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Silvestre D, Miseros M, Faubert J, Tullo D, Bertone A. Development of static and dynamic perception for luminance- and texture-defined information from school-ages to adulthood. Vision Res 2022; 200:108103. [PMID: 35870287 DOI: 10.1016/j.visres.2022.108103] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2021] [Revised: 06/03/2022] [Accepted: 06/14/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Few studies have assessed the visual development of static and dynamic information processing at different levels of processing during typical development from the school-age years to adulthood. The implication of non-visual factors on visual development, such as cognitive (e.g., IQ) and attentional abilities, has yet to be systematically assessed with regard to spanning such a large age range. To address these voids, 203 typically-developing participants (aged 6 to 31 years) identified the orientation or direction of a static or moving grating defined by either luminance- or texture-contrast. An adaptive staircase procedure was used to measure contrast sensitivity in all four conditions. Cognitive (Wechsler IQ) and attentional ability (CPT-3) were also measured for all participants. Different developmental rates of contrast sensitivity were found between static and dynamic conditions when defined by more complex, texture-defined information, with the difference in sensitivity starting after the age of 9.71 years. However, static and dynamic profiles for luminance-defined information developed similarly with age. In addition, IQ did not correlate with nor predict the sensitivity across any condition. These results suggest age significantly explains the variance in the developmental profiles of contrast sensitivity above and beyond non-visual factors such as IQ and the CPT-3 attentional scores. Moreover, the neural pathways processing static and dynamic visual information continue to develop through late childhood and adolescence for the processing of texture-defined information only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daphné Silvestre
- Perceptual Neuroscience Laboratory for Autism and Development, McGill University, Canada.
| | - Margarita Miseros
- Perceptual Neuroscience Laboratory for Autism and Development, McGill University, Canada
| | - Jocelyn Faubert
- Faubert Lab, École d'optométrie, Université de Montréal, Canada
| | - Domenico Tullo
- Perceptual Neuroscience Laboratory for Autism and Development, McGill University, Canada
| | - Armando Bertone
- Perceptual Neuroscience Laboratory for Autism and Development, McGill University, Canada
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2
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Wang L, Beaman CP, Jiang C, Liu F. Perception and Production of Statement-Question Intonation in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Developmental Investigation. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:3456-3472. [PMID: 34355295 PMCID: PMC9296411 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05220-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Prosody or “melody in speech” in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often perceived as atypical. This study examined perception and production of statements and questions in 84 children, adolescents and adults with and without ASD, as well as participants’ pitch direction discrimination thresholds. The results suggested that the abilities to discriminate (in both speech and music conditions), identify, and imitate statement-question intonation were intact in individuals with ASD across age cohorts. Sensitivity to pitch direction predicted performance on intonation processing in both groups, who also exhibited similar developmental changes. These findings provide evidence for shared mechanisms in pitch processing between speech and music, as well as associations between low- and high-level pitch processing and between perception and production of pitch.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Wang
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - C Philip Beaman
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK
| | - Cunmei Jiang
- Music College, Shanghai Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Fang Liu
- School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading, UK.
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Silvestre D, Guy J, Hanck J, Cornish K, Bertone A. Different luminance- and texture-defined contrast sensitivity profiles for school-aged children. Sci Rep 2020; 10:13039. [PMID: 32747677 PMCID: PMC7400652 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-69802-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Our current understanding of how the visual brain develops is based largely on the study of luminance-defined information processing. This approach, however, is somewhat limiting, since everyday scenes are composed of complex images, consisting of information characterized by physical attributes relating to both luminance and texture. Few studies have explored how contrast sensitivity to texture-defined information develops, particularly throughout the school-aged years. The current study investigated how contrast sensitivity to luminance- (luminance-modulated noise) and texture-defined (contrast-modulated noise) static gratings develops in school-aged children. Contrast sensitivity functions identified distinct profiles for luminance- and texture-defined gratings across spatial frequencies (SFs) and age. Sensitivity to luminance-defined gratings reached maturity in childhood by the ages of 9–10 years for all SFs (0.5, 1, 2, 4 and 8 cycles/degree or cpd). Sensitivity to texture-defined gratings reached maturity at 5–6 years for low SFs and 7–8 years for high SFs (i.e., 4 cpd). These results establish that the processing of luminance- and texture-defined information develop differently as a function of SF and age.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daphné Silvestre
- Perceptual Neuroscience Lab (PNLab) for Autism and Development, Department of Education and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, QC, H3A 1Y2, Canada
| | - Jacalyn Guy
- Perceptual Neuroscience Lab (PNLab) for Autism and Development, Department of Education and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, QC, H3A 1Y2, Canada.,MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Julie Hanck
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Kim Cornish
- Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Armando Bertone
- Perceptual Neuroscience Lab (PNLab) for Autism and Development, Department of Education and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, QC, H3A 1Y2, Canada.
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Germain E, Foster NEV, Sharda M, Chowdhury R, Tryfon A, Doyle-Thomas KAR, Anagnostou E, Hyde KL. Pitch direction ability predicts melodic perception in autism. Child Neuropsychol 2018; 25:445-465. [PMID: 29950145 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2018.1488954] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often present atypical auditory perception. Previous work has reported both enhanced low-level pitch discrimination and superior abilities to detect local pitch structure on higher-level melodic tasks in ASD. However, it is unclear how low and high levels of auditory perception are related in ASD or typical development (TD), or how this relationship might change across development and stimulus presentation rates. To these aims, in the present study, children with ASD and TD were tested on a low-level pitch direction discrimination task and a high-level melodic global-local task. Groups performed similarly on both of these auditory tasks. Moreover, individual differences in low-level pitch direction ability predicted performance on the higher-level global-local task, with a stronger relationship in ASD. Age did not affect the relationship between low-level and high-level pitch performance in either ASD or TD. However, there was a more positive effect of age on the high-level global-local task performance in TD than ASD. Finally, there was no effect of stimulus rate on the relationship between low-level and high-level pitch performance in either group. These findings provide a better understanding of how perception is associated across levels of processing in ASD versus TD. This work helps to better understand individual differences in auditory perception and to refine ASD phenotypes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Esther Germain
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,b Arts and Sciences, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx , Université de Montréal , Montréal , Québec Canada
| | - Nicholas E V Foster
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,c Medicine, McIntyre Medical Building , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada
| | - Megha Sharda
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,b Arts and Sciences, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx , Université de Montréal , Montréal , Québec Canada
| | - Rakhee Chowdhury
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,b Arts and Sciences, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx , Université de Montréal , Montréal , Québec Canada
| | - Ana Tryfon
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,c Medicine, McIntyre Medical Building , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada
| | - Krissy A R Doyle-Thomas
- d Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital , University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- d Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital , University of Toronto , Toronto , ON , Canada
| | - Krista L Hyde
- a International Laboratory for Brain, Music and Sound Research (BRAMS), Pavillon 1420 Mont-Royal, Department of Psychology , University of Montreal , Montreal , Quebec , Canada.,b Arts and Sciences, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx , Université de Montréal , Montréal , Québec Canada.,c Medicine, McIntyre Medical Building , McGill University , Montreal , Quebec , Canada
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Multisensory Integration of Low-level Information in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Measuring Susceptibility to the Flash-Beep Illusion. J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 47:2535-2543. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3172-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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Behavioral evidence for a functional link between low- and mid-level visual perception in the autism spectrum. Neuropsychologia 2015; 77:380-6. [PMID: 26384775 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.09.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2015] [Revised: 08/28/2015] [Accepted: 09/11/2015] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Most investigations of visuo-perceptual abilities in the Autism Spectrum (AS) are level-specific, using tasks that selectively solicit either lower- (i.e., spatial frequency sensitivity), mid- (i.e., pattern discrimination) or higher-level processes (i.e., face identification) along the visual hierarchy. Less is known about how alterations at one level of processing (i.e., low-level) interact with that of another (i.e., mid-level). The aim of this study was to assess whether manipulating the physical properties (luminance vs texture) of local contour elements of a mid-level, visual pattern interferes with the discrimination of that pattern in a differential manner for individuals with AS. METHODS Twenty-nine AS individuals and thirty control participants (range 14-27 years) were asked to discriminate between perfect circles and Radial Frequency Patterns (RFP) of two, three, five, and 10 radial frequencies (RF), or deformations along the pattern's contour. When RFP have few deformations (<five RF), a global, pattern analysis is needed for shape discrimination. Conversely, when RFP contain many deformations (≥10 RF), discrimination is dependent on the analysis of local deformations along the RFP contour. The effect of manipulating RF on RFP discrimination was assessed for RFP whose local contour elements were defined by either luminance or texture information, the latter previously found less efficiently processed in AS individuals. RESULTS Two separate mixed factorial ANOVAs [2 (Group)×4 (RF)] were conducted on mean deformation thresholds for luminance- and texture-defined conditions. A significant Group×RF interaction was found for the luminance-defined condition where thresholds were higher in the AS group for the two and three RF conditions; no between-group differences were found for the five and 10 RF conditions. A significant main effect of group was identified for the texture-defined condition, where mean thresholds were higher for the AS group across all RF conditions assessed (two, three, five and 10); a Group×RF interaction effect was not found. Performance for each RFP condition was not affected across group by either chronological age or intelligence, as measured by either Weschler scales or Raven Progressive Matrices. CONCLUSIONS The ability of AS individuals to discriminate a circular pattern is differentially affected by the availability (number of deformations along the RFP contour) and type (luminance vs texture) of local, low-level elements defining its contour. Performance is unaffected in AS when RFP discrimination is dependent on the analysis of local deformations of luminance-defined contour elements, but decreased across all RF conditions when local contour elements are texture-defined. These results suggest that efficient pattern perception in AS is functionally related to the efficacy with which its local elements are processed, indicative of an early origin for altered mid-level, pattern perception in AS.
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Mapping developmental trajectories of attention and working memory in fragile X syndrome: Developmental freeze or developmental change? Dev Psychopathol 2013; 25:365-76. [DOI: 10.1017/s0954579412001113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
AbstractFragile X syndrome (FXS) has a characteristic cognitive “signature” that by late childhood includes core weaknesses in attention and working memory (WM), but their earlier developmental trajectories remain uncharted. Using a combined cross-sectional and prospective longitudinal design, we tested whether early profiles of attention and WM impairment in FXS indicate developmental freeze or developmental change. In Study 1, 26 young boys with FXS and 55 typically developing (TD) boys completed two experimental paradigms designed to assess cognitive aspects of attention and WM, in addition to behavioral indices of inattention and hyperactivity. Study 2 mapped longitudinal changes in 21 children with FXS and 21 TD children. In Study 1, significant weaknesses emerged for boys with FXS, with no substantial improvement over chronological age. Mapping performance against mental age level revealed delay, but it also yielded a similar attention and WM profile to TD boys. In Study 2, longitudinal improvements for boys with FXS paralleled those in TD children. In conclusion, cognitive attention and WM, although delayed in FXS, reveal developmental change, rather than “arrest.” Our findings underscore the need for going beyond cross-sectional group comparisons and gross behavioral indices to map cognitive changes longitudinally in developmental disorders.
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Postural hypo-reactivity in autism is contingent on development and visual environment: a fully immersive virtual reality study. J Autism Dev Disord 2012; 42:961-70. [PMID: 21751061 PMCID: PMC3360860 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-011-1326-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
Although atypical motor behaviors have been associated with autism, investigations regarding their possible origins are scarce. This study assessed the visual and vestibular components involved in atypical postural reactivity in autism. Postural reactivity and stability were measured for younger (12–15 years) and older (16–33 years) autistic participants in response to a virtual tunnel oscillating at different frequencies. At the highest oscillation frequency, younger autistic participants showed significantly less instability compared to younger typically-developing participants; no such group differences were evidenced for older participants. Additionally, no significant differences in postural behavior were found between all 4 groups when presented with static or without visual information. Results confirm that postural hypo-reactivity to visual information is present in autism, but is contingent on both visual environment and development.
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Scerif G, Longhi E, Cole V, Karmiloff-Smith A, Cornish K. Attention across modalities as a longitudinal predictor of early outcomes: the case of fragile X syndrome. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2012; 53:641-50. [PMID: 22211574 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02515.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Fragile X syndrome (FXS) is an early diagnosed monogenic disorder, associated with a striking pattern of cognitive/attentional difficulties and a high risk of poor behavioural outcomes. FXS therefore represents an ideal model disorder to study prospectively the impact of early attention deficits on behaviour. METHODS Thirty-seven boys with FXS aged 4-10 years and 74 typically developing (TD) boys took part. Study 1 was designed to assess visual and auditory attention at two time-points, 1 year apart. Study 2 investigated attention to multimodal information. Both tested attention markers as longitudinal predictors of risk for poor behaviour in FXS. RESULTS Children with FXS attended less well than mental-age matched TD boys and experienced greater difficulties with auditory compared to visual stimuli. In addition, unlike TD children, they did not benefit from multimodal information. Attention markers were significant predictors of later behavioural difficulties in boys with FXS. CONCLUSIONS Findings demonstrate, for the first time, greater difficulties with auditory attention and atypical processing of multimodal information, in addition to pervasive global attentional difficulties in boys with FXS. Attention predicted outcomes longitudinally, underscoring the need to dissect what drives differing developmental trajectories for individual children within a seemingly homogeneous group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gaia Scerif
- Attention, Brain and Cognitive Development Group, Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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Van der Molen MJW, Van der Molen MW, Ridderinkhof KR, Hamel BCJ, Curfs LMG, Ramakers GJA. Attentional set-shifting in fragile X syndrome. Brain Cogn 2012; 78:206-17. [PMID: 22261226 DOI: 10.1016/j.bandc.2011.12.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2011] [Revised: 12/17/2011] [Accepted: 12/20/2011] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Abstract
The ability to flexibly adapt to the changing demands of the environment is often reported as a core deficit in fragile X syndrome (FXS). However, the cognitive processes that determine this attentional set-shifting deficit remain elusive. The present study investigated attentional set-shifting ability in fragile X syndrome males with the well-validated intra/extra dimensional set-shifting paradigm (IED) which offers detailed assessment of rule learning, reversal learning, and attentional set-shifting ability within and between stimulus dimensions. A novel scoring method for IED stage errors was employed to interpret set-shifting failure in terms of repetitive decision-making, distraction to irrelevance, and set-maintenance failure. Performance of FXS males was compared to typically developing children matched on mental age, adults matched on chronological age, and individuals with Down syndrome matched on both mental and chronological age. Results revealed that a significant proportion of FXS males already failed prior to the intra-dimensional set-shift stage, whereas all control participants successfully completed the stages up to the crucial extra-dimensional set-shift. FXS males showed a specific weakness in reversal learning, which was characterized by repetitive decision-making during the reversal of newly acquired stimulus-response associations in the face of simple stimulus configurations. In contrast, when stimulus configurations became more complex, FXS males displayed increased distraction to irrelevant stimuli. These findings are interpreted in terms of the cognitive demands imposed by the stages of the IED in relation to the alleged neural deficits in FXS.
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Atypical lateral connectivity: a neural basis for altered visuospatial processing in autism. Biol Psychiatry 2011; 70:806-11. [PMID: 21907325 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2011.07.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2011] [Revised: 06/29/2011] [Accepted: 07/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autistic perception encompasses both inferior and superior performance on different types of visuospatial tasks. Influential neurocognitive models relevant to atypical perception (i.e., weak central coherence, enhanced perceptual functioning) can, to differing degrees, account for these findings. However, the neural underpinnings mediating atypical visuospatial autistic perception have yet to be elucidated. METHODS In the present study, we used a lateral masking paradigm to assess the functional integrity of lateral interactions mediating visuospatial information processing within early visual areas of autistic (n = 18) and nonautistic (n = 15) observers. Detection thresholds were measured for centrally presented Gabor targets flanked collinearly at different distances (experiment 1) and flanked orthogonally at different contrasts (experiment 2). RESULTS Autistic and nonautistic groups showed increased target sensitivity when the distance between collinear targets and flankers was small (3 lambda) but not large (6 lambda). However, the effect of small-distance facilitation was significantly greater for the autistic group. In addition, we observed a group-specific effect of contrast: in the autistic group, target sensitivity was enhanced by low flanker contrasts of both 5% and 10% luminance difference, whereas for the nonautistic group, this effect occurred at 10% contrast only. CONCLUSIONS These findings support the idea that atypical visuospatial perception in autism may originate from altered lateral connectivity within primary visual areas, differentially affecting perception at the earliest levels of feature extraction.
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Farzin F, Rivera SM, Whitney D. Resolution of spatial and temporal visual attention in infants with fragile X syndrome. Brain 2011; 134:3355-68. [PMID: 22075522 PMCID: PMC3212718 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awr249] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2011] [Revised: 07/14/2011] [Accepted: 07/28/2011] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Fragile X syndrome is the most common cause of inherited intellectual impairment and the most common single-gene cause of autism. Individuals with fragile X syndrome present with a neurobehavioural phenotype that includes selective deficits in spatiotemporal visual perception associated with neural processing in frontal-parietal networks of the brain. The goal of the current study was to examine whether reduced resolution of spatial and/or temporal visual attention may underlie perceptual deficits related to fragile X syndrome. Eye tracking was used to psychophysically measure the limits of spatial and temporal attention in infants with fragile X syndrome and age-matched neurotypically developing infants. Results from these experiments revealed that infants with fragile X syndrome experience drastically reduced resolution of temporal attention in a genetic dose-sensitive manner, but have a spatial resolution of attention that is not impaired. Coarse temporal attention could have significant knock-on effects for the development of perceptual, cognitive and motor abilities in individuals with the disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Faraz Farzin
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.
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13
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Van der Molen MJW, Van der Molen MW, Ridderinkhof KR, Hamel BCJ, Curfs LMG, Ramakers GJA. Auditory and visual cortical activity during selective attention in fragile X syndrome: a cascade of processing deficiencies. Clin Neurophysiol 2011; 123:720-9. [PMID: 21958658 DOI: 10.1016/j.clinph.2011.08.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2011] [Revised: 07/11/2011] [Accepted: 08/20/2011] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study examined whether attention deficits in fragile X syndrome (FXS) can be traced back to abnormalities in basic information processing. METHOD Sixteen males with FXS and 22 age-matched control participants (mean age 29 years) performed a standard oddball task to examine selective attention in both auditory and visual modalities. Five FXS males were excluded from analysis because they performed below chance level on the auditory task. ERPs were recorded to investigate the N1, P2, N2b, and P3b components. RESULTS N1 and N2b components were significantly enhanced in FXS males to both auditory and visual stimuli. Interestingly, in FXS males, the P3b to auditory stimuli was significantly reduced relative to visual stimuli. These modality differences in information processing corresponded to behavioral results, showing more errors on the auditory than on the visual task. CONCLUSIONS The current findings suggest that attentional impairments in FXS at the behavioral level can be traced back to abnormalities in event-related cortical activity. These information processing abnormalities in FXS may hinder the allocation of attentional resources needed for optimal processing at higher-levels. SIGNIFICANCE These findings demonstrate that auditory information processing in FXS males is critically impaired relative to visual information processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J W Van der Molen
- Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Greffou S, Bertone A, Hahler EM, Hanssens JM, Mottron L, Faubert J. Postural hypo-reactivity in autism is contingent on development and visual environment: a fully immersive virtual reality study. J Autism Dev Disord 2011. [PMID: 21751061 DOI: 10.1007/s10803‐011‐1326‐6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/29/2022]
Abstract
Although atypical motor behaviors have been associated with autism, investigations regarding their possible origins are scarce. This study assessed the visual and vestibular components involved in atypical postural reactivity in autism. Postural reactivity and stability were measured for younger (12-15 years) and older (16-33 years) autistic participants in response to a virtual tunnel oscillating at different frequencies. At the highest oscillation frequency, younger autistic participants showed significantly less instability compared to younger typically-developing participants; no such group differences were evidenced for older participants. Additionally, no significant differences in postural behavior were found between all 4 groups when presented with static or without visual information. Results confirm that postural hypo-reactivity to visual information is present in autism, but is contingent on both visual environment and development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Selma Greffou
- Visual Psychophysics and Perception Laboratory, School of Optometry, University of Montreal, 3744 Jean-Brillant street, Montreal, QC H3T 1P1, Canada
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Abstract
Can autistic people see the forest for the trees? Ongoing uncertainty about the integrity and role of global processing in autism gives special importance to the question of how autistic individuals group local stimulus attributes into meaningful spatial patterns. We investigated visual grouping in autism by measuring sensitivity to mirror symmetry, a highly-salient perceptual image attribute preceding object recognition. Autistic and non-autistic individuals were asked to detect mirror symmetry oriented along vertical, oblique, and horizontal axes. Both groups performed best when the axis was vertical, but across all randomly-presented axis orientations, autistics were significantly more sensitive to symmetry than non-autistics. We suggest that under some circumstances, autistic individuals can take advantage of parallel access to local and global information. In other words, autistics may sometimes see the forest and the trees, and may therefore extract from noisy environments genuine regularities which elude non-autistic observers.
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