1
|
Keehn B, Kadlaskar G, McNally Keehn R. Elevated and accelerated: Locus coeruleus activity and visual search abilities in autistic children. Cortex 2023; 169:118-129. [PMID: 37866060 PMCID: PMC10842606 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.08.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autistic individuals excel at visual search, however, the neural mechanism(s) underlying this advantage remain unclear. The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine (LC-NE) system, which plays a critical role in sensory perception and selective attention, has been shown to function in a persistently elevated state in individuals on the spectrum. However, the relationship between elevated tonic LC-NE activity and accelerated search in autism has not been explored. OBJECTIVE To examine the relationship between visual search abilities and resting pupil diameter (an indirect measure of tonic LC-NE activation) in autistic and neurotypical children. METHODS Participants were 24 school-aged autistic children and 24 age- and IQ-matched neurotypical children aged 8-15 years. Children completed two tasks: a resting eye-tracking task and a visual search paradigm. For the resting eye-tracking task, pupil diameter was monitored while participants fixated a central crosshair. For the visual search paradigm, participants were instructed to find the target (vertical line) embedded within an array of tilted (10°) distractor lines. The target was present on 50% of trials, and displayed within set sizes of 18, 24, and 36 items. RESULTS Consistent with previous studies, autistic children had significantly larger resting pupil size and searched faster and more efficiently compared to their neurotypical peers. Eye-tracking findings revealed that accelerated search was associated with fewer, not shorter, fixations in the autism group. Autistic children also showed reduced leftward search bias. Larger resting pupil size, indicative of increased tonic activation of the LC-NE system, was associated with greater search efficiency, longer fixation durations, and reduced leftward bias. Finally, within both groups reduced leftward bias was associated with increased autism symptomatology. DISCUSSION Together, these findings add to the existing body of research highlighting superior search in autism, suggest that elevated tonic LC-NE activity may contribute to more efficient search, and link non-social visual-spatial processing strengths to autism symptoms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Keehn
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA; Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
| | - Girija Kadlaskar
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA
| | - Rebecca McNally Keehn
- Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
English MCW, Maybery MT, Visser TAW. A review of behavioral evidence for hemispheric asymmetry of visuospatial attention in autism. Autism Res 2023. [PMID: 37243312 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 05/14/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Most individuals show a small bias towards visual stimuli presented in their left visual field (LVF) that reflects right-hemispheric specialization of visuospatial functions. Moreover, this bias is altered by some neurodevelopmental disorders, suggesting they may be linked to changes in hemispheric asymmetry. To examine whether autism potentially alters hemispheric asymmetry, we conducted a systematic search of scientific databases to review existing literature on the link between autism and alterations in visuospatial bias. This search identified 13 publications that had explored this issue using a wide range of experimental designs and stimuli. Evidence of reduced LVF bias associated with autism was most consistent for studies examining attentional bias or preference measured using tasks such as line bisection. Findings for studies examining attentional performance (e.g., reaction time) were more equivocal. Further investigation is called for, and we make several recommendations for how this avenue of research can be extended.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael C W English
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Murray T Maybery
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| | - Troy A W Visser
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
No evidence for superior distractor filtering amongst individuals high in autistic-like traits. Atten Percept Psychophys 2022; 84:2715-2724. [PMID: 36207668 PMCID: PMC9630187 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-022-02575-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Autistic individuals and individuals with high levels of autistic-like traits often show better visual search performance than their neurotypical peers. The present work investigates whether this advantage stems from increased ability to filter out distractors. Participants with high or low levels of autistic-like traits completed an attentional blink task in which trials varied in target-distractor similarity. The results showed no evidence that high levels of autistic-like traits were associated with superior distractor filtering (indexed by the difference in the size of the attentional blink across the high- and low-similarity distractors). This suggests that search advantages seen in previous studies are likely linked to other mechanisms such as enhanced pre-attentive scene processing, better decision making, or more efficient response selection.
Collapse
|
4
|
Liu C, Zhai H, Su S, Song S, Chen G, Jiang Y. Visuospatial Bias in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence from Line Bisection Tasks. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 52:4861-4871. [PMID: 34786646 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-05350-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2021] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Previous studies have found reduced leftward bias of facial processing in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, it is not clear whether they manifest a leftward bias in general visual processing. To shed light on this issue, the current study used the manual line bisection task to assess children 5 to 15 years of age with ASD as well as typically developing (TD) children. Results showed that children with ASD, similar to TD children, demonstrate a leftward bias in general visual processing, especially for bisecting long lines (≧ 80 mm). In both groups, participant performance in line bisection was affected by the hand used, the length of the line, the cueing symbol, and the location of the symbol. The ASD group showed a rightward bias when bisecting short lines (30 mm) with their left hands, which slightly differed from the TD group. These results indicate that while ASD individuals and TD individuals share a similar leftward bias in general visual processing, when using their left hands to bisect short lines, ASD individuals may show an atypical bias pattern.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chunyan Liu
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Jinan, Jinan, China
| | - Huajie Zhai
- Department of Pediatrics, Maternal and Child Health Care Hospital of Dongchang, Liaocheng, China
| | - Shuhua Su
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Jinan, Jinan, China
| | - Sutao Song
- School of Information Science and Engineering, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
| | - Gongxiang Chen
- School of Education and Psychology, University of Jinan, Jinan, China.
| | - Yi Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Science, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. .,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China. .,Chinese Institute for Brain Research, Beijing, China. .,Institute of Artificial Intelligence, Hefei Comprehensive National Science Center, Hefei, China.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Huang W, Zhang L, Sun Y, Chen F, Wang K. The Prediction Analysis of Autistic and Schizotypal Traits in Attentional Networks. Psychiatry Investig 2021; 18:417-425. [PMID: 33910323 PMCID: PMC8169336 DOI: 10.30773/pi.2020.0251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2020] [Accepted: 02/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Empirical findings confirmed that autistic and schizotypal traits are associated with attentional function as well as include various dimensions. So far, no study has reported which dimension of these traits relates to attentional networks. This study aimed to find out whether there are associations between attentional networks and autistic traits; and between attentional networks and schizotypal traits. METHODS A total of 449 volunteers was included in this study, and autism-spectrum quotient (AQ), schizotypal personality questionnaire (SPQ), and attention network test (ANT) were used to measure autistic traits and schizotypal traits. The three independent attentional networks, including alerting network, orienting network, and executive control network, were also measured. RESULTS Autistic traits were associated with the orienting network, whereas schizotypal traits were associated with the orienting network and executive control network. Furthermore, attentional networks could be predicted by specific dimensions of autistic and schizotypal traits. AQ-attention switching [0.104 (-1.175- -0.025), p=0.041] and AQ-attention to detail [-0.097 (-0.798- -0.001), p=0.049] were significant predictors of orienting network and gender were significant predictor of executive network (Beta=0.107; 95% CI=-0.476-10.139; p=0.031). Whereas, schizotypal dimension "interpersonal" was a significant predictor of all three attentional networks [Alerting: 0.147 (-0.010-0.861), p=0.045; Orienting: 0.147 (0.018-0.733), p=0.040; Executive: 0.198 (0.215-1.309), p=0.006]. CONCLUSION This study demonstrated that autistic and schizotypal traits were associated with attentional networks. The specific dimensions of autistic and schizotypal traits could predict attentional networks. Nevertheless, the attentional networks predicted with these two traits were different.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Wanling Huang
- Department of Neurology, Yangpu Hospital, Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Long Zhang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, China.,Department of Medical Psychology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| | - Yaoting Sun
- Key Laboratory of Xin'an Medicine, Ministry of Education, Anhui University of Chinese Medicine, Hefei, China
| | | | - Kai Wang
- Department of Neurology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China.,Anhui Province Key Laboratory of Cognition and Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Hefei, China.,Collaborative Innovation Center of Neuropsychiatric Disorders and Mental Health, Hefei, China.,Department of Medical Psychology, The First Affiliated Hospital, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Li Y, Wang Y, Jin X, Niu D, Zhang L, Jiang SY, Ruan HD, Ho GW. Sex differences in hemispheric lateralization of attentional networks. PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH 2020; 85:2697-2709. [PMID: 33026540 DOI: 10.1007/s00426-020-01423-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 09/15/2020] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Males and females differ in various abilities. However, sex differences in hemispheric lateralization of attentional processing are still not well-understood. Using a lateralized version of the attentional network test that combines the Posner cueing paradigm and visual field methodology, we aimed to examine sex differences in the lateralization of several attentional processes including alerting, executive control, orienting benefit, reorienting, and orienting cost. Fifty-six females and 59 males participated in this study. We found a left visual field (right hemisphere) advantage for alerting defined by the differences between no-cue and center-cue conditions in the male group, but it was mainly attributed to the left visual field advantage in the no-cue condition. In contrast, the female group exhibited a left visual field advantage in the center-cue condition. Both groups showed preferences to the left visual field for reorienting and orienting cost, but females exhibited larger effects. This indicates that the two sexes exhibit similarities in terms of the lateralization of these two attentional processes. Furthermore, the interactions between executive control and reorienting/orienting cost were more efficient in males than in females. The current study highlights sex differences in the hemispheric lateralization of attentional networks and possible underlying neural substrates.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yu Li
- Division of Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), 2000 Jintong Road, Zhuhai, 519087, Guangdong, China.,Department of Cognitive Science, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Yuanyuan Wang
- College of Education, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - Xiaohong Jin
- Student Affairs Office, Wuhan Polytechnic College, Wuhan, Hubei, China
| | - Dun Niu
- College of Education, Qufu Normal University, Qufu, Shandong, China
| | - Linjun Zhang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Language Resources and College of Advanced Chinese Training, Beijing Language and Culture University, Beijing, China
| | - Sabrina Yanan Jiang
- Division of Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), 2000 Jintong Road, Zhuhai, 519087, Guangdong, China
| | - Huada Daniel Ruan
- Division of Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), 2000 Jintong Road, Zhuhai, 519087, Guangdong, China
| | - Ghee Wee Ho
- Division of Science and Technology, Beijing Normal University-Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (UIC), 2000 Jintong Road, Zhuhai, 519087, Guangdong, China.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Turnbull A, Garfinkel SN, Ho NSP, Critchley HD, Bernhardt BC, Jefferies E, Smallwood J. Word up - Experiential and neurocognitive evidence for associations between autistic symptomology and a preference for thinking in the form of words. Cortex 2020; 128:88-106. [PMID: 32325277 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.02.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 02/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Autism symptomology has a profound impact on cognitive and affective functioning, yet we know relatively little about how it shapes patterns of ongoing thought. In an exploratory study in a large population of neurotypical individuals, we used experience sampling to characterise the relationship between ongoing cognition and self-reported autistic traits. We found that with increasing autistic symptom score, cognition was characterised by thinking more in words than images. Analysis of structural neuroimaging data found that autistic traits linked to social interaction were associated with greater cortical thickness in a region of lingual gyrus (LG) within the occipital cortex. Analysis of resting state functional neuroimaging data found autistic traits were associated with stronger connectivity between the LG and a region of motor cortex. Importantly, the strength of connectivity between the LG and motor cortex moderated the link between autistic symptoms and thinking in words: individuals showing higher connectivity showed a stronger association between autistic traits and thinking in words. Together we provide behavioural and neural evidence linking autistic traits to the tendency to think in words which may be rooted in underlying cortical organisation. These observations lay the groundwork for research into the form and content of self-generated thoughts in individuals with the established diagnosis of autism.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Adam Turnbull
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
| | - Sarah N Garfinkel
- Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Nerissa S P Ho
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, United Kingdom
| | - Hugo D Critchley
- Sackler Centre for Consciousness Science, University of Sussex, Brighton, United Kingdom
| | - Boris C Bernhardt
- Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Karlsson EM, Johnstone LT, Carey DP. The depth and breadth of multiple perceptual asymmetries in right handers and non-right handers. Laterality 2019; 24:707-739. [PMID: 31399020 DOI: 10.1080/1357650x.2019.1652308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
Several non-verbal perceptual and attentional processes have been linked with specialization of the right cerebral hemisphere. Given that most people have a left hemispheric specialization for language, it is tempting to assume that functions of these two classes of dominance are related. Unfortunately, such models of complementarity are notoriously hard to test. Here we suggest a method which compares frequency of a particular perceptual asymmetry with known frequencies of left hemispheric language dominance in right-handed and non-right handed groups. We illustrate this idea using the greyscales and colourscales tasks, chimeric faces, emotional dichotic listening, and a consonant-vowel dichotic listening task. Results show a substantial "breadth" of leftward bias on the right hemispheric tasks and rightward bias on verbal dichotic listening. Right handers and non-right handers did not differ in terms of proportions of people who were left biased for greyscales/colourscales. Support for reduced typical biases in non-right handers was found for chimeric faces and for CV dichotic listening. Results are discussed in terms of complementary theories of cerebral asymmetries, and how this type of method could be used to create a taxonomy of lateralized functions, each categorized as related to speech and language dominance, or not.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emma M Karlsson
- Perception, Action and Memory Research Group, School of Psychology, Bangor University , Bangor , UK
| | | | - David P Carey
- Perception, Action and Memory Research Group, School of Psychology, Bangor University , Bangor , UK
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
English MCW, Kitching ES, Maybery MT, Visser TAW. Modulating attentional biases of adults with autistic traits using transcranial direct current stimulation: A pilot study. Autism Res 2017; 11:385-390. [PMID: 29155494 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1895] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2017] [Revised: 10/29/2017] [Accepted: 11/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
While neurotypical individuals over-attend to the left-side of centrally-presented visual stimuli, this bias is reduced in individuals with autism/high levels of autistic traits. Because this difference is hypothesized to reflect relative reductions in right-hemisphere activation, it follows that increasing right-hemisphere activation should increase leftward bias. We administered transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the right posterior parietal cortex to individuals with low levels (n = 19) and high levels (n = 19) of autistic traits whilst they completed a greyscales task. Anodal tDCS increased leftward bias for high-trait, but not low-trait, individuals, while cathodal tDCS had no effect. This outcome suggests that typical attentional patterns driven by hemispheric lateralization could potentially be restored following right-hemisphere stimulation in high-trait individuals. Autism Res 2018, 11: 385-390. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY Attentional differences between individuals with and without autism may reflect differences in underlying activation of the left and right hemispheres. In this study, we combine an attentional task that reflects relative hemispheric activation with non-invasive cortical stimulation, and show that attentional differences between healthy individuals with low and high levels of autistic-like traits can be reduced. This outcome is encouraging, and suggests that other aspects of attention in autism (e.g., face processing) may stand to benefit from similar stimulation techniques.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael C W English
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Emma S Kitching
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Murray T Maybery
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Troy A W Visser
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
English MCW, Maybery MT, Visser TAW. Reduced Pseudoneglect for Physical Space, but not Mental Representations of Space, for Adults with Autistic Traits. J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 47:1956-1965. [PMID: 28374209 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3113-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Neurotypical individuals display a leftward attentional bias, called pseudoneglect, for physical space (e.g. landmark task) and mental representations of space (e.g. mental number line bisection). However, leftward bias is reduced in autistic individuals viewing faces, and neurotypical individuals with autistic traits viewing 'greyscale' stimuli, suggestive of atypical lateralization of attention in autism. We investigated whether representational pseudoneglect for individuals with autistic traits is similarly atypically lateralized by comparing biases on a greyscales, landmark, and mental number line task. We found that pseudoneglect was intact only on the representational measure, the mental number line task, suggesting that mechanisms for atypical lateralization of attention in individuals with autistic traits are specific artefacts of processing physically visual stimuli.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael C W English
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia.
| | - Murray T Maybery
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| | - Troy A W Visser
- School of Psychological Science, University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, WA, 6009, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Psychometric Properties of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient for Assessing Low and High Levels of Autistic Traits in College Students. J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 47:1838-1853. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3109-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
|
12
|
Keehn B, Joseph RM. Exploring What's Missing: What Do Target Absent Trials Reveal About Autism Search Superiority? J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 46:1686-98. [PMID: 26762114 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-016-2700-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
We used eye-tracking to investigate the roles of enhanced discrimination and peripheral selection in superior visual search in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with ASD were faster at visual search than their typically developing peers. However, group differences in performance and eye-movements did not vary with the level of difficulty of discrimination or selection. Rather, consistent with prior ASD research, group differences were mainly the effect of faster performance on target-absent trials. Eye-tracking revealed a lack of left-visual-field search asymmetry in ASD, which may confer an additional advantage when the target is absent. Lastly, ASD symptomatology was positively associated with search superiority, the mechanisms of which may shed light on the atypical brain organization that underlies social-communicative impairment in ASD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Keehn
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, 715 Clinic Drive, Lyles-Porter Hall, West Lafayette, IN, 47907, USA.
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
| | - Robert M Joseph
- Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA
| |
Collapse
|