# Neural Mechanisms for Social Interactions and Eye Contact in ASD

> **NIH NIH R01** · YALE UNIVERSITY · 2020 · $568,704

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Social interaction and communication begin in early infancy, and, although these are fundamental human
functions, little is known about the underlying neural mechanisms that regulate them particularly in Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by significant disabilities in
language and social skills, and the specific neural mechanisms that lead to these disabilities remain active topics
for investigation. Emerging theoretical directions converge on problems with eye-contact as a salient component
of these communication and social disabilities. Technical limitations, however, associated with imaging of two or
more individuals during natural communication and mutual eye contact have been a primary obstacle to these
investigations. To overcome this technical impasse, we employ a rapidly developing brain imaging technology,
functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) allowing simultaneous neural imaging of two individuals during
valid interactions to observe the neural effects of eye-to-eye contact and actual dialogue. Functional NIRS
detects active neural tissue based on the blood-oxygen-level-dependent (BOLD) signal by measuring variations
in the absorption spectra associated with oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin. Because detectors and
emitters are surface mounted on the head, they are relatively insensitive to head movement, and, as such, fNIRS
is well suited for investigations of neural events engaged during active interpersonal interactions between two
participants. The neural mechanisms that underlie atypical interpersonal interactions and eye contact in adult
ASD are the focus of this proposal. Pilot studies confirm the feasibility of all aspects of this research project.
Dyads consisting of a confederate and a participants with typical development (TYP) or ASD will be compared
during neuroimaging while engaged in natural interaction and communication. We introduce a computational
approach based on wavelet analysis to quantify regional cross-brain coherence between the two participants
and hypothesize that cross-brain coherence associated with speech and eye contact will be reduced in ASD
relative to the TYP cohort. Cross-brain computations also form the basis for a model of dynamic neural
processes based on neural “send and receive” functions during communication. We hypothesize that these
dynamic “cross-brain communication” systems unify and coordinate the roles of language production and
reception (Broca's and Wernicke's Areas), respectively, with visual reception involving face specializations
(fusiform gyrus). Computational comparison of cross-brain connectivity effects as well as conventional functional
connectivity and segregation/contrast effects during live communication both with and without direct eye contact
provides a transformational technical, empirical, computational, and theoretical advance toward understanding
the dynamic neural mechanisms associated with social a...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9963371
- **Project number:** 5R01MH111629-05
- **Recipient organization:** YALE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Joy Hirsch
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $568,704
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2016-09-26 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9963371

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9963371, Neural Mechanisms for Social Interactions and Eye Contact in ASD (5R01MH111629-05). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9963371. Licensed CC0.

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