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Chouhan T, Black MH, Girdler S, Bölte S, Tan T, Guan C. Altered task induced functional brain networks and small-world properties in autism. Front Psychiatry 2022; 13:1039820. [PMID: 36741564 PMCID: PMC9893112 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.1039820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/29/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Facial emotion recognition (FER) requires the integration of multi-dimensional information across various brain regions. Autistic individuals commonly experience difficulties in FER, a phenomenon often attributed to differences in brain connectivity. The nature of task-induced functional brain networks could provide insight into the neuromechanisms underlying FER difficulties in autism, however, to date, these mechanisms remain poorly understood. METHODS In this study, the task induced functional brain networks of 19 autistic and 19 gender, age, and IQ matched non-autistic individuals were examined during a complex FER task. Electroencephalogram (EEG)-based functional brain networks were examined, including the investigation of differences in the time-varying whole-brain functional networks and the exploration of the task induced small-world properties. RESULTS The results showed statistically significant differences in the task-induced functional networks between autistic and non-autistic adults. Autistic adults compared to non-autistic adults showed a significant shift in the connectivity-based FER processing from the lower to the higher EEG frequency bands. DISCUSSION These findings may provide evidence at a neural level for the notion that autistic individuals have a preference for bottom-up lower-level processing, or alterations in top-down global processing, potentially contributing to the FER difficulties observed in this population. Results also suggest that functional brain networks in autism show significantly altered task-induced whole-brain small-world properties as compared to non-autistic individuals during complex FER. This study motivates further investigation of the underlying networks-basis of altered emotion processing in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tushar Chouhan
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Melissa H Black
- School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.,Curtin Autism Research Group, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Living With Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Sonya Girdler
- School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.,Curtin Autism Research Group, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Living With Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,School of Allied Health, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Sven Bölte
- School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.,Curtin Autism Research Group, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Living With Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Tele Tan
- Curtin Autism Research Group, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia.,Cooperative Research Centre for Living With Autism (Autism CRC), Brisbane, QLD, Australia.,School of Mechanical Engineering, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Cuntai Guan
- School of Computer Science and Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore
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Martínez-Sanchis S. Neurobiological foundations of multisensory integration in people with autism spectrum disorders: the role of the medial prefrontal cortex. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:970. [PMID: 25538597 PMCID: PMC4255523 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00970] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2014] [Accepted: 11/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This review aims to relate the sensory processing problems in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), especially multisensory integration (MSI), to the role of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) by exploring neuroanatomical findings; brain connectivity and Default Network (DN); global or locally directed attention; and temporal multisensory binding. The mPFC is part of the brain's DN, which is deactivated when attention is focused on a particular task and activated on rest when spontaneous cognition emerges. In those with ASD, it is hypoactive and the higher the social impairment the greater the atypical activity. With an immature DN, cross-modal integration is impaired, resulting in a collection of disconnected fragments instead of a coherent global perception. The deficit in MSI may lie in the temporal synchronization of neural networks. The time interval in which the stimulation of one sensory channel could influence another would be higher, preventing integration in the typical shorter time range. Thus, the underconnectivity between distant brain areas would be involved in top-down information processes (relying on global integration of data from different sources) and would enhance low level perception processes such as over focused attention to sensory details.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Martínez-Sanchis
- Department of Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Valencia Valencia, Spain
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