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Electrophysiological Responses to Emotional Facial Expressions in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systematic Review

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Abstract

Studies on processing of emotional faces in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have shown mixed findings. The goal of this systematic review was to investigate brain electrical responses to emotional facial expressions in individuals with ASD. We conducted a literature search of nine databases and grey literature sources up to Jan 2017, resulting in 943 studies. Eleven studies met inclusion criteria, with quality assessments varying from three to six out of 10. This systematic review demonstrates that individuals with ASD show a lack of sensitivity to different emotional expressions, especially fear, compared to their peers. Atypical brain responses in processing emotional faces may reflect the abnormalities in visual perception and information processing that are present early in life.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to express our thanks to librarian Charlotte Beck who assisted in developing our search.

Funding

This study was not funded by any sources or agencies.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rehabilitation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Parisa Ghanouni

  2. Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Jill G. Zwicker

  3. Department of Pediatrics (Division of Developmental Pediatrics), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Jill G. Zwicker

  4. BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute, K3-180, 4480 Oak Street, Vancouver, BC, V6H 3V4, Canada

    Jill G. Zwicker

  5. Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, Vancouver, BC, Canada

    Jill G. Zwicker

  6. Research Associate, CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research, Hamilton, ON, Canada

    Jill G. Zwicker

Authors
  1. Parisa Ghanouni
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jill G. Zwicker.

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Conflict of Interest

Dr. Zwicker is funded by the Michael Smith Foundation for Health Research, Canadian Child Health Clinician Scientist Program, BC Children’s Hospital, Sunny Hill Foundation, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research. Dr. Zwicker has also received speaker honoraria from McGill University, University of Montreal, University of Toronto, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

Ethical Approval

This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

Additional information

At this time of this study, Parisa Ghanouni was a doctoral student in the Rehabilitation Sciences at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. Dr. Zwicker is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and an Associate Member in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. She also holds appointments as Investigator, BC Children’s Hospital Research Institute (Vancouver, Canada); Clinician Scientist, Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children’s Health (Vancouver, Canada); and Research Associate, CanChild Centre for Childhood Disability Research (Hamilton, Canada).

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Ghanouni, P., Zwicker, J.G. Electrophysiological Responses to Emotional Facial Expressions in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder: a Systematic Review. Rev J Autism Dev Disord 5, 208–226 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-018-0134-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40489-018-0134-8

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