Cited by 45Face Recognition and PerceptionAutism Spectrum Disorder ResearchFace recognition and analysis

Repetition suppression and memory for faces is reduced in adults with autism spectrum conditions

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Ewbank, Michael P., Pell, Philip J., Powell, Thomas E., von dem Hagen, Elisabeth A. H., Baron-Cohen, Simon, Calder, Andrew J.·2017·Cerebral Cortex

Abstract

Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) are associated with a number of atypicalities in face processing, including difficulties in face memory. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this difficulty are unclear. In neurotypical individuals, repeated presentation of the same face is associated with a reduction in activity, known as repetition suppression (RS), in the fusiform face area (FFA). However, to date, no studies have investigated RS to faces in individuals with ASC, or the relationship between RS and face memory. Here, we measured RS to faces and geometric shapes in individuals with a clinical diagnosis of an ASC and in age and IQ matched controls. Relative to controls, the ASC group showed reduced RS to faces in bilateral FFA and reduced performance on a standardized test of face memory. By contrast, RS to shapes in object-selective regions and object memory did not differ between groups. Individual variation in face-memory performance was positively correlated with RS in regions of left parietal and prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest difficulties in face memory in ASC may be a consequence of differences in the way faces are stored and/or maintained across a network of regions involved in both visual perception and short-term/working memory.

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Crossref · 10.1093/cercor/bhw373

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  • Ewbank et al. (2017) found that autistic adults showed less repetition suppression for faces but not for objects.

    “They found that autistic adults showed less repetition suppression for faces but not for objects.”

    From Are prediction error modifications domain specific in autism but domain general in ADHD? (2025) · cites this paper as Ewbank et al. (2017)

    The Discussion reports reduced repetition suppression (RS) to faces but not shapes in adults with autism spectrum conditions. Experiment 2 (Results; page unavailable) specifically tested simple geometric shapes, so the claim’s broader wording, “objects,” extends beyond what was tested. (LLM, conf=0.85)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • The observed comparable activation patterns suggest that RS of shared features of faces, such as colour and emotion, is unaltered in ASD, while RS for facial identities might be reduced.

    “The observed comparable activation patterns suggest that RS of shared features of faces, such as colour and emotion in this study, is unaltered in ASD, while RS for facial identities might be reduced (Ewbank et al., 2017).”

    From Are prediction error modifications domain specific in autism but domain general in ADHD? (2025) · cites this paper as Ewbank et al., 2017

    The Results (Experiment 1: RS to Faces; page unavailable) report less repetition suppression for repeated facial identities in the ASC group than in controls. The paper does not establish that suppression of shared facial features such as colour or emotion is unaltered: it used neutral-expression faces, and its colour manipulation concerned geometric shapes, not faces (Materials and Methods: Stimuli; Discussion). (LLM, conf=0.88)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Previous studies revealed processing differences associated with autism to be feature specific; for example, differences in RS were found for faces but not objects (Ewbank et al., 2017).

    “Previous studies revealed processing differences associated with autism to be features specific; for example, differences in RS were found for faces but not objects (Ewbank et al., 2017).”

    From Are prediction error modifications domain specific in autism but domain general in ADHD? (2025) · cites this paper as Ewbank et al., 2017

    Split into 2 atoms — 0 confirmed, 2 partially supported, 0 disputed, 0 misattributed, 0 unverifiable. Expand the claim to see per-atom verdicts.

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
  • Autistic and non-autistic adults could potentially differ in how much they ignore a face appearing in their attended visual field if it is task irrelevant; this difference might drive the decreased RS to faces observed by Ewbank et al. (2017).

    “Autistic and non-autistic adults could potentially differ in how much they ignore a face appearing in their attended visual field if it is task irrelevant. This difference in the level of attention they pay to the face stimuli might be the driving factor behind the decreased RS to faces observed by Ewbank et al. (2017).”
  • Comparable neural correlates of RS to colour and emotion combinations of faces in autistic participants extend previous findings demonstrating reduced RS for faces in autism.

    “Comparable neural correlates of RS to colour and emotion combinations of faces in our autistic participants extend previous findings demonstrating reduced RS for faces in autism (D’Mello et al., 2023; Ewbank et al., 2017).”

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Authors
Ewbank, M. P., Pell, P. J., Powell, T. E., von dem Hagen, E. A. H., Baron-Cohen, S., & Calder, A. J.
Affiliations
  • MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit (GB)
  • Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, CB2 7EF Cambridge, UK
Corresponding author
Ewbank, Michael P.
Venue
Cerebral Cortex
Published
2016-11-30
Volume
27
Issue
1
Pages
92-103
ISSN
  • 1047-3211 (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-2199
OpenAlex
W2558159198
Cited by
45
References
66
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 6 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 3
FWCI
2.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Cerebral Cortex (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ORCA Online Research @Cardiff (Cardiff University) (acceptedVersion)
  • UvA-DARE (University of Amsterdam) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Data Archiving and Networked Services (DANS) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • UK Medical Research Council (MC-A060-5PQ50)
  • Autism Research Trust
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Face Recognition and Perception
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition › Face recognition and analysis
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, repetition suppression, face memory, fusiform face area, face processing, object memory, geometric figures, parietal cortex, prefrontal cortex, individual differences, working memory, visual perception
MeSH terms
Facial Recognition, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adult, Female, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Male, Memory, Memory Disorders, Middle Aged, Visual Cortex, Young Adult, Repetition Priming

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