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Cited by 432Face Recognition and PerceptionAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchAction Observation and Synchronization

The brain response to personally familiar faces in autism: Findings of fusiform activity and beyond

Pierce, K.·2004·Brain
DOI 10.1093/brain/awh289
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Abstract

Past functional MRI (FMRI) studies of autism have reported reduced activation in response to the faces of strangers primarily in the 'fusiform face area' (FFA). An alternative and potentially stronger test of FFA function in autism is one that attempts to affect levels of FFA activity using factors believed to modulate function in this brain region, such as face familiarity and the perception of face identity. The current study presented personally meaningful faces, such as mother and co-worker, as well as stranger faces in a rapid event-related FMRI design. Seven autistic and nine normal control adults participated and pressed a button in response to all female faces. A deconvolution analysis revealed significant FFA activity in response to familiar and stranger faces in both autism and normal control groups. Individuals with autism also showed greater fusiform activity in response to familiar faces than stranger faces, as well as the prototypical right hemisphere dominance in response to both types of faces. Normal subjects showed additional activation to familiar faces in the posterior cingulate, amygdala and medial frontal lobes, including the anterior cingulate. Subjects with autism showed a similar, but more limited, network in response to familiar faces. This network included the amygdala and implies that this structure, involved in multiple socio-emotional functions, can be responsive in autism in the presence of stimuli that represent high reward value, such as mother's face. Furthermore, the presence of a distinct network to process familiar faces in autism, one that included limbic structures and was not found in response to the faces of strangers, suggests socio-emotional processing in autism. A potentially noteworthy trend, however, was evidence for a reduction in medial frontal lobe function in the autism group. The main finding of FFA activity in autism stands in contrast to most past FMRI studies of face processing in this disorder. This positive result may reflect the use of personally significant faces that enhanced attention and motivation in the autistic participants. Furthermore, given the proposed role of the FFA in establishing person identity, the use of almost a dozen different personally familiar faces for each participant (totalling 32 non-repeating faces) may have additionally maximized FFA involvement. Therefore, dysfunction in the FFA found in other studies of autism may reflect defects in systems that modulate the FFA, rather than the FFA itself.

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Crossref · 10.1093/brain/awh289

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  • Three studies, those of Ogai et al. (2003), Pierce et al. (2004) and Piggot et al. (2004), failed to find any significant differences in amygdala activation for the ASD samples compared to controls.

    “However, three studies, those of Ogai et al. (2003), Pierce et al. (2004) and Piggot et al. (2004), failed to find any significant differences in amygdala activation for the ASD samples compared to controls.”

    From Vision in autism spectrum disorders (2009) · cites this paper as Pierce et al. (2004)

  • Dalton et al.'s (2005) study, together with Ogai et al. (2003), Pierce et al. (2004) and Piggot et al. (2004), suggest that it is possible to obtain functional activations of the amygdala in individuals with ASD, given appropriate control of the participant (with regard to fixation) and appropriate levels of stimulation (familiar or highly evocative faces).

    “Dalton et al.'s (2005) study, together with Ogai et al. (2003), Pierce et al. (2004) and Piggot et al. (2004) suggest that it is possible to obtain functional activations of the amygdala in individuals with ASD, given appropriate control of the participant (with regard to fixation) and appropriate levels of stimulation (familiar or highly evocative faces).”

    From Vision in autism spectrum disorders (2009) · cites this paper as Pierce et al. (2004)

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Authors
Pierce, K.
Affiliations
University of California San Diego (US)
Corresponding author
Pierce, K.
ORCID
Pierce, K.
Venue
Brain
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Published
2004-11-10
Volume
127
Issue
12
Pages
2703-2716
ISSN
  • 0006-8950 (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-2156
DOI
10.1093/brain/awh289
OpenAlex
W2025319978
Cited by
432
References
91
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 10 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 21 · 2019: 17 · 2018: 22 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 15 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 18 · 2012: 25
FWCI
10.76
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Brain (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
National Institute of Mental Health (R01-MH36840, K01-MH01814, R01MH036840, K01MH001814)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, fusiform face area, face familiarity, face processing, face identity, amygdala, socio-emotional processing, right hemisphere dominance, medial frontal lobe, posterior cingulate cortex
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Amygdala, Autistic Disorder, Brain Mapping, Discrimination, Psychological, Face, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Photic Stimulation, Photography, Temporal Lobe, Case-Control Studies, Recognition, Psychology

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