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Lassen J, Oranje B, Vestergaard M, Foldager M, Kjær TW, Aggernæs B, Arnfred S. Reduced P300 amplitude in children and adolescents with autism is associated with slowed processing speed, executive difficulties, and social-communication problems. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024:13623613241271950. [PMID: 39143667 DOI: 10.1177/13623613241271950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/16/2024]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Selective attention to auditory input is reflected in the brain by an electric amplitude called the P3b amplitude, which is measured using electroencephalography. Previous research has shown that children and adolescents with autism have an attenuated P3b amplitude when they have to attend specific sounds while ignoring other sounds. However, it is unknown whether a reduced P3b amplitude in autistic children and adolescents is associated with their autism features, daily functioning and/or cognitive functions. This study aimed to examine these questions. Therefore, we assessed selective attention to auditory input in 57 children with autism aged 7-14 years and 57 neurotypically developing controls while measuring their brain activity with electroencephalography. Participants further underwent cognitive assessment, and parents reported on autistic traits and daily functioning. As expected, children with autism had lower P3b amplitude compared to their neurotypical peers. Importantly, an attenuated P3b amplitude was associated with more parent-reported social-communication problems and difficulties with daily functioning. Children with autism further had reduced processing speed of visual input, which also was coupled to a lower P3b amplitude. In conclusion, we found attenuated P3b amplitude in children with autism performing an auditory selective attention task, which was related to difficulties with processing visual input and allocating attentional resources critical for social and daily functioning. The results suggest that autistic children are more vulnerable to being disturbed when the environment is filled with conflicting sensory input.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Lassen
- Research Unit, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Denmark
- University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Martin Vestergaard
- Research Unit, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Denmark
- Psychiatry Region Zealand, Denmark
| | - Malene Foldager
- Research Unit, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Denmark
- University of Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Bodil Aggernæs
- Research Unit, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Copenhagen University Hospital - Psychiatry Region Zealand, Denmark
- PPclinic, Denmark
| | - Sidse Arnfred
- University of Copenhagen, Denmark
- Psychiatry Region Zealand, Denmark
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Chen Z, Qin Y, Peng M, Zhao W, Shi X, Lai D, Yin E, Yan Y, Yao D, Liu T. Event-related potential patterns of selective attention modulated by perceptual load. Brain Behav 2023; 13:e2907. [PMID: 36786695 PMCID: PMC10013938 DOI: 10.1002/brb3.2907] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2022] [Revised: 12/13/2022] [Accepted: 01/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/15/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION A high perceptual load can effectively prevent attention from being drawn to irrelevant stimuli; however, the neural pattern underlying this process remains unclear. METHODS This study adopted a perceptual load paradigm to examine the temporal processes of attentional modulation by incorporating conditions of perceptual load, distractor-target compatibility, and eccentricity. RESULTS The behavioral results showed that a high perceptual load significantly reduced attentional distraction caused by peripheral distractors. The event-related potential results further revealed that shorter P2 latencies were observed for peripheral distractors than for central distractors under a high perceptual load and that a suppressed compatibility effect with increasing load was reflected by the P3 component. CONCLUSION These findings suggested that (1) P2 and P3 components effectively captured different sides of attentional processing modulated by load (i.e., the filter processing of the object and the overall attentional resource allocation) and (2) response patterns of selective attention modulated by perceptual load were influenced by eccentricity. Our electrophysiological evidence confirmed the behavioral findings, indicating the neural mechanisms of attentional modulation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhuo Chen
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yun Qin
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Chengdu, China
| | - Maoqin Peng
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Wei Zhao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xuqian Shi
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Danwei Lai
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Erwei Yin
- The Defense Innovation Institute, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Ye Yan
- The Defense Innovation Institute, Academy of Military Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Dezhong Yao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Chengdu, China
| | - Tiejun Liu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,Sichuan Institute for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Chengdu, China
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Fernandes JM, Soares S, Lopes R, Jerónimo R, Barahona-Corrêa JB. Attribution of intentions in autism spectrum disorder: A study of event-related potentials. Autism Res 2022; 15:847-860. [PMID: 35274469 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2702] [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: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by social cognition deficits, including difficulties inferring the intentions of others. Although deficits in attribution of intentions (AI) have been consistently replicated in ASD, their exact nature remains unexplored. Here we registered the electrophysiological correlates of a nonverbal social cognition task to investigate AI in autistic adults. Twenty-one male autistic adults and 30 male neurotypical volunteers performed a comic strips task depicting either intentional action (AI) or physical causality with or without human characters, while their electroencephalographic signal was recorded. Compared to neurotypical volunteers, autistic participants were significantly less accurate in correctly identifying congruence in the AI condition, but not in the physical causality conditions. In the AI condition a bilateral posterior positive event-related potential (ERP) occurred 200-400 ms post-stimulus (the ERP intention effect) in both groups. This waveform comprised a P200 and a P300 component, with the P200 component being larger for the AI condition in neurotypical volunteers but not in autistic individuals, who also showed a longer latency for this waveform. Group differences in amplitude of the ERP intention effect only became evident when we compared autistic participants to a subgroup of similarly performing neurotypical participants, suggesting that the atypical ERP waveform in ASD is an effect of group, rather than a marker of low-task performance. Together, these results suggest that the lower accuracy of the ASD group in the AI task may result from impaired early attentional processing and contextual integration of socially relevant cues. LAY SUMMARY: To understand why autistic people have difficulties in inferring others' intentions, we asked participants to judge the congruence of the endings of comic strips depicting either intentional actions (e.g., fetching a chair to reach for something) or situations solely following physical rules (e.g., an apple falling on someone's head), while their electrical brain activity was recorded. Autistic individuals had more difficulties in inferring intentions than neurotypical controls, which may reflect impaired attention and contextual integration of social cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Miguel Fernandes
- NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- CADIn-Neurodevelopment & Inclusion, Non-Profit Association, Cascais, Portugal
| | - Sara Soares
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte-IUL), CIS_Iscte, Lisbon, Portugal
- Unité de Recherche en Neurosciences Cognitives (Unescog), Center for Research in Cognition & Neurosciences (CRCN), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ricardo Lopes
- CADIn-Neurodevelopment & Inclusion, Non-Profit Association, Cascais, Portugal
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte-IUL), CIS_Iscte, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rita Jerónimo
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte-IUL), CIS_Iscte, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - J Bernardo Barahona-Corrêa
- NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Champalimaud Research & Clinical Centre, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
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Yechiam E, Yom-Tov E. Unique Internet Search Strategies of Individuals With Self-Stated Autism: Quantitative Analysis of Search Engine Users' Investigative Behaviors. J Med Internet Res 2021; 23:e23829. [PMID: 34255644 PMCID: PMC8292935 DOI: 10.2196/23829] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/25/2020] [Revised: 10/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Although autism is often characterized in literature by the presence of repetitive behavior, in structured decision tasks, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been found to examine more options in a given time period than controls. Objective We aimed to examine whether this investigative tendency emerges in information searches conducted via the internet. Methods In total, 1746 search engine users stated that they had ASD in 2019. This group’s naturally occurring responses following 1491 unique general queries and 78 image queries were compared to those of all other users of the search engine. The main dependent measure was scrolled distance, which denoted the extent to which additional results were scanned beyond the initial results presented on-screen. Additionally, we examined the number of clicks on search results as an indicator of the degree of search outcome exploitation and assessed whether there was a trade-off between increased search range and the time invested in viewing initial search results. Results After issuing general queries, individuals with self-stated ASD scanned more results than controls. The scrolled distance in the results page of general queries was 45% larger for the group of individuals with ASD (P<.001; d=0.45). The group of individuals with ASD also made the first scroll faster than the controls (P<.001; d=0.51). The differences in scrolled distance were larger for popular queries. No group differences in scrolled distance emerged for image queries, suggesting that visual load impeded the investigative behavior of individuals with ASD. No differences emerged in the number of clicks on search results. Conclusions Individuals who self-stated that they had ASD scrutinized more general search results and fewer image search results than the controls. Thus, our results at least partially support the notion that individuals with ASD exhibit investigative behaviors and suggest that textual searches are an important context for expressing such tendencies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eldad Yechiam
- Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel
| | - Elad Yom-Tov
- Faculty of Industrial Engineering and Management, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel.,Microsoft Research, Herzliya, Israel
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Bellamy R, Ring H, Watson P, Kemp A, Munn G, Clare IC. The effect of ambient sounds on decision-making and heart rate variability in autism. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2021; 25:2209-2222. [PMID: 34132124 PMCID: PMC7614480 DOI: 10.1177/13623613211014993] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Many autistic people report difficulties making decisions during everyday tasks, such as shopping. To examine the effect of sounds on decision-making, we developed a supermarket task where people watched a film shown from the shopper's perspective and were asked to make decisions between different products. The task was divided into three sections and participants completed each section in a different auditory environment: (1) no sounds, (2) non-social sounds (e.g. fridges humming) and (3) social sounds (e.g. people talking). Thirty-eight autistic and 37 neurotypical adults took part. We measured decision-making by examining how long it took to make a decision and how consistent people were with their decisions. We also measured heart rate variability because this biological response provides a measure of anxiety. After the supermarket shopping task, participants told us in their own words about their experiences. Autistic participants said that they found the non-social and social sound conditions more difficult than the no sound condition, and autistic participants found the social sound condition more negative than neurotypical participants. However, decision-making and heart rate variability were similar for autistic and neurotypical participants across the sound conditions, suggesting that these measures may not have been sensitive enough to reflect the experiences the autistic participants reported. Further research should consider alternative measures to explore the experiences reported by autistic people to help us understand which specific aspects of the environment autistic people are sensitive to. This, in turn, may enable more specific and evidence-based autism-friendly changes to be made.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Howard Ring
- University of Cambridge, UK.,Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, UK
| | | | | | | | - Isabel Ch Clare
- University of Cambridge, UK.,Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, UK.,NIHR ARC East of England at Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, UK
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Tillmann J, Tuomainen J, Swettenham J. The Effect of Visual Perceptual Load on Auditory Awareness of Social vs. Non-social Stimuli in Individuals with Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 51:1028-1038. [PMID: 32613484 PMCID: PMC7985111 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04587-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the effect of increasing visual perceptual load on auditory awareness for social and non-social stimuli in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n = 63) and typically developing (TD, n = 62) adolescents. Using an inattentional deafness paradigm, a socially meaningful ('Hi') or a non-social (neutral tone) critical stimulus (CS) was unexpectedly presented under high and low load. For the social CS both groups continued to show high awareness rates as load increased. Awareness rates for the non-social stimulus were reduced when load increased for the TD, but not the ASD group. The findings indicate enhanced capacity for non-social stimuli in ASD compared to TD, and a special attentional status for social stimuli in the TD group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julian Tillmann
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
- Department of Applied Psychology: Health, Development, Enhancement, and Intervention, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Jyrki Tuomainen
- Speech, Hearing & Phonetic Sciences, Division of Psychology and Language Sciences, University College London, London, UK
| | - John Swettenham
- Department of Language and Cognition, University College London, London, UK
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Pionke JJ, Knight-Davis S, Brantley JS. Library involvement in an autism support program: A case study. COLLEGE & UNDERGRADUATE LIBRARIES 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/10691316.2019.1668896] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- J. J. Pionke
- University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL, USA
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Cheng K, Yang K, Qin L, Zhuo Y, Yan H. Perceptual load modulates contour integration in conscious and unconscious states. PeerJ 2019; 7:e7550. [PMID: 31497404 PMCID: PMC6708573 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.7550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2019] [Indexed: 12/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous research has documented that contour detection and integration may either be affected by local features such as the distances between elements or by high-level cognitive factors such as attention in our visual system. Less is known about how low and high level factors interact to influence contour integration. In this paper, we investigated how attention modulates contour integration through saliency (different element spacing) and topological propert ies (circle or S-shaped) when the state of conscious awareness is manipulated. A modified inattentional blindness (IB) combined with the Posner cuing paradigm was adopted in our three-phased experiment (unconscious-training-conscious). Attention was manipulated with high or low perceptual load for a foveal go/no-go task. Cuing effects were utilized to assess the covert processing of contours prior to a peripheral orientation discrimination task. We found that (1) salient circles and S-contours induced different cuing effects under low perceptual load but not with high load; (2) no consistent pattern of cuing effects was found for non-salient contours in all the conditions; (3) a positive cuing effect was observed for salient circles either consciously or unconsciously while a negative cuing effect occurred for salient S-contours only consciously. These results suggest that conscious awareness plays a pivotal role in coordinating a closure effect with the level of perceptual load. Only salient circles can be successfully integrated in an unconscious state under low perceptual load although both salient circles and S-contours can be done consciously. Our findings support a bi-directional mechanism that low-level sensory features interact with high-level cognitive factors in contour integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaiwen Cheng
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.,School of Foreign Languages, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Keyu Yang
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Long Qin
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yixuan Zhuo
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Hongmei Yan
- MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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