Expanding our understanding of sensory gating in children with autism spectrum disorders

Neural oscillations underlying the neural gating of respiratory sensations in generalized anxiety disorder

Individuals with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) have been shown to have altered neural gating of respiratory sensations (NGRS) using respiratory-related evoked potentials (RREP); however, corresponding neural oscillatory activities remain unexplored. The present study aimed to investigate altered NGRS in individuals with GAD using both time and time-frequency analysis. Nineteen individuals with GAD and 28 healthy controls were recruited. Paired inspiratory occlusions were delivered to elicit cortical neural activations measured from electroencephalography. The GAD group showed smaller N1 amplitudes to the first stimulus (S1), lower evoked gamma and larger evoked beta oscillations compared to controls. Both groups showed larger N1, P3, beta power and theta power in response to S1 compared to S2, suggesting a neural gating phenomenon. These findings suggest that N1, gamma and beta frequency oscillations may be indicators for altered respiratory sensation in GAD populations and that the N1, P3, beta and theta oscillations can reflect the neural gating of respiratory sensations.

Electrophysiological evidence of crossmodal correspondence between auditory pitch and visual elevation affecting inhibition of return

Inhibition of return (IOR) has proved to be weakened by audiovisual integration because of the increased perceptual salience of targets. Although other audiovisual interactions, such as crossmodal correspondence, have also been shown to facilitate attentional processes, to the best of our knowledge, no study has investigated the interaction between crossmodal correspondence and IOR. The present study employed Posner's spatial cueing paradigm and manipulated the cue validity, crossmodal correspondence congruency and time interval of auditory and visual stimuli (AV interval) to explore the effect of crossmodal correspondence on the IOR effect. The behavioral results showed a reduced IOR effect under the correspondence congruency condition in contrast to the correspondence incongruency condition at the AV interval of 200 ms, whereas at an AV interval of 80 ms, the decreased IOR effect under crossmodal correspondence congruency was eliminated. The electrophysiological results showed a reduced amplitude difference in P2 between valid and invalid cue conditions when the crossmodal correspondence effect decreased the IOR effect. The present study provided the first evidence of the weakened effect of the crossmodal correspondence effect on the IOR effect, which could be eliminated by audiovisual integration.

Sensory Gating in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: A Scoping Review

This review aimed to explore the current understanding of sensory gating in neurodevelopmental disorders as a possible transdiagnostic mechanism. We applied methods according to the Joanna Briggs Institute Manual for Evidence Synthesis, following the population, concept, and context scoping review eligibility criteria. Using a comprehensive search strategy in five relevant research databases (Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsychInfo, and Scopus), we searched for relevant peer-reviewed, primary research articles and unpublished data. Two independent reviewers screened the titles and abstracts, full-texts, and completed data extraction. We identified a total of 81 relevant articles and used descriptive analyses to summarize the characteristics and outcomes of all identified studies. Literature regarding sensory gating was most common in autistic populations with relatively fewer studies examining attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, tic disorders, and childhood-onset fluency disorder (COFD). The methods to assess sensory gating varied widely both within and between groups and included measures such as habituation, prepulse inhibition, affect-modulated inhibition, medication and other intervention trials. Most consistently, when participants complete questionnaires about their sensory experiences, those who have neurodevelopmental disorders report differences in their sensory gating. Affect-modulated inhibition appears to be discrepant between samples with and without neurodevelopmental disorder diagnoses. Habituation was the most commonly reported phenomenon and many differences in habituation have been found in autistic individuals and individuals with tic disorders whereas concerns with inhibition seemed more common in COFD. Overall, the evidence is inconsistent within and between disorders suggesting there is still much to learn about sensory gating in neurodevelopmental disorders.

The Effect of Attention on Auditory Processing in Adults on the Autism Spectrum

This study examined the effect of attention on auditory processing in autistic individuals. Electroencephalography data were recorded during two attention conditions (passive and active) from 24 autistic adults and 24 neurotypical controls, ages 17-30 years. The passive condition involved only listening to the clicks and the active condition involved a button press following single clicks in a modified paired-click paradigm. Participants completed the Adolescent/Adult Sensory Profile and the Social Responsiveness Scale 2. The autistic group showed delayed N1 latencies and reduced evoked and phase-locked gamma power compared to neurotypical peers across both clicks and conditions. Longer N1 latencies and reduced gamma synchronization predicted greater social and sensory symptoms. Directing attention to auditory stimuli may be associated with more typical neural auditory processing in autism.

Somatosensory gating is related to behavioral and verbal outcomes in children with mild-to-severe hearing loss

Sensory gating is a process by which the brain filters out redundant information to preserve neural resources for behaviorally relevant stimuli. Although studies have shown alterations in auditory and visual processing in children who are hard-of-hearing (CHH) relative to children with normal hearing (CNH), it is unclear whether these alterations extend to the somatosensory domain, and how aberrations in sensory processing affect sensory gating. In this study, CHH and CNH were presented with a paired-pulse median nerve stimulation during magnetoencephalography. Stimulus-related gamma neural activity was imaged and virtual time series from peak somatosensory responses were extracted. We found significant effects of both stimulus and group, as well as a significant group-by-stimulus interaction. CHH showed a larger response to stimulation overall, as well as greater differences in gamma power from the first to the second stimulus. However, when looking at the ratio rather than the absolute difference in power, CHH showed comparable gating to CNH. In addition, smaller gating ratios were correlated with better classroom behavior and verbal ability in CHH, but not CNH. Taken together, these data underscore the importance of considering how CHH experience their multisensory environment when interpreting outcomes and designing interventions.

Sensory Inhibition and Speech Perception-in-Noise Performance in Children With Normal Hearing

PURPOSE

This study investigated whether sensory inhibition in children may be associated with speech perception-in-noise performance. Additionally, gating networks associated with sensory inhibition were identified via standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA), and the detectability of the cortical auditory evoked potential (CAEP) N1 response was enhanced using a 4- to 30-Hz bandpass filter.

METHOD

CAEP gating responses, reflective of inhibition, were evoked via click pairs and recorded using high-density electroencephalography in neurotypical 5- to 8-year-olds and 22- to 24-year-olds. Amplitude gating indices were calculated and correlated with speech perception in noise. Gating generators were estimated using sLORETA. A 4- to 30-Hz filter was applied to detect the N1 gating component.

RESULTS

Preliminary findings indicate children showed reduced gating, but there was a correlational trend between better speech perception and decreased N2 gating. Commensurate with decreased gating, children presented with incomplete compensatory gating networks. The 4- to 30-Hz filter identified the N1 response in a subset of children.

CONCLUSIONS

There was a tenuous relationship between children's speech perception and sensory inhibition. This may suggest that sensory inhibition is only implicated in atypically poor speech perception. Finally, the 4- to 30-Hz filter settings are critical in N1 detectability.

SIGNIFICANCE

Gating may help evaluate reduced sensory inhibition in children with clinically poor speech perception using the appropriate methodology. Cortical gating generators in typically developing children are also newly identified.

Comparative Analysis of Dopaminergic and Cholinergic Mechanisms of Sensory and Sensorimotor Gating in Healthy Individuals and in Patients With Schizophrenia

Sensory and sensorimotor gating provide the early processing of information under conditions of rapid presentation of multiple stimuli. Gating deficiency is observed in various psychopathologies, in particular, in schizophrenia. However, there is also a significant proportion of people in the general population with low filtration rates who do not show any noticeable cognitive decline. The review article presents a comparative analysis of existing data on the peculiarities of cholinergic and dopaminergic mechanisms associated with lowering gating in healthy individuals and in patients with schizophrenia. The differences in gating mechanisms in cohorts of healthy individuals and those with schizophrenia are discussed.

Auditory Sensory Gating in Children With Cochlear Implants: A P50-N100-P200 Study

Background: While a cochlear implant (CI) can restore access to audibility in deaf children, implanted children may still have difficulty in concentrating. Previous studies have revealed a close relationship between sensory gating and attention. However, whether CI children have deficient auditory sensory gating remains unclear.

Methods: To address this issue, we measured the event-related potentials (ERPs), including P50, N100, and P200, evoked by paired tone bursts (S1 and S2) in CI children and normal-hearing (NH) controls. Suppressed amplitudes for S2 compared with S1 in these three ERPs reflected sensory gating during early and later phases, respectively. A Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham IV (SNAP-IV) scale was performed to assess the attentional performance.

Results: Significant amplitude differences between S1 and S2 in N100 and P200 were observed in both NH and CI children, indicating the presence of sensory gating in the two groups. However, the P50 suppression was only found in NH children and not in CI children. Furthermore, the duration of deafness was significantly positively correlated with the score of inattention in CI children.

Conclusion: Auditory sensory gating can develop but is deficient during the early phase in CI children. Long-term auditory deprivation has a negative effect on sensory gating and attentional performance.