Elevated amygdala response to faces and gaze aversion in autism spectrum disorder.

ABSTRACT: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are often associated with impairments in judgment of facial expressions. This impairment is often accompanied by diminished eye contact and atypical amygdala responses to face stimuli. The current study used a within-subjects design to examine the effects of natural viewing and an experimental eye-gaze manipulation on amygdala responses to faces. Individuals with ASD showed less gaze toward the eye region of faces relative to a control group. Among individuals with ASD, reduced eye gaze was associated with higher threat ratings of neutral faces. Amygdala signal was elevated in the ASD group relative to controls. This elevated response was further potentiated by experimentally manipulating gaze to the eye region. Potentiation by the gaze manipulation was larg

SUBMITTER: Tottenham N 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3871735 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature