Annabel Nijhof¹, Jan R. Wiersema¹; ¹Ghent University

Humans show enhanced (neural) responses to self-related stimuli, such as their own face or name. These enhanced responses are thought to be crucial for social functioning, and have been found to be diminished in individuals with autism. However, neural responses to self-related stimuli have rarely been investigated across different stimulus types. Further, it is still being debated precisely which aspects of self-related processing are altered in autism. Therefore, across two studies, we investigated the neural processes underlying own and other face and name processing, and how these may differ between adults with and without autism. In Study 1, 35 neurotypical adults in a 3T MRI scanner passively viewed six runs of face images, and six of visually presented first names, across three categories (Self, Close Other, Stranger). As an attention check, participants were asked to press a button when a fixation cross changed color. In Study 2, the paradigm was the same, but was this time tested in 25 adults with autism, and 24 without autism. For both studies, whole-brain analyses as well as searchlight decoding analyses were employed. Whole-brain analyses revealed stronger activation for familiar faces and names than for a stranger’s face/name (but no self-specific enhancement) in several visual areas and in the ACC and precuneus. Searchlight decoding additionally revealed self-specific activation patterns in visual areas for both faces and names, and in the intraparietal sulcus and right STS for faces specifically. This pattern of results was replicated in Study 2. No group differences were found. The patterns of neural activation indicate involvement of modality-specific (i.e., visual) areas, but also areas of the social network, in processing familiar information. Self-specific responses are more subtle and appear stronger for one’s own face than name. Finally, results show no differences in this basic form of self-related information processing in autism.

Acknowledgements: Annabel D. Nijhof was supported by an FWO fellowship (grant number FWO19/PDJ/025).