Electrophysiological Studies of Reception of Facial Communication in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Schizophrenia

Abstract

ABSTRACTAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SZ) are both characterized by difficulty with social cognition. Likewise, social brain activity is atypical in both disorders and indicates atypical reception of facial communication – a key area in the Research Domain Criteria framework for identifying common biological underpinnings of psychiatric disorders. To identify areas of overlap and dissociation between ASD and SZ, this paper reviews studies of electrophysiological (EEG) response to facial stimuli across ASD and SZ populations. We focus on findings regarding amplitude and latency of four brain responses implicated in social perception: P100, N170, N250, and P300. There were many inconsistent findings in both the ASD and SZ literatures; however, replication across studies was strongest for delayed N170 latency in ASD and attenuated N170 amplitude in SZ. EEG responses corresponded with clinical symptoms in multiple samples. These results highlight the challenges associated with replicating research findings in heterogeneous clinical populations, as well as the need for transdiagnostic research and for designing studies to examine relationships among continuous quantifications of behavior and neural activity across neurodevelopmental disorders.