Background
A wealth of data has documented impairments in face processing in individuals with
autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Recently, the suggestion has been made that these
impairments may arise from abnormal development of a subcortical system involved in
face processing that originates in the magnocellular pathway of the primate visual
system.
Methods
To test this developmental hypothesis, we obtained visual perceptual data from 6-month-old
infants who were at risk for ASD because they had an older sibling diagnosed with
the disorder (“high-risk infants”). To measure sensitivity of the magnocellular (M)
pathway and, for comparison, of the parvocellular (P) visual pathway, we employed
visual stimuli designed to selectively stimulate the two. Sensitivity data from high-risk
infants (n = 13) were compared with data from matched control infants (i.e., “low-risk” infants
with no family history of ASD, n = 26).
Results
On the P pathway stimulus, high-risk infants exhibited sensitivities that were identical
to those of control infants. By contrast, on the M pathway stimulus, high-risk infants
exhibited sensitivities nearly twofold greater than those of control infants.
Conclusions
Given that ASD and its symptoms are known to run in families, these preliminary results
suggest that ASD may be associated with abnormal M pathway function early in infancy,
which may aid in early diagnosis of the disorder.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: May 26, 2007
Accepted:
February 9,
2007
Received in revised form:
January 9,
2007
Received:
September 29,
2006
Identification
Copyright
© 2007 Society of Biological Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
