Smart Roo: scientific background

The fusiform gyrus, particularly the FFA, shows significant activation when recognizing familiar faces in individuals with ASD. This contrasts with earlier studies, which suggested diminished FFA activity in ASD during face processing. When familiar faces, like family members, are presented, both individuals with ASD and neurotypical individuals exhibit right-hemisphere dominance in the FFA, showing that the brain can recognize emotional and familiar stimuli.

The amygdala, a region linked to socio-emotional processing, shows increased activation in both ASD and control groups when exposed to familiar faces. This indicates that individuals with ASD can engage in social processing under the right conditions, especially with emotionally significant stimuli.

The findings suggest that dysfunction in the FFA and other brain regions might not stem from a failure of the regions themselves but could result from insufficient social motivation or interest in strangers' faces. When appropriate emotional stimuli are introduced, the typical brain networks involved in face recognition and emotional processing are activated even in ASD individuals.