Autistic differences in the temporal dynamics of social attention

Hedger, Nicholas; Chakrabarti, Bhismadev

doi:10.1177/1362361321998573

Cited by 15 publications

(22 citation statements)

References 57 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Importantly, divergence analyses, performed to determine the exact moments in which groups diverged from each other, demonstrated that individuals with ASD showed significantly reduced social attention towards the middle of the stimulus presentation compared to controls, while BAP(+) parents showed a later divergence from control parents, occurring towards the second half, and an even more dramatic decline in attention to social AOIs in the final seconds of the stimulus presentation, compared to both control parents and BAP(−) parents. These findings converge with prior literature examining temporal dynamics of social attention among adults with ASD relative to controls [ 61 , 62 ]. Both studies found a decrease of social attention among adults with ASD relative to controls, who instead looked away from social information initially but returned their attention back to social information towards the end of the stimulus presentation.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

“…Spatial Distribution Analysis or Nearest Neighbor Index (i.e., distance-dispersion algorithm) were also examined in children with and without ASD, to explore how fixations were dispersed across the facial stimuli [ 60 ]. Finally, growth curve analyses (GCA), proves to be a rigorous method of assessing changes over the course of time, which can be applied to understand the moment-to-moment pattern of gaze while interpreting a scene [ 61 , 62 ]. In particular, GCA maps out the time-linked gaze trajectory over the course of the stimulus presentation and can elucidate changes occurring longitudinally across developmental time periods, such as those found in infants with and without ASD [ 63 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

A constellation of eye-tracking measures reveals social attention differences in ASD and the broad autism phenotype

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background Social attention differences, expressed through gaze patterns, have been documented in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), with subtle differences also reported among first-degree relatives, suggesting a shared genetic link. Findings have mostly been derived from standard eye-tracking methods (total fixation count or total fixation duration). Given the dynamics of visual attention, these standard methods may obscure subtle, yet core, differences in visual attention mechanisms, particularly those presenting sub-clinically. This study applied a constellation of eye-tracking analyses to gaze data from individuals with ASD and their parents. Methods This study included n = 156 participants across groups, including ASD (n = 24) and control (n = 32) groups, and parents of individuals with ASD (n = 61) and control parents (n = 39). A complex scene with social/non-social elements was displayed and gaze tracked via an eye tracker. Eleven analytic methods from the following categories were analyzed: (1) standard variables, (2) temporal dynamics (e.g., gaze over time), (3) fixation patterns (e.g., perseverative or regressive fixations), (4) first fixations, and (5) distribution patterns. MANOVAs, growth curve analyses, and Chi-squared tests were applied to examine group differences. Finally, group differences were examined on component scores derived from a principal component analysis (PCA) that reduced variables to distinct dimensions. Results No group differences emerged among standard, first fixation, and distribution pattern variables. Both the ASD and ASD parent groups demonstrated on average reduced social attention over time and atypical perseverative fixations. Lower social attention factor scores derived from PCA strongly differentiated the ASD and ASD parent groups from controls, with parent findings driven by the subset of parents demonstrating the broad autism phenotype. Limitations To generalize these findings, larger sample sizes, extended viewing contexts (e.g., dynamic stimuli), and even more eye-tracking analytical methods are needed. Conclusions Fixations over time and perseverative fixations differentiated ASD and the ASD parent groups from controls, with the PCA most robustly capturing social attention differences. Findings highlight their methodological utility in studies of the (broad) autism spectrum to capture nuanced visual attention differences that may relate to clinical symptoms in ASD, and reflect genetic liability in clinically unaffected relatives. This proof-of-concept study may inform future studies using eye tracking across populations where social attention is impacted.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A constellation of eye-tracking measures reveals social attention differences in ASD and the broad autism phenotype

et al. 2022

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, diagnostic group differences were apparent because the social attention of typical peers recovers periodically such that alternating attention to and from a social partner is the typical pattern. This pattern of recovery and alternation of attention to faces is significant less robust in ASD (93,94). Processes related to alternating between social and non-social attention are also thought to be a critical component of early joint attention development, especially IJA [ (41,95), see Figure 2].…”

Section: The Timing Of the Development Of Social Orienting And Joint Attention Symptomsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It could reflect the gradual onset of an attenuation of processes associated with spontaneously social orienting to faces across early development. However, studies of the temporal dynamics of social attention indicate that individuals with both ASD and typically developing children orient to faces comparably and also display a decay, or habituation of attention to faces over time ( 93 , 94 ). However, diagnostic group differences were apparent because the social attention of typical peers recovers periodically such that alternating attention to and from a social partner is the typical pattern.…”

Section: The Timing Of the Development Of Social Orienting And Joint ...mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Bidirectional Social-Cognitive Mechanisms of the Social-Attention Symptoms of Autism

Mundy

Bullen

2022

Front. Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Differences in social attention development begin to be apparent in the 6th to 12th month of development in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and theoretically reflect important elements of its neurodevelopmental endophenotype. This paper examines alternative conceptual views of these early social attention symptoms and hypotheses about the mechanisms involved in their development. One model emphasizes mechanism involved in the spontaneous allocation of attention to faces, or social orienting. Alternatively, another model emphasizes mechanisms involved in the coordination of attention with other people, or joint attention, and the socially bi-directional nature of its development. This model raises the possibility that atypical responses of children to the attention or the gaze of a social partner directed toward themselves may be as important in the development of social attention symptoms as differences in the development of social orienting. Another model holds that symptoms of social attention may be important to early development, but may not impact older individuals with ASD. The alterative model is that the social attention symptoms in infancy (social orienting and joint attention), and social cognitive symptoms in childhood and adulthood share common neurodevelopmental substrates. Therefore, differences in early social attention and later social cognition constitute a developmentally continuous axis of symptom presentation in ASD. However, symptoms in older individuals may be best measured with in vivo measures of efficiency of social attention and social cognition in social interactions rather than the accuracy of response on analog tests used in measures with younger children. Finally, a third model suggests that the social attention symptoms may not truly be a symptom of ASD. Rather, they may be best conceptualized as stemming from differences domain general attention and motivation mechanisms. The alternative argued for here that infant social attention symptoms meet all the criteria of a unique dimension of the phenotype of ASD and the bi-directional phenomena involved in social attention cannot be fully explained in terms of domain general aspects of attention development.

show abstract

“…Taken together, these results suggest that low investigation times are not the result of global behavioral inhibition. Low investigation of a novel social stimulus may represent a number of specific deficits, including faulty recognition of a novel stimulus as familiar, inattention to social stimuli, reduced motivation/reward associated with social stimuli, and/or inability to recognize social novelty, all of which have been reported in humans with ASD (Guillory et al, 2021; Hedger and Chakrabarti, 2021; Aldridge-Waddon et al, 2020; Weigelt et al, 2012; Chevallier et al, 2012). More specifically related to the Shank3B mouse model, individuals diagnosed with both Phelan-McDermid syndrome and ASD exhibit reduced social attention and reduced social novelty recognition under certain conditions (Guillory et al, 2021).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Activation of the CA2-vCA1 pathway reverses social discrimination dysfunction inShank3Bknockout mice

Cope

Wang

Waters

et al. 2022

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Social memory dysfunction is a feature of several neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Mutation or deletion of the SHANK3 gene, which codes for a synaptic scaffolding protein, has been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and Phelan-McDermid syndrome, conditions associated with impairments in social memory. Shank3B knockout (KO) mice exhibit several behavioral abnormalities that may be analogous to symptoms of ASD, including social discrimination deficits. The CA2 region of the hippocampus integrates numerous afferents and sends a major output to the ventral CA1 (vCA1), circuitry that plays an important role in social memory. Despite finding few differences in excitatory afferents to the CA2 in Shank3B KO mice, chemogenetic activation of CA2 excitatory neurons restored social recognition function to wildtype (WT) levels. Specific activation of the CA2-vCA1 circuitry had a similar effect. Neuronal oscillations in the theta, gamma and, sharp wave ripple ranges have been linked to social memory, but we observed no differences in these measures between WT and Shank3B KO mice in the vCA1 in response to social stimuli. However, activation of CA2 excitatory neurons enhanced vCA1 theta power in Shank3B KO mice, concurrent with behavioral improvements. These findings suggest that stimulating adult circuitry in a mouse model with neurodevelopmental impairments can be sufficient to invoke latent function, particularly with respect to social memory dysfunction. The extent to which vCA1 network oscillations in the theta range are responsible for rescued behavioral function remains unknown.

show abstract

Autistic differences in the temporal dynamics of social attention

Cited by 15 publications

References 57 publications

A constellation of eye-tracking measures reveals social attention differences in ASD and the broad autism phenotype

A constellation of eye-tracking measures reveals social attention differences in ASD and the broad autism phenotype

The Bidirectional Social-Cognitive Mechanisms of the Social-Attention Symptoms of Autism

Activation of the CA2-vCA1 pathway reverses social discrimination dysfunction inShank3Bknockout mice

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About