Atypical Neural Activity in Males But Not Females with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The team scanned the adults with autism and 38 typical adults while they watched faces showing emotions.

Half of each group were men, half were women.

They measured activity in the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS) — a brain spot that helps us read faces.

Only the autistic men had lower pSTS activity; autistic women looked just like typical women.

The drop was large — about 30 % less signal — and showed up every time a face appeared.

Behavior scores stayed the same for both sexes, so the brain change was invisible on the outside.

Harrop et al. (2018) saw the same male-only pattern with eye-tracking: autistic boys looked less at eyes, autistic girls did not.

O'Connor et al. (2008) first reported lower pSTS face activity in autism, but they mixed men and women; Melissa et al. now show the drop is driven by males only, updating that older view.

Audras-Torrent et al. (2021) pooled many fMRI papers and found broad hypo-activation in autism; the male-only pSTS result sits inside that wider picture, adding a sex filter.

When you assess social skills, know that autistic girls may have hidden brain activity that looks typical; standard social tests could miss them.

For boys, target live face practice or video modeling to boost pSTS use — pair each trial with quick feedback.

Always record sex on your data sheet; it changes what "atypical" brain and eye data look like.