Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41389167›Full record

ArticleJournal of autism and developmental disorders2025

Neuroimaging Evidence of Facial Emotion Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Meta-Analysis of Functional Neuroimaging Studies.

Xingli Chen, Xin Li, Tijiang Lu, Yanyan Li, Weiwei Deng, Fan Wu, Jinjin Chen, Qing Du

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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Xingli Chen *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200092, Shanghai, China.
Xin Li *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200092, Shanghai, China.
Tijiang Lu *Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200092, Shanghai, China.
Yanyan LiDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200092, Shanghai, China.
Weiwei DengDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200092, Shanghai, China.
Fan WuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200092, Shanghai, China.
Jinjin ChenDepartment of Child Health Care, Shanghai Children's Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200062, Shanghai, China. jjvoo@163.com.
Qing DuDepartment of Rehabilitation Medicine, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 200092, Shanghai, China. duqing@xinhuamed.com.cn.

Funding

the National Key R&D Program of China 2023YFC3604801
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThe neural mechanisms underlying facial emotion processing (FEP) difficulties in autistic people remain unclear. This Seed-based d Mapping with Permutation of Subject Images (SDM-PSI) meta-analysis examined brain activity during FEP in autistic people.

methodWe systematically searched three databases (PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO) for fMRI studies (published up to September 2, 2025) comparing DSM-diagnosed autistic people with non-autistic people (NAP) during FEP, and eligible studies reported whole-brain coordinates. A convergence analysis of the contrasts between the ASD and NAP groups was performed. Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were conducted to explore potential sources of heterogeneity.

resultsA total of 25 fMRI studies, comprising 632 autistic people and 568 non-autistic people, were included in this meta-analysis. The results revealed a widespread convergence of decreased activation in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), middle temporal gyrus (MTG), fusiform gyrus (FG), cerebellum (Cb), and insula during FEP in autistic people at an uncorrected threshold level with P < 0.005. Among these, only the IFG passed FWE correction with P < 0.05. Subgroup exploratory analyses based on task type suggested that both explicit and implicit tasks may elicit a convergence of decreased activation along the ventral stream (IFG, FG, MTG), while explicit tasks may additionally involve convergence of increased activation in visual processing regions (lingual gyrus and inferior longitudinal fasciculus) at an uncorrected threshold level with P < 0.005. In addition, subgroup exploratory analysis of age showed autistic minors may recruit more visual resources compared to adults at an uncorrected threshold level with P < 0.005, and the exploratory regression analysis showed that higher IQ may be associated with decreased neural activity in the superior occipital gyrus (SOG) at an uncorrected threshold level with P < 0.005.

conclusionDysfunctional brain activity during facial emotion processing in autistic people was most robustly reflected in the convergence of decreased activation in the IFG, particularly the left IFG-op. Exploratory analyses further suggested that other aberrant brain activations may be focused on the ventral stream. In addition, exploratory subgroup analyses indicated that explicit tasks and minors might recruit multiple visual systems, potentially as a compensatory strategy.

Indexed as

Autism spectrum disorderFacial emotion processingFunctional MRI (fMRI)Meta-analysis

Identifiers

PMID41389167

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.