Angelina Vernetti, PhD
Research Scientist in the Child Study Center
Research & Publications
Biography
News
Research Summary
Dr. Vernetti's research endeavors center around addressing the current gaps in autism diagnosis and treatment. Currently, there are no established diagnostic biomarkers for autism, and the intensive reinforcement-based interventions significantly affect families both psychologically and economically. In pursuit of enhancing diagnostic accuracy and therapeutic approaches, Dr. Vernetti's primary research focus lies in unraveling the neuro-physiological processes that underpin social processing and reward-based learning. This investigation occurs within the context of everyday life, encompassing both children with autism and those without the condition.
Coauthors
Selected Publications
- Face‐to‐face live eye‐tracking in toddlers with autism: Feasibility and impact of familiarity and face coveringVernetti 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 PMID: 38009948, DOI: 10.1002/aur.3060.
- A generalizable connectome-based marker of in-scan sustained attention in neurodiverse youthHorien 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.
- Hypoconnectivity between anterior insula and amygdala associates with future vulnerabilities in social development in a neurodiverse sample of neonatesScheinost 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.
- Atypical Emotional Electrodermal Activity in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum DisorderVernetti A, Shic F, Boccanfuso L, Macari S, Kane‐Grade F, Milgramm A, Hilton E, Heymann P, Goodwin MS, Chawarska K. Atypical Emotional Electrodermal Activity in Toddlers with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Research 2020, 13: 1476-1488. PMID: 32896980, PMCID: PMC10081486, DOI: 10.1002/aur.2374.
- Infant neural sensitivity to eye gaze depends on early experience of gaze communicationVernetti A, Ganea N, Tucker L, Charman T, Johnson MH, Senju A. Infant neural sensitivity to eye gaze depends on early experience of gaze communication. Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience 2018, 34: 1-6. PMID: 29890461, PMCID: PMC6252267, DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2018.05.007.
- Attention to audiovisual speech does not facilitate language acquisition in infants with familial history of autismChawarska 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.
- Puppets facilitate attention to social cues in children with ASDMacari S, Chen X, Brunissen L, Yhang E, Brennan‐Wydra E, Vernetti A, Volkmar F, Chang J, Chawarska K. Puppets facilitate attention to social cues in children with ASD. Autism Research 2021, 14: 1975-1985. PMID: 34350712, PMCID: PMC8434944, DOI: 10.1002/aur.2552.
- Attend Less, Fear More: Elevated Distress to Social Threat in Toddlers With Autism Spectrum DisorderMacari SL, Vernetti A, Chawarska K. Attend Less, Fear More: Elevated Distress to Social Threat in Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Research 2020, 14: 1025-1036. PMID: 33283976, PMCID: PMC7772932, DOI: 10.1002/aur.2448.
- Development of Adaptive Communication Skills in Infants of Blind ParentsGanea N, Hudry K, Vernetti A, Tucker L, Charman T, Johnson MH, Senju A. Development of Adaptive Communication Skills in Infants of Blind Parents. Developmental Psychology 2018, 54: 2265-2273. PMID: 30335435, PMCID: PMC6254470, DOI: 10.1037/dev0000564.
- Emotional Expressivity in Toddlers With Autism Spectrum DisorderMacari S, DiNicola L, Kane-Grade F, Prince E, Vernetti A, Powell K, Fontenelle S, Chawarska K. Emotional Expressivity in Toddlers With Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal Of The American Academy Of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry 2018, 57: 828-836.e2. PMID: 30392624, PMCID: PMC6844292, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2018.07.872.
- Simulating interaction: Using gaze-contingent eye-tracking to measure the reward value of social signals in toddlers with and without autismVernetti 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.
- Gaze-contingent reinforcement learning reveals incentive value of social signals in young children and adultsVernetti A, Smith TJ, Senju A. Gaze-contingent reinforcement learning reveals incentive value of social signals in young children and adults. Proceedings Of The Royal Society B 2017, 284: 20162747. PMID: 28250186, PMCID: PMC5360925, DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2016.2747.
- Early Social Experience Affects the Development of Eye Gaze Processing.Senju A, Vernetti A, Ganea N, Hudry K, Tucker L, Charman T, Johnson MH. Early Social Experience Affects the Development of Eye Gaze Processing. Current Biology : CB 2015, 25: 3086-91. PMID: 26752077, PMCID: PMC4683081, DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.10.019.
- Belief-based action prediction in preverbal infants.Southgate V, Vernetti A. Belief-based action prediction in preverbal infants. Cognition 2014, 130: 1-10. PMID: 24140991, PMCID: PMC3857687, DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2013.08.008.
- Cultural background modulates how we look at other persons' gaze.Senju A, Vernetti A, Kikuchi Y, Akechi H, Hasegawa T, Johnson MH. Cultural background modulates how we look at other persons' gaze. International Journal Of Behavioral Development 2013, 37: 131-6. PMID: 23585703, PMCID: PMC3621509, DOI: 10.1177/0165025412465360.
- Cultural modulation of face and gaze scanning in young children.Senju A, Vernetti A, Kikuchi Y, Akechi H, Hasegawa T. Cultural modulation of face and gaze scanning in young children. PloS One 2013, 8: e74017. PMID: 23991212, PMCID: PMC3753244, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0074017.