Making eye contact with others is difficult for people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in normal situations. Despite the fact that eye contact is a crucial component of everyday interactions, the difficulty of simultaneously scanning the brains of two individuals has prevented scientists from researching the neurological underpinnings of live social interaction involving eye contact in ASD. However, using an innovative technology that enables imaging of two individuals during live and natural conditions, Yale researchers have identified specific brain areas in the dorsal parietal region of the brain associated with the social symptomatology of autism. The study found that these neural responses to live face and eye-contact may provide a biomarker for the diagnosis of ASD as well as provide a test of the efficacy of treatments for autism.
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