Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that 1 in 36 children in the United States is affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This statistic has dramatically increased from one in 44 children since 2018. Despite the existence of two FDA-approved treatments, these options solely address symptoms rather than the underlying causes of ASD (Parker et al., 2024). This rise in prevalence and awareness underscores the critical question: Why?
Research led by Maggie Guy and colleagues in their research article “Neural Correlates of Face Processing among preschoolers with
fragile X syndrome, autism spectrum disorder, autism siblings,
Moreover, typical development” delves into the neural responses to social stimuli in infants at elevated risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In the news, there are prevalent findings on the role of vasopressin in social behavior in ASD models that intertwine the common focus of identifying early biomarkers and neural mechanisms in social deficits in ASD. Guy et al. (2017) measured event-related potentials (ERPs), specifically N290 and Nc components, to assess the neural processing of faces in infants with fragile X syndrome (FXS) and infant siblings of children with ASD and provided insight into the early perceptual and attentional mechanisms. (ASIB). The study revealed that the N290 component attends to automatic face recognition, with the Nc component being closely associated with attention allocation and stimulus salience. The researchers' findings revealed that both these high-risk groups show different patterns of neural responses to faces, meaning that these populations follow distinct and unique developmental trajectories despite both being at elevated risk for ASD, challenging previous assumptions. (Guy et al., 2017).
Similarly, a recent news article called Vasopressin Boosts Social Skills Without Aggression in Autism highlights the role of vasopressin, a neuropeptide, in modulating social behavior within these populations. The study published in Science Translational Medicine elaborates on the findings that low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) vasopressin levels in adolescents with ASD reveal a significant association between decreased social behaviors and facial recognition abilities. Furthermore, this administration of vasopressin in socially impaired rhesus monkeys, as an ASD model, significantly improved the ability of social functioning and facial memory without increasing aggressive components (Parker et al., 2024).
While Guy’s work focuses on early neural indicators in at-risk infants, the vasopressin research emphasizes a biochemical mechanism and how both of these areas play a key role in the impact of social behavior.
Together, both areas of this research on this population emphasize the distinct importance of specific early biomarkers and the need for increased research with this population to better understand the cognitive and behavioral mechanisms in the complexities of ASD and its impact on social behaviors. Integrating the neural, biochemical, and behavioral perspectives could lead to more effective cognitive and behavioral interventions as well as advocacy efforts to support individuals with ASD.
References
Guy, M. W., Richards, J. E., Tonnsen, B. L., Roberts, J. E., & Baranek, G. T. (2017). Neural correlates of face processing in infants at elevated risk for autism spectrum disorder: An event-related potential study. Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 9(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s11689-017-9180-4
Parker, K. J., Oztan, O., Libove, R. A., et al. (2024). Vasopressin-based intervention improves social deficits in animal models and children with autism. Science Translational Medicine. https://neurosciencenews.com/vasopressin-social-asd-28666/
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