Face Processing: The N170 ERP Component in Autism

by Hileman, Camilla Marie

Face processing deficits appear early in autism and greatly impact subsequent development. In this paper, the N170 component, an event-related brain potential sensitive to face processing, is examined in children with autism and typical development. The N170 amplitude was sensitive to group differences, as children with typical development showed greater differentiation to upright vs. inverted stimuli and faces vs. vehicles than children with autism. The N170 was also delayed in children with autism. The N170 was not a sensitive marker of individual differences in social behavior and autistic symptomology, but the proceeding positive peak, the P1, was a sensitive marker of individual differences in children with typical development. Results suggest that children with autism and children with typical development employ different face processing strategies, even for the basic encoding of a face.