Association of autism tendency and hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex during facial expression stimuli measured by multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy

作者：Hosokawa Mai; Nakadoi Yoshihiro^*; Watanabe Yukina; Sumitani Satsuki; Ohmori Tetsuro

来源：Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, 2015, 69(3): 145-152.

DOI：10.1111/pcn.12240

• autism spectrum disorders
• autism-spectrum quotient
• facial recognition
• near-infrared spectroscopy
• prefrontal cortex

AimThe aim of this study is to examine the hemodynamic changes induced by the cognitive process of facial expression by using multi-channel near-infrared spectroscopy in healthy subjects with varying degrees of autism tendency.
MethodsSubjects were 38 volunteers, 20 men and 18 women. Autism tendency was measured by the Autism Spectrum Quotient. The hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex were measured by 24-channel near-infrared spectroscopy system, while subjects were asked to judge their own emotional response to standardized pictures of eight kinds of facial expressions on a computer screen.
ResultsThere were significant negative correlations between Autism Spectrum Quotient scores and accuracy of fearful expression recognition as well as increases in the concentration of oxygenated hemoglobin in response to four kinds of emotional faces (fear, contempt, sadness and disgust).
ConclusionOur findings suggest that the greater tendency to autism that subjects have, the more difficulty they have in recognizing a fearful expression and the less hemodynamic change in the prefrontal cortex they show in response to negative facial expressions.

• 出版日期2015-3