Impaired face processing is proposed to play a key role in the early development of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and to be an endophenotypic trait which indexes genetic risk for the disorder. However, no published work has examined the development of face processing abilities from infancy into the school-age years and how they relate to ASD symptoms in individuals with or at high-risk for ASD. In this novel study we investigated neural and behavioural measures of face processing at age 7 months and again in mid-childhood (age 7 years) as well as social-communication and sensory symptoms in siblings at high (n = 42) and low (n = 35) familial risk for ASD. In mid-childhood, high-risk siblings showed atypical P1 and N170 event-related potential correlates of face processing and, for high-risk boys only, poorer face and object recognition ability compared to low-risk siblings. These neural and behavioural atypicalities were associated with each other and with higher social-communication and sensory symptoms in mid-childhood. Additionally, more atypical neural correlates of object (but not face) processing in infancy were associated with less right-lateralised (more atypical) N170 amplitudes and greater social-communication problems in mid-childhood. The implications for models of face processing in ASD are discussed.

中文翻译：

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自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 儿童兄弟姐妹面部处理的神经和行为指标：从婴儿期到儿童中期的纵向研究。

受损的面部处理被认为在自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 的早期发展中发挥关键作用，并且是一种内表型特征，可指示该疾病的遗传风险。然而，没有任何已发表的工作研究过从婴儿期到学龄期面部处理能力的发展，以及它们与 ASD 患者或 ASD 高风险个体的 ASD 症状的关系。在这项新颖的研究中，我们调查了 7 个月大和儿童中期（7 岁）的面部处理的神经和行为测量，以及高（n = 42）和低（n = 35) ASD 的家族风险。在儿童中期，高危兄弟姐妹表现出非典型的 P1 和 N170 事件相关的面部处理潜在相关性，并且仅对于高危男孩，与低风险的兄弟姐妹相比，面部和物体识别能力较差。这些神经和行为异常相互关联，并与儿童中期较高的社会交流和感觉症状相关。此外，婴儿期对象（但不是面部）处理的更多非典型神经相关性与儿童中期更少的右侧（更非典型）N170 振幅和更大的社会交流问题相关。讨论了 ASD 中人脸处理模型的含义。婴儿期对象（但不是面部）处理的更多非典型神经相关性与儿童中期更少的右侧（更非典型）N170振幅和更大的社会交流问题相关。讨论了 ASD 中人脸处理模型的含义。婴儿期对象（但不是面部）处理的更多非典型神经相关性与儿童中期更少的右侧（更非典型）N170振幅和更大的社会交流问题相关。讨论了 ASD 中人脸处理模型的含义。