Autism and Neurotypical Adults Share Visual Body Processing Pathways

Adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) individuals process visual representations of body parts in similar ways, according to a new brain imaging study published in Imaging Neuroscience. The research, conducted in Japan, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine how body parts are represented in the lateral occipitotemporal cortex (LOTC), a region involved in body perception.

ASD is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by social communication difficulties and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Previous work suggests that individuals with ASD may have trouble interpreting intentions, emotions or facial cues from body language. Some researchers have hypothesized that these social difficulties could result from differences in how body-related information is processed in the brain. However, the current study challenges that assumption.

Studying the LOTC in autistic and non-autistic adults

The study was led by Yuto Kurihara, assistant professor at the Faculty of Human Sciences, Waseda University, with collaborators from Waseda University and the University of Fukui. A total of 46 participants–23 adults with ASD and 23 TD adults–took part in the experiment.

Participants viewed grayscale images of various body parts, whole bodies, and chairs (used as a visual control) while undergoing fMRI scanning. During the scan, they performed a 1-back task, which required them to press a button when an image was repeated consecutively, to ensure attentiveness.

Both groups showed similar patterns of brain activation in the LOTC when viewing images of whole bodies. Importantly, there were no significant differences between groups in the size or intensity of LOTC activation, indicating that basic visual responsiveness to body stimuli was intact in both populations.

Categorization of body parts remains consistent

To examine how body-related information is organized in the brain, the researchers applied a more detailed analytical method. They found that in both the ASD and TD groups, the LOTC organized visual information into three functional clusters:

• Action effectors (e.g., hands, feet, arms, legs)

• Non-effectors (e.g., chest, waist)

• Facial parts (e.g., upper and lower face)

This organization mirrors previous findings in neurotypical individuals, suggesting that visual processing of body parts operates similarly in both populations.

Interpreting body signals may remain a challenge

In a follow-up analysis, the researchers tested whether fMRI data could differentiate between individual body parts in each participant. Again, both groups showed comparable accuracy, and no clear links were found between brain patterns and individual characteristics such as autism severity or sensory traits.

While earlier studies found atypical LOTC responses in autistic children, the current findings suggest that these differences may diminish with age. The authors propose that although adults with ASD may experience difficulty interpreting body language, this challenge may stem from processing social meaning rather than perceptual differences in body representation.

This study provides evidence that the neural organization of body-related visual information in adults with ASD is comparable to that of TD adults. These findings challenge the notion that perceptual differences underlie social communication challenges in autism and instead suggest that higher-level interpretation processes may be key areas for support and intervention.

Reference: Kurihara Y, Kosaka H, Schuster BA, et al. Visual body part representation of the lateral occipitotemporal cortex in individuals with autism spectrum disorder: A univariate and multivariate fMRI study. Imaging Neurosci. 2025;3. doi: 10.1162/imag.a.24

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