Study: Eye contact triggers threat signals in autistic children's brains

[HuckleB]

Eye contact triggers threat signals in autistic children's brains, even if it is a familiar face

http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=20799

"Brain tests at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggest that autistic children shy from eye contact because they perceive even the most familiar face as an uncomfortable threat.

The work deepens understanding of an autistic brain's function and may one day inform new treatment approaches and augment how teachers interact with their autistic students.

Tracking the correlation between eye movements and brain activity, the researchers found that in autistic subjects, the amygdala - an emotion center in the brain associated with negative feelings - lights up to an abnormal extent during a direct gaze upon a non-threatening face. Writing in the March 6 issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience, the scientists also report that because autistic children avert eye contact, the brain's fusiform region, which is critical for face perception, is less active than it would be during a normally developing child's stare.

"This is the very first published study that assesses how individuals with autism look at faces while simultaneously monitoring which of their brain areas are active," says lead author Kim Dalton, an assistant scientist at UW-Madison's Waisman Laboratory for Brain Imaging and Behavior. Dalton measured eye movements in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), a sophisticated technology that allows researchers to "see" a brain in action.

..."

[rkc3]

1. In college I dated a girl who worked with autistic kids.

Met her for lunch one day and said hello to one of her students - he kicked me so hard in the shin I thought I was going to pass out. I couldn't even get mad - I knew I overstepped my bounds with him.

Autism is a terrible thing for families to face.

[R Hickey]

2. A friend of mine has a day care center

One day I was over there, and one of the children being cared for was an autistic child, a girl about three. The girl seemed of normal intelligence, but had not learned to talk. The most peculiar characteristic of the child was her avoidance of eye contact.

[kimpossible]

3. Amazing insight, thanks for the link!