Featured Publications
Face‐to‐face live eye‐tracking in toddlers with autism: Feasibility and impact of familiarity and face covering
Vernetti A, Butler M, Banarjee C, Boxberger A, All K, Macari S, Chawarska K. Face‐to‐face live eye‐tracking in toddlers with autism: Feasibility and impact of familiarity and face covering. Autism Research 2023, 17: 1381-1390. PMID: 38009948, DOI: 10.1002/aur.3060.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAutism spectrum disorderEye-tracking methodsSocial partnersAtypical developmentSocial attentionFace interactionEye-tracking taskEye-tracking procedureGroup of toddlersImpact of familiarityNeutral affectTask completion rateUnfamiliar personDiminished attentionAffective responsesSpectrum disorderNeurodevelopmental vulnerabilityParent conditionInteractive partnersIntervention outcomesInteractive faceAutismToddlersReal-world dynamicsTaskA generalizable connectome-based marker of in-scan sustained attention in neurodiverse youth
Horien C, Greene A, Shen X, Fortes D, Brennan-Wydra E, Banarjee C, Foster R, Donthireddy V, Butler M, Powell K, Vernetti A, Mandino F, O'Connor D, Lake E, McPartland J, Volkmar F, Chun M, Chawarska K, Rosenberg M, Scheinost D, Constable R. A generalizable connectome-based marker of in-scan sustained attention in neurodiverse youth. Cerebral Cortex 2022, 33: 6320-6334. PMID: 36573438, PMCID: PMC10183743, DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac506.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAttention taskAttentional stateConnectome-based predictive modelingNeurodiverse conditionsSustained attention taskAttention network modelSample of youthNeurotypical participantsSustained attentionBrain correlatesNeurobiological correlatesAttention networkIndividual participantsSeparate samplesYouthParticipantsHead motionTaskCorrelatesAttentionAutismConfoundsNetwork modelGeneralizesHealthcare settingsHypoconnectivity between anterior insula and amygdala associates with future vulnerabilities in social development in a neurodiverse sample of neonates
Scheinost D, Chang J, Lacadie C, Brennan-Wydra E, Foster R, Boxberger A, Macari S, Vernetti A, Constable RT, Ment LR, Chawarska K. Hypoconnectivity between anterior insula and amygdala associates with future vulnerabilities in social development in a neurodiverse sample of neonates. Scientific Reports 2022, 12: 16230. PMID: 36171268, PMCID: PMC9517994, DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-20617-6.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsFirst Year InventoryAnterior insulaFunctional connectivityMaternal mental health factorsLeft anterior insulaState functional connectivityMental health factorsSubsample of participantsPostmenstrual ageSalience networkFamily historySocial domainsNeural circuitryAutismSocial behaviorBrain imagingHigher likelihoodInsulaSocial developmentHypoconnectivityExploratory analysisThird trimesterFuture onsetHealth factorsRisk score
2024
Family history of psychiatric conditions and development of siblings of children with autism
Bellia G, Chang J, Liew Z, Vernetti A, Macari S, Powell K, Chawarska K. Family history of psychiatric conditions and development of siblings of children with autism. Autism Research 2024, 17: 1665-1676. PMID: 38896553, PMCID: PMC11341253, DOI: 10.1002/aur.3175.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchSiblings of childrenNeuropsychiatric disordersFamilies of childrenFamily history of schizophreniaYounger siblings of childrenHistory of psychiatric conditionsHistory of schizophreniaYounger siblingsAssess autism symptomsNonverbal IQAutism symptomsBipolar disorderIntellectual disabilityPsychiatric conditionsSubclinical symptomsAdaptive skillsSocial affectAdaptive functioningAutismFamily historyParent interviewsFamily factorsMultiple regression analysisDevelopmental outcomesDisorders
2022
Attention to audiovisual speech does not facilitate language acquisition in infants with familial history of autism
Chawarska K, Lewkowicz D, Feiner H, Macari S, Vernetti A. Attention to audiovisual speech does not facilitate language acquisition in infants with familial history of autism. Journal Of Child Psychology And Psychiatry 2022, 63: 1466-1476. PMID: 35244219, DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13595.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsExpressive language scoresLanguage outcomesAudiovisual cuesSpeaker's faceLanguage scoresLanguage acquisitionLanguage delayBetter language outcomesSiblings of childrenFamilial riskLow familial riskPoor language outcomesLow-risk infantsAudiovisual speechIntact attentionSpeech cuesHigh familial riskPromising endophenotypeASD diagnosisSpeech processingCuesHigh-risk infantsAutismASDFace
2017
Simulating interaction: Using gaze-contingent eye-tracking to measure the reward value of social signals in toddlers with and without autism
Vernetti A, Senju A, Charman T, Johnson MH, Gliga T, Team T. Simulating interaction: Using gaze-contingent eye-tracking to measure the reward value of social signals in toddlers with and without autism. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience 2017, 29: 21-29. PMID: 28939027, PMCID: PMC6987892, DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2017.08.004.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsAutism spectrum disorderHR-ASD groupLow-risk controlsSocial interactionDiagnosis of ASDNaturalistic social interactionsLow familial riskSocial orientingSocial motivationASD diagnosisReward valueSocial signalsSpectrum disorderSocial videosAge 3Mechanical toysFamilial riskAge 2ToddlersPersonsOrientingAutismDifficultiesRewardMotivation