Sex modulation of faces prediction error in the autistic brain
Open accessPublished version of a preprint
Abstract
Recent research suggests that autistic females may have superior socio-cognitive abilities compared to autistic males, potentially contributing to underdiagnosis in females. However, it remains unclear whether these differences arise from distinct neurophysiological functioning in autistic males and females. This study addresses this question by presenting 41 autistic and 48 non-autistic adults with a spatially filtered faces oddball paradigm. Analysis of event-related potentials from scalp electroencephalography reveal a neurophysiological profile in autistic females that fell between those of autistic males and non-autistic females, highlighting sex differences in autism from the initial stages of face processing. This finding underscores the urgent need to explore neurophysiological sex differences in autism and encourages efforts toward a better comprehension of compensation mechanism and a clearer definition of what is meant by camouflaging.
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In light of evidence for sex differences in flexibility in emotional tasks and prediction errors of faces in autism, this difference in sample composition may have contributed to the differences in results.
“In light of evidence for sex differences in flexibility in emotional tasks and prediction errors of faces in autism [51, 52], this difference in sample composition may have contributed to the differences in results.”
From Predicting emotional valence in autism: a preregistered study in the Bayesian Brain framework (2026) · cites this paper as [52]
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References 115 · Cited by 12
Research works printed but not linked: 1
- [96]American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition–Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR) 1–943 (American Psychiatric Association, 2000).
- Authors
- Lacroix, A., Harquel, S., Mermillod, M., Garrido, M., Barbosa, L., Vercueil, L., Aleysson, D., Dutheil, F., Kovarski, K., & Gomot, M.
- Affiliations
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (FR)
- The University of Melbourne (AU)
- Université de Tours (FR)
- Corresponding author
- Lacroix, Adeline
- ORCID
- Venue
- Communications Biology
- Published
- 2024-01-25
- Volume
- 7
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 127-127
- ISSN
- 2399-3642 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC10810845
- OpenAlex
- W4391227814
- Cited by
- 12
- References
- 115
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 4
- FWCI
- 2.92
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Communications Biology (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HAL (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- Infoscience (Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Minerva Access (University of Melbourne) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR-19-P3IA-0003, ANR-17-EURE-0003, ANR-17-EURE-, ANR‐19, ANR-17-EURE-003, ANR-11-INBS, ANR-11-INBS-0006, ANR-17)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, sex differences, face processing, prediction error, event-related potentials, autistic females, camouflaging, compensatory mechanisms, socio-cognitive abilities
- MeSH terms
- Autistic Disorder, Brain, Cognition, Electroencephalography, Evoked Potentials, Female, Humans, Male
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