Department of Statistics, Virginia Tech. 6. Center for Autism and Brain Development, Duke University. 7. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University. 8. Department of Psychology, Center for Youth Development and Intervention, University of Alabama.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to measure and internally validate neural markers of facial emotion recognition (FER) in adolescents and young adults with ASD to inform targeted intervention. METHOD: We utilized fMRI to measure patterns of brain activity among individuals with ASD (N = 21) and matched controls (CON; N = 20) 2 s prior to judgments about the identity of six distinct facial emotions (happy, sad, angry, surprised, fearful, disgust). RESULTS: Predictive modeling of fMRI data (support vector classification; SVC) identified mechanistic roles for brain regions that forecasted correct and incorrect identification of facial emotion as well as sources of errors over these decisions. BOLD signal activation in bilateral insula, anterior cingulate (ACC) and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) preceded accurate FER in both controls and ASD. Predictive modeling utilizing SVC confirmed the utility of ACC in forecasting correct decisions in controls but not ASD, and further indicated that a region within the right dlPFC was the source of a type 1 error signal in ASD (i.e. neural marker reflecting an impending correct judgment followed by an incorrect behavioral response) approximately two seconds prior to emotion judgments during fMRI. CONCLUSIONS: ACC forecasted correct decisions only among control participants. Right dlPFC was the source of a false-positive signal immediately prior to an error about the nature of a facial emotion in adolescents and young adults with ASD, potentially consistent with prior work indicating that dlPFC may play a role in attention to and regulation of emotional experience.
OBJECTIVE: The present study sought to measure and internally validate neural markers of facial emotion recognition (FER) in adolescents and young adults with ASD to inform targeted intervention. METHOD: We utilized fMRI to measure patterns of brain activity among individuals with ASD (N = 21) and matched controls (CON; N = 20) 2 s prior to judgments about the identity of six distinct facial emotions (happy, sad, angry, surprised, fearful, disgust). RESULTS: Predictive modeling of fMRI data (support vector classification; SVC) identified mechanistic roles for brain regions that forecasted correct and incorrect identification of facial emotion as well as sources of errors over these decisions. BOLD signal activation in bilateral insula, anterior cingulate (ACC) and right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC) preceded accurate FER in both controls and ASD. Predictive modeling utilizing SVC confirmed the utility of ACC in forecasting correct decisions in controls but not ASD, and further indicated that a region within the right dlPFC was the source of a type 1 error signal in ASD (i.e. neural marker reflecting an impending correct judgment followed by an incorrect behavioral response) approximately two seconds prior to emotion judgments during fMRI. CONCLUSIONS: ACC forecasted correct decisions only among control participants. Right dlPFC was the source of a false-positive signal immediately prior to an error about the nature of a facial emotion in adolescents and young adults with ASD, potentially consistent with prior work indicating that dlPFC may play a role in attention to and regulation of emotional experience.
Authors: Heather D Garman; Christine J Spaulding; Sara Jane Webb; Amori Yee Mikami; James P Morris; Matthew D Lerner Journal: Child Psychiatry Hum Dev Date: 2016-12
Authors: M S George; T A Ketter; D S Gill; J V Haxby; L G Ungerleider; P Herscovitch; R M Post Journal: J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci Date: 1993 Impact factor: 2.198
Authors: John N Constantino; Sandra A Davis; Richard D Todd; Matthew K Schindler; Maggie M Gross; Susan L Brophy; Lisa M Metzger; Christiana S Shoushtari; Reagan Splinter; Wendy Reich Journal: J Autism Dev Disord Date: 2003-08