Impairments in monkey and human face recognition in 2-year-old toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Delay

Face recognition impairments are well documented in older children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD); however, the developmental course of the deficit is not clear. This study investigates the progressive specialization of face recognition skills in children with and without ASD. Experiment 1 examines human and monkey face recognition in 2-year-old children with ASD, matched for nonverbal mental age (NVMA) with developmentally delayed (DD) children, and typically developing children (TD), using the Visual Paired Comparison (VPC) paradigm. Results indicate that, consistent with the other-species effect, TD controls show enhanced recognition of human but not monkey faces; however, neither the ASD nor the DD group show evidence of face recognition regardless of the species. Experiment 2 examines the same question in a group of older 3- to 4-year-old developmentally disabled (ASD and DD) children as well as in typical controls. In this experiment, both human and monkey faces are recognized by all three groups. The results of Experiments 1 and 2 suggest that difficulties in face processing, as measured by the VPC paradigm, are common in toddlers with ASD as well as DD, but that these deficits tend to disappear by early preschool age. In addition, the experiments show that higher efficacy of incidental encoding and recognition of facial identity in a context of passive exposure is positively related to nonverbal cognitive skills and age, but not to overall social interaction skills or greater attention to faces exhibited in naturalistic contexts.     

Early processing of emotional faces in children with autism: An event-related potential study

Social deficits are one of the most striking manifestations of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Among these social deficits, the recognition and understanding of emotional facial expressions has been widely reported to be affected in ASDs. We investigated emotional face processing in children with and without autism using event-related potentials (ERPs). High-functioning children with autism (n = 15, mean age = 10.5 ± 3.3 years) completed an implicit emotional task while visual ERPs were recorded. Two groups of typically developing children (chronological age-matched and verbal equivalent age-matched [both ns = 15, mean age = 7.7 ± 3.8 years]) also participated in this study. The early ERP responses to faces (P1 and N170) were delayed, and the P1 was smaller in children with autism than in typically developing children of the same chronological age, revealing that the first stages of emotional face processing are affected in autism. However, when matched by verbal equivalent age, only P1 amplitude remained affected in autism. Our results suggest that the emotional and facial processing difficulties in autism could start from atypicalities in visual perceptual processes involving rapid feedback to primary visual areas and subsequent holistic processing.     

Enhanced ERPs to visual stimuli in unaffected male siblings of ASD children

Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by deficits in social and communication abilities. While unaffected relatives lack severe deficits, milder impairments have been reported in some first-degree relatives. The present study sought to verify whether mild deficits in face perception are evident among the unaffected younger siblings of children with ASD. Children between 6–9 years of age completed a face-recognition task and a passive viewing ERP task with face and house stimuli. Sixteen children were typically developing with no family history of ASD, and 17 were unaffected children with an older sibling with ASD. Findings indicate that, while unaffected siblings are comparable to controls in their face-recognition abilities, unaffected male siblings in particular show relatively enhanced P100 and P100-N170 peak-to-peak amplitude responses to faces and houses. Enhanced ERPs among unaffected male siblings is discussed in relation to potential differences in neural network recruitment during visual and face processing.     

空间书写障碍的个案研究

根据书写加工理论,从异形字水平、图解动作模式水平和神经动作执行水平三个方面,综合考察一例空间书写障碍儿童的认知加工特点。结果表明：（1）个案QY的异形字水平出现选择性损伤,在视觉整体特征的知觉加工上存在困难,导致自发书写的汉字难以辨识,存在严重的间架结构问题。（2）个案QY在图解动作模式水平以及神经动作执行水平上表现正常     

Individual differences in holistic processing predict face recognition ability

Why do some people recognize faces easily and others frequently make mistakes in recognizing faces? Classic behavioral work has shown that faces are processed in a distinctive holistic manner that is unlike the processing of objects. In the study reported here, we investigated whether individual differences in holistic face processing have a significant influence on face recognition. We found that the magnitude of face-specific recognition accuracy correlated with the extent to which participants processed faces holistically, as indexed by the composite-face effect and the whole-part effect. This association is due to face-specific processing in particular, not to a more general aspect of cognitive processing, such as general intelligence or global attention. This finding provides constraints on computational models of face recognition and may elucidate mechanisms underlying cognitive disorders, such as prosopagnosia and autism, that are associated with deficits in face recognition.     

Reading in callosal agenesis

It has been suggested that deficits in explicit phonological processing are causal in developmental dyslexia. Deficits in such skills have been reported in developmental phonological dyslexia, though not in developmental surface dyslexia. The reading performance of two children with callosal agenesis, who have been previously shown to have impairments on rhyming tasks, are reported. Neither child is dyslexic in the traditional sense, since word reading levels are appropriate for age. However, both children have impaired development of the phonological reading route despite normal lexical skills. The pattern of their reading is therefore comparable to developmental phonological dyslexia. Problems in explicit phonological processing may be causal in the failure to establish an efficient phonological reading route but this is insufficient to create difficulty with word recognition itself. The corpus callosum may be essential for the normal development of a phonological reading route.     

Audio‐visual speech in noise perception in dyslexia

Individuals with developmental dyslexia (DD) may experience, besides reading problems, other speech‐related processing deficits. Here, we examined the influence of visual articulatory information (lip‐read speech) at various levels of background noise on auditory word recognition in children and adults with DD. We found that children with a documented history of DD have deficits in their ability to gain benefit from lip‐read information that disambiguates noise‐masked speech. We show with another group of adult individuals with DD that these deficits persist into adulthood. These deficits could not be attributed to impairments in unisensory auditory word recognition. Rather, the results indicate a specific deficit in audio‐visual speech processing and suggest that impaired multisensory integration might be an important aspect of DD.     

Recognition of faces and complex objects in younger and older adults

We examined whether (1) age-associated impairments in face recognition are specific to faces or also apply to within-category recognition of other objects and (2) age-related face recognition deficits are related to impairments in encoding second-order relations and holistic information. In Experiments 1 and 2, we found reliable age differences for recognition of faces, but not of objects. Moreover, older adults (OAs) and younger adults (YAs) displayed similar face inversion effects. In Experiment 3, unlike YAs, OAs did not show the expected decline in performance for recognition of composites (Young, Hellawell, and Hay, 1987). In Experiment 4, both OAs and YAs showed a whole/part advantage (Tanaka and Farah, 1993). Our results suggest that OAs have spared function for processing of second-order relations and holistic information. Possible explanations for the finding that OAs have greater difficulty recognizing faces than recognizing other objects are proposed.     

Facial speech gestures: the relation between visual speech processing,phonological awareness,and developmental dyslexia in 10‐year‐olds

Successful communication in everyday life crucially involves the processing of auditory and visual components of speech. Viewing our interlocutor and processing visual components of speech facilitates speech processing by triggering auditory processing. Auditory phoneme processing, analyzed by event‐related brain potentials (ERP), has been shown to be associated with impairments in reading and spelling (i.e. developmental dyslexia), but visual aspects of phoneme processing have not been investigated in individuals with such deficits. The present study analyzed the passive visual Mismatch Response (vMMR) in school children with and without developmental dyslexia in response to video‐recorded mouth movements pronouncing syllables silently. Our results reveal that both groups of children showed processing of visual speech stimuli, but with different scalp distribution. Children without developmental dyslexia showed a vMMR with typical posterior distribution. In contrast, children with developmental dyslexia showed a vMMR with anterior distribution, which was even more pronounced in children with severe phonological deficits and very low spelling abilities. As anterior scalp distributions are typically reported for auditory speech processing, the anterior vMMR of children with developmental dyslexia might suggest an attempt to anticipate potentially upcoming auditory speech information in order to support phonological processing, which has been shown to be deficient in children with developmental dyslexia.     

Age-related changes in amplitude,latency and specialization of ERP responses to faces and watches

ABSTRACT

Healthy aging is associated with impairments in face recognition. While earlier research suggests that these impairments arise during memory retrieval, more recent findings suggest that earlier mechanisms, at the perceptual stage, may also be at play. However, results are often inconsistent and very few studies have included a non-face control stimulus to facilitate interpretation of results with respect to the implication of specialized face mechanisms vs. general cognitive factors. To address these issues, P100, N170 and P200 event-related potentials (ERPs) were measured during processing of faces and watches. For faces, age-related differences were found for P100, N170 and P200 ERPs. For watches, age-related differences were found for N170 and P200 ERPs. Older adults showed less selective and less lateralized N170 responses to faces, suggesting that ERPs can detect age-related de-differentiation of specialized face networks. We conclude that age-related impairments in face recognition arise in part from difficulties in the earliest perceptual stages of visual information processing. A working model is presented based on coarse-to-fine analysis of visually similar exemplars.     

Understanding covert recognition

An implementation of Bruce and Young's (1986) functional model of face recognition is used to examine patterns of covert face recognition previously reported in a prosopagnosic patient, PH. Although PH is unable to recognize overly the faces of people known to him, he shows normal patterns of face processing when tested indirectly. A simple manipulation of one set of connections in the implemented model induces behaviour consistent with patterns of results from PH obtained in semantic priming and interference tasks. We compare this account with previous explanations of covert recognition and demonstrate that the implemented model provides the most natural and parsimonious account available. Two further patients are discussed who show deficits in person perception. The first (MS) is prosopagnosic but shows no covert recognition. The second (ME) is not prosopagnosic, but cannot access semantic information relating to familiar people. The model provides an account of recognition impairments which is sufficiently general also to be useful in describing these patients.     

Atypical Neuropsychological Profile in a Boy with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome Keywords:

In this article the general and specific cognitive impairments of the boy R.H. with a de novo deletion 22q11.2 are described. His full-scale IQ was 73, and he obtained only slightly better verbal than non-verbal subtest scores. Neuropsychological assessment revealed specific impairments in perceptual categorization of objects presented suboptimal, matching of unfamiliar faces, and verbal learning and memory. In contrast, he performed in accordance with his intelligence level on other visual perceptual tasks, on non-verbal learning and memory tasks, and on attention tasks. Voxel-wise statistical comparison of a high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance image of R.H’s brain with similar images obtained from 14 normal control children revealed as major abnormalities a reduction of the right inferior parietal and superior occipital lobe, and a bilateral reduction of deep white matter behind the inferior frontal gyrus. These cognitive impairments and MRI abnormalities are not commonly described in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and may indicate a larger heterogeneity in the neurocognitive phenotype than currently evidenced. At least in this boy the microdeletion seems to have interfered with the development and functioning of particular neural subsystems, while the structure and functioning of other subsystems was left intact.     

Atypical neuropsychological profile in a boy with 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.

In this article the general and specific cognitive impairments of the boy R.H. with a de novo deletion 22q11.2 are described. His full-scale IQ was 73, and he obtained only slightly better verbal than non-verbal subtest scores. Neuropsychological assessment revealed specific impairments in perceptual categorization of objects presented suboptimal, matching of unfamiliar faces, and verbal learning and memory. In contrast, he performed in accordance with his intelligence level on other visual perceptual tasks, on non-verbal learning and memory tasks, and on attention tasks. Voxel-wise statistical comparison of a high-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance image of R.H's brain with similar images obtained from 14 normal control children revealed as major abnormalities a reduction of the right inferior parietal and superior occipital lobe, and a bilateral reduction of deep white matter behind the inferior frontal gyrus. These cognitive impairments and MRI abnormalities are not commonly described in 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome and may indicate a larger heterogeneity in the neurocognitive phenotype than currently evidenced. At least in this boy the microdeletion seems to have interfered with the development and functioning of particular neural subsystems, while the structure and functioning of other subsystems was left intact.     

Dissociations in visual attention deficits among persons with mild cognitive impairment

Impairments in visual attention and visual information processing have been identified as part of the neuropsychological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD), even in its earliest stages. There is increasing recognition that these deficits may be selective rather than global, with some attentional subtypes being more vulnerable than others. The few studies that have investigated attentional deficits in mild cognitive impairment (MCI), a putatively prodromal phase of AD, have not satisfactorily addressed the possible selectivity in attentional deficits in MCI. This study examined potential dissociations in visual attention deficits in MCI using a measure that assesses simple, divided, and selective attention. The results indicated a hierarchy of attentional impairments, with divided attention being the most affected and simple attention the least. Among participants with MCI, 53% showed evidence of impairment in divided attention compared to 19% of controls (OR = 4.81, p < .001). Poorer visual attention was also associated with poorer overall cognitive status. The implications of these findings for early identification of MCI, prevention of functional decline in MCI, and delay/reversal of cognitive degradation in MCI are discussed.     

视觉经验缺失对盲人听觉词汇识别的影响

听觉词汇识别包含复杂的认知加工过程。视觉通道受阻的盲人在听觉词汇加工中具有一定听觉补偿优势; 但由于视觉经验的缺失, 盲人对一些视觉相关词(比如颜色词)的语义加工和理解比明眼人弱。未来的研究应对词汇的视觉相关性进行分类讨论; 对音、形、义等多层面及其神经生理机制进行深入探究, 发展符合盲人感知特点的听觉词汇加工模型; 并拓展不同年龄段的发展性研究。最终, 揭示视觉经验缺失对盲人听觉词汇识别影响机制的全貌。     

Object recognition in Williams syndrome: uneven ventral stream activation

Williams syndrome (WS) is a genetic disorder associated with severe visuospatial deficits, relatively strong language skills, heightened social interest, and increased attention to faces. On the basis of the visuospatial deficits, this disorder has been characterized primarily as a deficit of the dorsal stream, the occipitoparietal brain regions that subserve visuospatial processing. However, some evidence indicates that this disorder may also affect the development of the ventral stream, the occipitotemporal cortical regions that subserve face and object recognition. The present studies examined ventral stream function in WS, with the hypothesis that faces would produce a relatively more mature pattern of ventral occipitotemporal activation, relative to other objects that are also represented across these visual areas. Using functional magnetic imaging, we compared activation patterns during viewing of human faces, cat faces, houses and shoes in individuals with WS (age 14-27), typically developing 6-9-year-olds (matched approximately on mental age), and typically developing 14-26-year-olds (matched on chronological age). Typically developing individuals exhibited changes in the pattern of activation over age, consistent with previous reports. The ventral stream topography of individuals with WS differed from both control groups, however, reflecting the same level of activation to face stimuli as chronological age matches, but less activation to house stimuli than either mental age or chronological age matches. We discuss the possible causes of this unusual topography and implications for understanding the behavioral profile of people with WS.     

婴幼儿面孔注意偏向：先天倾向与发展轨迹——来自正常和孤独症婴幼儿的证据

正常发展(Typically developing, TD)婴儿的先天面孔注意倾向稳定地存在于不同发展阶段不同刺激情景中, 且在生命第一年内呈现短暂下降后快速增强的发展趋势。TD婴幼儿的视觉注意在第4至6周之间发生由皮下控制向皮层控制的关键性转变之后, 伴随面孔视觉经验的不断积累, 逐渐形成的面孔特异性皮层网络对面孔的优先选择性反应逐渐增强。而孤独症谱系(Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD)婴幼儿具备初始的面孔注意先天倾向, 但在面孔皮层发育关键期内逐渐偏离正常轨道, 在1岁左右表现出面孔注意障碍。该群体先天的感知注意损伤或社会动机缺失可能导致其在关键性转变期内的面孔视觉经验输入不足, 进而阻碍面孔特异性皮层网络的正常发展。未来研究可考虑采用生物遗传学方法和近红外脑成像技术探索新生儿面孔注意先天倾向的起源, 系统考察社会场景中感知觉特征和社会性特征对ASD高危婴儿面孔注意发展轨迹尤其是关键性转变期的影响作用。     

Specifying theories of developmental dyslexia: a diffusion model analysis of word recognition

The nature of word recognition difficulties in developmental dyslexia is still a topic of controversy. We investigated the contribution of phonological processing deficits and uncertainty to the word recognition difficulties of dyslexic children by mathematical diffusion modeling of visual and auditory lexical decision data. The first study showed that poor visual lexical decision performance of reading disabled children was mainly due to a delay in the evaluation of word characteristics, suggesting impaired phonological processing. The adoption of elevated certainty criteria by the disabled readers suggests that uncertainty contributed to the visual word recognition impairments as well. The second study replicated the outcomes for visual lexical decision with formally diagnosed dyslexic children. In addition, during auditory lexical decision, dyslexics presented with reduced accuracy, which also resulted from delayed evaluation of word characteristics. Since orthographic influences are diminished during auditory lexical decision, this strengthens the phonological processing deficit account. Dyslexic children did not adopt heightened certainty criteria during auditory lexical decision, indicating that uncertainty solely impairs reading and not listening.     

Training‐induced recovery of low‐level vision followed by mid‐level perceptual improvements in developmental object and face agnosia

Long‐term deprivation of normal visual inputs can cause perceptual impairments at various levels of visual function, from basic visual acuity deficits, through mid‐level deficits such as contour integration and motion coherence, to high‐level face and object agnosia. Yet it is unclear whether training during adulthood, at a post‐developmental stage of the adult visual system, can overcome such developmental impairments. Here, we visually trained LG, a developmental object and face agnosic individual. Prior to training, at the age of 20, LG's basic and mid‐level visual functions such as visual acuity, crowding effects, and contour integration were underdeveloped relative to normal adult vision, corresponding to or poorer than those of 5–6 year olds (Gilaie‐Dotan, Perry, Bonneh, Malach & Bentin, 2009). Intensive visual training, based on lateral interactions, was applied for a period of 9 months. LG's directly trained but also untrained visual functions such as visual acuity, crowding, binocular stereopsis and also mid‐level contour integration improved significantly and reached near‐age‐level performance, with long‐term (over 4 years) persistence. Moreover, mid‐level functions that were tested post‐training were found to be normal in LG. Some possible subtle improvement was observed in LG's higher‐order visual functions such as object recognition and part integration, while LG's face perception skills have not improved thus far. These results suggest that corrective training at a post‐developmental stage, even in the adult visual system, can prove effective, and its enduring effects are the basis for a revival of a developmental cascade that can lead to reduced perceptual impairments.     

Right hemisphere superiority in the recognition of famous faces

Words and famous faces were tachistoscopically presented in bilateral view to normal right-handed subjects. A left visual field advantage was obtained for famous faces whether naming or recognition from an array was required and a right visual field advantage was obtained for words. While the finding of a left visual field advantage for the recognition of famous faces is consistent with studies of face recognition deficits in brain-damaged patients, a right visual field advantage for the recognition of famous faces has recently been reported in normal subjects. Possible explanations for this discrepancy are discussed.