1
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Foster NC, Bennett SJ, Pullar K, Causer J, Becchio C, Clowes DP, Hayes SJ. Observational learning of atypical biological kinematics in autism. Autism Res 2023; 16:1799-1810. [PMID: 37534381 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3002] [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: 01/16/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/04/2023]
Abstract
Observing and voluntarily imitating the biological kinematics displayed by a model underpins the acquisition of new motor skills via sensorimotor processes linking perception with action. Differences in voluntary imitation in autism could be related to sensorimotor processing activity during action-observation of biological motion, as well as how sensorimotor integration processing occurs across imitation attempts. Using an observational practice protocol, which minimized the active contribution of the peripheral sensorimotor system, we examined the contribution of sensorimotor processing during action-observation. The data showed that autistic participants imitated both the temporal duration and atypical kinematic profile of the observed movement with a similar level of accuracy as neurotypical participants. These findings suggest the lower-level perception-action processes responsible for encoding biological kinematics during the action-observation phase of imitation are operational in autism. As there was no task-specific engagement of the peripheral sensorimotor system during observational practice, imitation difficulties in autism are most likely underpinned by sensorimotor integration issues related to the processing of efferent and (re)afferent sensorimotor information during trial-to-trial motor execution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan C Foster
- Center for Human Technologies, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Simon J Bennett
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Kiri Pullar
- Center for Human Technologies, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
| | - Joe Causer
- Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Cristina Becchio
- Center for Human Technologies, Fondazione Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Genoa, Italy
- Department of Neurology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg, Germany
| | - Daniel P Clowes
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, IOE, Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, London, UK
| | - Spencer J Hayes
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, IOE, Faculty of Education and Society, University College London, London, UK
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2
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Morris P, Hope E, Foulsham T, Mills JP. Dancing out for a voice; a narrative review of the literature exploring autism, physical activity, and dance. J Bodyw Mov Ther 2023; 33:202-215. [PMID: 36775520 DOI: 10.1016/j.jbmt.2022.09.016] [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: 08/06/2021] [Revised: 04/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder is characterised by profound challenges with social communication and social interaction. Currently, there are few therapeutic interventions that successfully target some of the functionally impairing traits associated with autism. Furthermore, many of these interventions comprise a variety of limitations; including, limited accessibility, extensive durations, or the requirement of a trained professional to deliver the intervention. New research suggests that instead of targeting all traits associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder with a single solution, scientific research should focus on providing therapeutic tools that alleviate functionally impairing facets specific to the individual. Owing to the nature of physical activity, sports, and dance (coordinated movement) these activities could provide opportunities to enhance communication skills and social development in autistic children. Therefore, this paper gives a narrative overview of the literature surrounding communication and coordinated movement; outlining what is meant by communication challenges, exploring the benefits of coordinated movement for traits associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder, and delineating how coordinated movement elicits positive outcomes for autistic children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe Morris
- School of Sport, Exercise Science and Rehabilitation, University of Essex, UK.
| | - Edward Hope
- School of Sport, Exercise Science and Rehabilitation, University of Essex, UK
| | - Tom Foulsham
- Department of Psychology, University of Essex, UK
| | - John P Mills
- School of Sport, Exercise Science and Rehabilitation, University of Essex, UK
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3
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Bo J, Acluche F, Lasutschinkow PC, Augustiniak A, Ditchfield N, Lajiness-O'Neill R. Motor networks in children with autism spectrum disorder: a systematic review on EEG studies. Exp Brain Res 2022; 240:3073-3087. [PMID: 36260095 DOI: 10.1007/s00221-022-06483-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2022] [Accepted: 10/09/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
Motor disturbance and altered motor networks are commonly reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It has been suggested that electroencephalogram (EEG) can be used to provide exquisite temporal resolution for understanding motor control processes in ASD. However, the variability of study design and EEG approaches can impact our interpretation. Here, we conducted a systematic review on recent 11 EEG studies that involve motor observation and/or execution tasks and evaluated how these findings help us understand motor difficulties in ASD. Three behavior paradigms with different EEG analytic methods were demonstrated. The main findings were quite mixed: children with ASD did not always show disrupted neuronal activity during motor observation. Additionally, they might have intact ability for movement execution but have more difficulties in neuronal modulation during movement preparation. We would like to promote discussions on how methodological selections of behavioral tasks and data analytic approaches impact our interpretation of motor deficits in ASD. Future EEG research addressing the inconsistency across methodological approaches is necessary to help us understand neurophysiological mechanism of motor abnormalities in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jin Bo
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, 341 MJ Science Building, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA. .,Neuroscience Program, Eastern Michigan University, 341 MJ Science Building, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA.
| | - Frantzy Acluche
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, 341 MJ Science Building, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA
| | - Patricia C Lasutschinkow
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, 341 MJ Science Building, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA
| | - Alyssa Augustiniak
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, 341 MJ Science Building, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA
| | - Noelle Ditchfield
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, 341 MJ Science Building, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA
| | - Renee Lajiness-O'Neill
- Department of Psychology, Eastern Michigan University, 341 MJ Science Building, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA.,Neuroscience Program, Eastern Michigan University, 341 MJ Science Building, Ypsilanti, MI, 48197, USA
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4
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Heller Murray ES, Segawa J, Karahanoglu FI, Tocci C, Tourville JA, Nieto-Castanon A, Tager-Flusberg H, Manoach DS, Guenther FH. Increased Intra-Subject Variability of Neural Activity During Speech Production in People with Autism Spectrum Disorder. RESEARCH IN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS 2022; 94:101955. [PMID: 35601992 PMCID: PMC9119427 DOI: 10.1016/j.rasd.2022.101955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Background Communication difficulties are a core deficit in many people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The current study evaluated neural activation in participants with ASD and neurotypical (NT) controls during a speech production task. Methods Neural activities of participants with ASD (N = 15, M = 16.7 years, language abilities ranged from low verbal abilities to verbally fluent) and NT controls (N = 12, M = 17.1 years) was examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging with a sparse-sampling paradigm. Results There were no differences between the ASD and NT groups in average speech activation or inter-subject run-to-run variability in speech activation. Intra-subject run-to-run neural variability was greater in the ASD group and was positively correlated with autism severity in cortical areas associated with speech. Conclusions These findings highlight the importance of understanding intra-subject neural variability in participants with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S. Heller Murray
- Boston University, Department of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215
| | - Jennifer Segawa
- Boston University, Department of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215
| | - F. Isik Karahanoglu
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02215
| | - Catherine Tocci
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02215
| | - Jason A. Tourville
- Boston University, Department of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215
| | - Alfonso Nieto-Castanon
- Boston University, Department of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215
| | - Helen Tager-Flusberg
- Boston University, Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, 64 Cummington Mall Boston, MA, 02115
| | - Dara S. Manoach
- Massachusetts General Hospital, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02215
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, 149 13th Street, Room 2618, Charlestown, MA 02129
| | - Frank H. Guenther
- Boston University, Department of Speech, Language, & Hearing Sciences, 635 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA, 02215
- Boston University, Department of Biomedical Engineering, 44 Cummington Mall Boston, MA, 02115
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5
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Xu L, Zheng X, Yao S, Li J, Fu M, Li K, Zhao W, Li H, Becker B, Kendrick KM. The mirror neuron system compensates for amygdala dysfunction - associated social deficits in individuals with higher autistic traits. Neuroimage 2022; 251:119010. [PMID: 35182751 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2022.119010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 02/13/2022] [Accepted: 02/15/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala is a core node in the social brain which exhibits structural and functional abnormalities in Autism spectrum disorder and there is evidence that the mirror neuron system (MNS) can functionally compensate for impaired emotion processing following amygdala lesions. In the current study, we employed an fMRI paradigm in 241 subjects investigating MNS and amygdala responses to observation, imagination and imitation of dynamic facial expressions and whether these differed in individuals with higher (n = 77) as opposed to lower (n = 79) autistic traits. Results indicated that individuals with higher compared to lower autistic traits showed worse recognition memory for fearful faces, smaller real-life social networks, and decreased left basolateral amygdala (BLA) responses to imitation. Additionally, functional connectivity between the left BLA and the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) as well as some other MNS regions was increased in individuals with higher autistic traits, especially during imitation of fearful expressions. The left BLA-IFG connectivity significantly moderated the autistic group differences on recognition memory for fearful faces, indicating that increased amygdala-MNS connectivity could diminish the social behavioral differences between higher and lower autistic trait groups. Overall, findings demonstrate decreased imitation-related amygdala activity in individuals with higher autistic traits in the context of increased amygdala-MNS connectivity which may functionally compensate for amygdala dysfunction and social deficits. Training targeting the MNS may capitalize on this compensatory mechanism for therapeutic benefits in Autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Xu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Zheng
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institute of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Shuxia Yao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jialin Li
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Meina Fu
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Keshuang Li
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China; School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China
| | - Weihua Zhao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Hong Li
- Institute of Brain and Psychological Sciences, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
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6
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Finnemann JJS, Plaisted-Grant K, Moore J, Teufel C, Fletcher PC. Low-level, prediction-based sensory and motor processes are unimpaired in Autism. Neuropsychologia 2021; 156:107835. [PMID: 33794277 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2021.107835] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
A new promising account of human brain function suggests that sensory cortices try to optimise information processing via predictions that are based on prior experiences. The brain is thus likened to a probabilistic prediction machine. There has been a growing - though inconsistent - literature to suggest that features of autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) are associated with a deficit in modelling the world through such prediction-based inference. However empirical evidence for differences in low-level sensorimotor predictions in autism is still lacking. One approach to examining predictive processing in the sensorimotor domain is in the context of self-generated (predictable) as opposed to externally-generated (less predictable) effects. We employed two complementary tasks - forcematching and intentional binding - which examine self-versus externally-generated action effects in terms of sensory attenuation and intentional binding respectively in adults with and without autism. The results show that autism was associated with normal levels of sensory attenuation of internally-generated force and with unaltered temporal attraction of voluntary actions and their outcomes. Thus, our results do not support a general deficit in predictive processing in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johanna J S Finnemann
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 8AH, United Kingdom.
| | - Kate Plaisted-Grant
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 3EB, United Kingdom
| | - James Moore
- Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, SE14 6NW, United Kingdom
| | - Christoph Teufel
- Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom
| | - Paul C Fletcher
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, CB2 8AH, United Kingdom; Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, CB21 5EF, United Kingdom; Wellcome Trust MRC Institute of Metabolic Science, University of Cambridge, Cambridge Biomedical Campus, Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, United Kingdom
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7
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Fu Z, Sui J, Turner JA, Du Y, Assaf M, Pearlson GD, Calhoun VD. Dynamic functional network reconfiguration underlying the pathophysiology of schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Hum Brain Mapp 2021; 42:80-94. [PMID: 32965740 PMCID: PMC7721229 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 07/14/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The dynamics of the human brain span multiple spatial scales, from connectivity associated with a specific region/network to the global organization, each representing different brain mechanisms. Yet brain reconfigurations at different spatial scales are seldom explored and whether they are associated with the neural aspects of brain disorders is far from understood. In this study, we introduced a dynamic measure called step-wise functional network reconfiguration (sFNR) to characterize how brain configuration rewires at different spatial scales. We applied sFNR to two independent datasets, one includes 160 healthy controls (HCs) and 151 patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and the other one includes 314 HCs and 255 individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We found that both SZ and ASD have increased whole-brain sFNR and sFNR between cerebellar and subcortical/sensorimotor domains. At the ICN level, the abnormalities in SZ are mainly located in ICNs within subcortical, sensory, and cerebellar domains, while the abnormalities in ASD are more widespread across domains. Interestingly, the overlap SZ-ASD abnormality in sFNR between cerebellar and sensorimotor domains was correlated with the reasoning-problem-solving performance in SZ (r = -.1652, p = .0058) as well as the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule in ASD (r = .1853, p = .0077). Our findings suggest that dynamic reconfiguration deficits may represent a key intersecting point for SZ and ASD. The investigation of brain dynamics at different spatial scales can provide comprehensive insights into the functional reconfiguration, which might advance our knowledge of cognitive decline and other pathophysiology in brain disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zening Fu
- Tri‐Institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS)Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory UniversityAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
| | - Jing Sui
- Tri‐Institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS)Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory UniversityAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) Centre for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence TechnologyUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | | | - Yuhui Du
- Tri‐Institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS)Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory UniversityAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
- School of Computer and Information TechnologyShanxi UniversityTaiyuanChina
| | - Michal Assaf
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, The Institute of LivingHartfordConnecticutUSA
| | - Godfrey D. Pearlson
- Olin Neuropsychiatry Research Center, The Institute of LivingHartfordConnecticutUSA
- Department of PsychiatryYale University School of MedicineNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Vince D. Calhoun
- Tri‐Institutional Center for Translational Research in Neuroimaging and Data Science (TReNDS)Georgia State University, Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory UniversityAtlantaGeorgiaUSA
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8
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Boylan MA, Foster CM, Pongpipat EE, Webb CE, Rodrigue KM, Kennedy KM. Greater BOLD Variability is Associated With Poorer Cognitive Function in an Adult Lifespan Sample. Cereb Cortex 2020; 31:562-574. [PMID: 32915200 PMCID: PMC7727366 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhaa243] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2020] [Revised: 07/27/2020] [Accepted: 08/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Moment-to-moment fluctuations in brain signal assessed by functional magnetic resonance imaging blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) variability is increasingly thought to represent important “signal” rather than measurement-related “noise.” Efforts to characterize BOLD variability in healthy aging have yielded mixed outcomes, demonstrating both age-related increases and decreases in BOLD variability and both detrimental and beneficial associations. Utilizing BOLD mean-squared-successive-differences (MSSD) during a digit n-back working memory (WM) task in a sample of healthy adults (aged 20–94 years; n = 171), we examined effects of aging on whole-brain 1) BOLD variability during task (mean condition MSSD across 0–2–3-4 back conditions), 2) BOLD variability modulation to incrementally increasing WM difficulty (linear slope from 0–2–3-4 back), and 3) the association of age-related differences in variability with in- and out-of-scanner WM performance. Widespread cortical and subcortical regions evidenced increased mean variability with increasing age, with no regions evidencing age-related decrease in variability. Additionally, posterior cingulate/precuneus exhibited increased variability to WM difficulty. Notably, both age-related increases in BOLD variability were associated with significantly poorer WM performance in all but the oldest adults. These findings lend support to the growing corpus suggesting that brain-signal variability is altered in healthy aging; specifically, in this adult lifespan sample, BOLD-variability increased with age and was detrimental to cognitive performance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria A Boylan
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Chris M Foster
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Ekarin E Pongpipat
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Christina E Webb
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Karen M Rodrigue
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
| | - Kristen M Kennedy
- Center for Vital Longevity, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas, Dallas, TX 75235, USA
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9
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Kovarski K, Malvy J, Khanna RK, Arsène S, Batty M, Latinus M. Reduced visual evoked potential amplitude in autism spectrum disorder, a variability effect? Transl Psychiatry 2019; 9:341. [PMID: 31852886 PMCID: PMC6920480 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-019-0672-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2019] [Revised: 10/21/2019] [Accepted: 11/07/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Atypical sensory behaviours represent a core symptom of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Investigating early visual processing is crucial to deepen our understanding of higher-level processes. Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) to pattern-reversal checkerboards were recorded in ASD children and age-matched controls. Peak analysis of the P100 component and two types of single-trial analyses were carried out. P100 amplitude was reduced in the ASD group, consistent with previous reports. The analysis of the proportion of trials with a positive activity in the latency range of the P100, measuring inter-trial (in)consistency, allowed identifying two subgroups of ASD participants: the first group, as control children, showed a high inter-trial consistency, whereas the other group showed an inter-trial inconsistency. Analysis of median absolute deviation of single-trial P100 (st-P100) latencies revealed an increased latency variability in the ASD group. Both single-trial analyses revealed increased variability in a subset of children with ASD. To control for this variability, VEPs were reconstructed by including only positive trials or trials with homogeneous st-P100 latencies. These control analyses abolished group differences, confirming that the reduced P100 amplitude results from increased inter-trial variability in ASD. This increased variability in ASD supports the neural noise theory. The existence of subgroups in ASD suggests that the neural response variability is not a genuine characteristic of the entire autistic spectrum, but rather characterized subgroups of children. Exploring the relationship between sensory responsiveness and inter-trial variability could provide more precise bioclinical profiles in children with ASD, and complete the functional diagnostic crucial for the development of individualized therapeutical projects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara Kovarski
- UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France. .,CNRS (Integrative Neuroscience and Cognition Center, UMR 8002), Paris, France. .,Université Paris Descartes, Sorbonne Paris Cité, Paris, France. .,Fondation Ophtalmologique A. de Rothschild, Paris, France.
| | - Joëlle Malvy
- 0000 0001 2182 6141grid.12366.30UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France ,0000 0004 1765 1600grid.411167.4CHRU de Tours, Centre Universitaire de Pédopsychiatrie, Tours, France
| | - Raoul K. Khanna
- 0000 0001 2182 6141grid.12366.30UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France ,0000 0004 1765 1600grid.411167.4CHRU de Tours, Département d’Ophtalmologie, Tours, France
| | - Sophie Arsène
- 0000 0004 1765 1600grid.411167.4CHRU de Tours, Département d’Ophtalmologie, Tours, France
| | - Magali Batty
- 0000 0001 2353 1689grid.11417.32Université de Toulouse, CERPPS, Toulouse, France
| | - Marianne Latinus
- 0000 0001 2182 6141grid.12366.30UMR 1253, iBrain, Université de Tours, Inserm, Tours, France
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10
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The Mimicry Among Us: Intra- and Inter-Personal Mechanisms of Spontaneous Mimicry. JOURNAL OF NONVERBAL BEHAVIOR 2019. [DOI: 10.1007/s10919-019-00324-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
This review explores spontaneous mimicry in the context of three questions. The first question concerns the role of spontaneous mimicry in processing conceptual information. The second question concerns the debate whether spontaneous mimicry is driven by simple associative processes or reflects higher-order processes such as goals, intentions, and social context. The third question addresses the implications of these debates for understanding atypical individuals and states. We review relevant literature and argue for a dynamic, context-sensitive role of spontaneous mimicry in social cognition and behavior. We highlight how the modulation of mimicry is often adaptive but also point out some cases of maladaptive modulations that impair an individuals’ engagement in social life.
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11
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Amoruso L, Narzisi A, Pinzino M, Finisguerra A, Billeci L, Calderoni S, Fabbro F, Muratori F, Volzone A, Urgesi C. Contextual priors do not modulate action prediction in children with autism. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191319. [PMID: 31409253 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1319] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Bayesian accounts of autism suggest that this disorder may be rooted in an impaired ability to estimate the probability of future events, possibly owing to reduced priors. Here, we tested this hypothesis within the action domain in children with and without autism using a behavioural paradigm comprising a familiarization and a testing phase. During familiarization, children observed videos depicting a child model performing actions in diverse contexts. Crucially, within this phase, we implicitly biased action-context associations in terms of their probability of co-occurrence. During testing, children observed the same videos but drastically shortened (i.e. reduced amount of kinematics information) and were asked to infer action unfolding. Since during the testing phase movement kinematics became ambiguous, we expected children's responses to be biased to contextual priors, thus compensating for perceptual uncertainty. While this probabilistic effect was present in controls, no such modulation was observed in autistic children, overall suggesting an impairment in using contextual priors when predicting other peoples' actions in uncertain environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucia Amoruso
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.,Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language, San Sebastian, Spain
| | | | | | | | - Lucia Billeci
- Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council (CNR), Pisa, Italy
| | - Sara Calderoni
- IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa (Calambrone), Italy.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Franco Fabbro
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Udine, Italy
| | - Filippo Muratori
- IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa (Calambrone), Italy.,Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Anna Volzone
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Pasian di Prato, Udine, Italy
| | - Cosimo Urgesi
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.,Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Pasian di Prato, Udine, Italy
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12
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Kilroy E, Cermak SA, Aziz-Zadeh L. A Review of Functional and Structural Neurobiology of the Action Observation Network in Autism Spectrum Disorder and Developmental Coordination Disorder. Brain Sci 2019; 9:E75. [PMID: 30925819 PMCID: PMC6523237 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci9040075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2019] [Revised: 03/20/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent research has reported motor impairment similarities between children with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) and a subgroup of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there is a debate as to whether DCD is a co-occurring diagnosis in individuals with ASD and motor impairments (ASDd), or if motor impairments in ASD are distinct from DCD. However, the etiology of motor impairments is not well understood in either disorder. Clarifying comorbidities in ASD is important to determine different etiopathological phenotyping clusters in ASD and to understand the variety of genetic and environmental factors that contribute to the disorder. Furthermore, this distinction has important therapeutic relevance. Here we explore the current neuroimaging findings in ASD and DCD and discusses possible neural mechanisms that underlie similarities and differences between the disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Kilroy
- Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Sharon A Cermak
- Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Lisa Aziz-Zadeh
- Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
- Brain and Creativity Institute, University Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
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13
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Watanabe T, Rees G, Masuda N. Atypical intrinsic neural timescale in autism. eLife 2019; 8:42256. [PMID: 30717827 PMCID: PMC6363380 DOI: 10.7554/elife.42256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2018] [Accepted: 01/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
How long neural information is stored in a local brain area reflects functions of that region and is often estimated by the magnitude of the autocorrelation of intrinsic neural signals in the area. Here, we investigated such intrinsic neural timescales in high-functioning adults with autism and examined whether local brain dynamics reflected their atypical behaviours. By analysing resting-state fMRI data, we identified shorter neural timescales in the sensory/visual cortices and a longer timescale in the right caudate in autism. The shorter intrinsic timescales in the sensory/visual areas were correlated with the severity of autism, whereas the longer timescale in the caudate was associated with cognitive rigidity. These observations were confirmed from neurodevelopmental perspectives and replicated in two independent cross-sectional datasets. Moreover, the intrinsic timescale was correlated with local grey matter volume. This study shows that functional and structural atypicality in local brain areas is linked to higher-order cognitive symptoms in autism. Autism is a brain disorder that affects how people interact with others. It occupies a spectrum, with severe autism at one end and high-functioning autism at the other. People with severe autism usually have intellectual impairments and little spoken language. Those with high-functioning autism have average or above average IQ, but struggle with more subtle aspects of communication, such as body language. As well as social difficulties, many individuals with autism show repetitive behaviors and have narrow interests. The brains of people with autism process information differently to those of people without autism. The brain as a whole shows less coordinated activity in autism, for example. But whether individual brain regions themselves also work differently in autism is unclear. Watanabe et al. set out to answer this question by using a brain scanner to compare the resting brain activity of high-functioning people with autism to that of people without autism. In both groups, networks of brain regions increased and decreased their activity in predictable patterns. But in individuals with autism, sensory areas of the brain showed more random activity than in individuals without autism. The most random activity occurred in those with the most severe autism. This suggests that the brains of people with autism cannot hold onto and process sensory input for as long as those of neurotypical people. By contrast, a brain region called the caudate showed the opposite pattern, being more predictable in individuals with autism. The most predictable caudate activity occurred in those individuals with the most inflexible, repetitive behaviors. These differences in this neural randomness appear to result from changes in the structure of the individual brain regions. The findings of Watanabe et al. suggest that changes in the structure and activity of small brain regions give rise to complex symptoms in autism. If these differences also exist in young children, they could help doctors diagnose autism earlier. Future studies should investigate whether the differences in brain activity cause the symptoms of autism. If so, it may be possible to treat the symptoms by changing brain activity, for example, by applying magnetic stimulation to the scalp.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takamitsu Watanabe
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,RIKEN Centre for Brain Science, Wako, Japan
| | - Geraint Rees
- Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London, London, United Kingdom.,Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Neuroimaging, University College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Naoki Masuda
- Department of Engineering Mathematics, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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14
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London EB. Neuromodulation and a Reconceptualization of Autism Spectrum Disorders: Using the Locus Coeruleus Functioning as an Exemplar. Front Neurol 2018; 9:1120. [PMID: 30619071 PMCID: PMC6305710 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2018.01120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 12/06/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are a heterogeneous group of developmental disorders. Although, ASD can be reliably diagnosed, the etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment targets remain poorly characterized. While there are many atypical findings in anatomy, genetics, connectivity, and other biologic parameters, there remains no discreet hypothesis to explain the core signs as well as the very frequent comorbidities. Due to this, designing targets for treatments can only be done by assuming each symptom is a result of a discreet abnormality which is likely not the case. Neuronal circuity remains a major focus of research but rarely taking into account the functioning of the brain is highly dependent on various systems, including the neuromodulatory substances originating in the midbrain. A hypothesis is presented which explores the possibility of explaining many of the symptoms found in ASD in terms of inefficient neuromodulation using the functioning of the locus coeruleus and norepinephrine (LC/NE) as exemplars. The basic science of LC/NE is reviewed. Several functions found to be impaired in ASD including learning, attention, sensory processing, emotional regulation, autonomic functioning, adaptive and repetitive behaviors, sleep, language acquisition, initiation, and prompt dependency are examined in terms of the functioning of the LC/NE system. Suggestions about possible treatment directions are explored.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric B. London
- Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities, Staten Island, NY, United States
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15
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Amoruso L, Finisguerra A, Urgesi C. Autistic traits predict poor integration between top-down contextual expectations and movement kinematics during action observation. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16208. [PMID: 30385765 PMCID: PMC6212496 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-33827-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2018] [Accepted: 09/28/2018] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism is associated with difficulties in predicting and understanding other people’s actions. There is evidence that autistic traits are distributed across a spectrum and that subclinical forms of autistic impairments can also be measured in the typical population. To investigate the association between autistic traits and motor responses to others’ actions, we quantified these traits and measured cortico-spinal excitability modulations in M1 during the observation of actions embedded in congruent, incongruent and ambiguous contexts. In keeping with previous studies, we found that actions observed in congruent contexts elicited an early facilitation of M1 responses, and actions observed in incongruent contexts, resulted in a later inhibition. Correlational analysis revealed no association between autistic traits and the facilitation for congruent contexts. However, we found a significant correlation between motor inhibition and autistic traits, specifically related to social skills and attention to details. Importantly, the influence of these factors was independent from each other, and from the observer’s gender. Thus, results suggest that individuals with higher social deficits and greater detail-processing style are more impaired in suppressing action simulation in M1 when a mismatch between kinematics and context occurs. This points to difficult integration between kinematics and contextual representations in the autistic-like brain.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Amoruso
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Udine, Italy. .,Basque Center of Cognition, Brain and Language, San Sebastian, Spain.
| | - A Finisguerra
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Pasian di Prato, Udine, Italy
| | - C Urgesi
- Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Languages and Literatures, Communication, Education and Society, University of Udine, Udine, Italy.,Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Pasian di Prato, Udine, Italy
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16
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Cole EJ, Barraclough NE, Enticott PG. Investigating Mirror System (MS) Activity in Adults with ASD When Inferring Others' Intentions Using Both TMS and EEG. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 48:2350-2367. [PMID: 29453710 PMCID: PMC5996018 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3492-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
ASD is associated with mentalizing deficits that may correspond with atypical mirror system (MS) activation. We investigated MS activity in adults with and without ASD when inferring others' intentions using TMS-induced motor evoked potentials (MEPs) and mu suppression measured by EEG. Autistic traits were measured for all participants. Our EEG data show, high levels of autistic traits predicted reduced right mu (8-10 Hz) suppression when mentalizing. Higher left mu (8-10 Hz) suppression was associated with superior mentalizing performances. Eye-tracking and TMS data showed no differences associated with autistic traits. Our data suggest ASD is associated with reduced right MS activity when mentalizing, TMS-induced MEPs and mu suppression measure different aspects of MS functioning and the MS is directly involved in inferring intentions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleanor J Cole
- The Department of Psychology, The University of York, Heslington, York, North Yorkshire, YO10 5DD, UK.
| | - Nick E Barraclough
- The Department of Psychology, The University of York, Heslington, York, North Yorkshire, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Peter G Enticott
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Faculty of Health, Deakin University Burwood Campus, 221 Burwood Highway, Melbourne, VIC, 3125, Australia
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17
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Sun PP, Tan FL, Zhang Z, Jiang YH, Zhao Y, Zhu CZ. Feasibility of Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) to Investigate the Mirror Neuron System: An Experimental Study in a Real-Life Situation. Front Hum Neurosci 2018; 12:86. [PMID: 29556185 PMCID: PMC5845015 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2018.00086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 02/19/2018] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
The mirror neuron system (MNS), mainly including the premotor cortex (PMC), inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), superior parietal lobule (SPL), and rostral inferior parietal lobule (IPL), has attracted extensive attention as a possible neural mechanism of social interaction. Owing to high ecological validity, functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has become an ideal approach for exploring the MNS. Unfortunately, for the feasibility of fNIRS to detect the MNS, none of the four dominant regions were found in previous studies, implying a very limited capacity of fNIRS to investigate the MNS. Here, we adopted an experimental paradigm in a real-life situation to evaluate whether the MNS activity, including four dominant regions, can be detected by using fNIRS. Specifically, 30 right-handed subjects were asked to complete a table-setting task that included action execution and action observation. A double density probe configuration covered the four regions of the MNS in the left hemisphere. We used a traditional channel-based group analysis and also a ROI-based group analysis to find which regions are activated during both action execution and action observation. The results showed that the IFG, adjacent PMC, SPL, and IPL were involved in both conditions, indicating the feasibility of fNIRS to detect the MNS. Our findings provide a foundation for future research to explore the functional role of the MNS in social interaction and various disorders using fNIRS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Pei Sun
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Fu-Lun Tan
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Zong Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yi-Han Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Yang Zhao
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Chao-Zhe Zhu
- State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.,Center for Collaboration and Innovation in Brain and Learning Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
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18
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Pokorny JJ, Hatt NV, Rogers SJ, Rivera SM. What Are You Doing With That Object? Comparing the Neural Responses of Action Understanding in Adolescents With and Without Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 48:809-823. [PMID: 29168088 PMCID: PMC5826790 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-017-3338-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
Understanding another's actions, including what they are doing and why they are doing it, can be difficult for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This understanding is supported by the action observation (AON) and mentalizing (MZN) networks, as well as the superior temporal sulcus. We examined these areas in children with ASD and typically developing controls by having participants view eating and placing actions performed in conventional and unconventional ways while functional magnetic resonance images were collected. We found an effect of action-type, but not conventionality, in both groups, and a between groups difference only when viewing conventional eating actions. Findings suggest there are not global AON/MZN deficits in ASD, and observing unconventional actions may not spontaneously activate the MZN.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer J Pokorny
- The MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95618, USA
| | - Naomi V Hatt
- Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95618, USA
| | - Sally J Rogers
- The MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of California Davis, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA
| | - Susan M Rivera
- The MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute, University of California Davis Medical Center, Sacramento, CA, 95817, USA.
- Department of Psychology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA.
- Center for Mind and Brain, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95618, USA.
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19
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Facilitating Neurofeedback in Children with Autism and Intellectual Impairments Using TAGteach. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 48:2090-2100. [PMID: 29380270 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3466-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with autism and intellectual impairments tend to be excluded from research due to their difficulties with methodological compliance. This study focuses on using Teaching with Acoustic Guidance-TAGteach-to behaviorally prepare children with autism and a IQ ≤ 80 to participate in a study on neurofeedback training (NFT). Seven children (ages 6-8) learned the prerequisite skills identified in a task analysis in an average of 5 h of TAGteach training, indicating that this is a feasible method of preparing intellectually-impaired children with autism to participate in NFT and task-dependent electroencephalography measures. TAGteach may thus have the potential to augment this population's ability to participate in less accessible treatments and behavioral neuroscientific studies.
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20
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Otto-Meyer S, Krizman J, White-Schwoch T, Kraus N. Children with autism spectrum disorder have unstable neural responses to sound. Exp Brain Res 2018; 236:733-743. [DOI: 10.1007/s00221-017-5164-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
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21
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Wadsworth HM, Maximo JO, Donnelly RJ, Kana RK. Action simulation and mirroring in children with autism spectrum disorders. Behav Brain Res 2017; 341:1-8. [PMID: 29247748 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2017.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 11/22/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Mental imitation, perhaps a precursor to motor imitation, involves visual perspective-taking and motor imagery. Research on mental imitation in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has been rather limited compared to that on motor imitation. The main objective of this fMRI study is to determine the differences in brain responses underlying mirroring and mentalizing networks during mental imitation in children and adolescents with ASD. Thirteen high-functioning children and adolescents with ASD and 15 age-and- IQ-matched typically developing (TD) control participants took part in this fMRI study. In the MRI scanner, participants were shown cartoon pictures of people performing everyday actions (Transitive actions: e.g., ironing clothes but with the hand missing; and Intransitive actions: e.g., clapping hands with the palms missing) and were asked to identify which hand or palm orientation would best fit the gap. The main findings are: 1) both groups performed equally while processing transitive and intransitive actions; 2) both tasks yielded activation in the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and inferior parietal lobule (IPL) in ASD and TD groups; 3) Increased activation was seen in ASD children, relative to TD, in left ventral premotor and right middle temporal gyrus during intransitive actions; and 4) ASD symptom severity positively correlated with activation in left parietal, right middle temporal, and right premotor regions across all subjects. Overall, our findings suggest that regions mediating mirroring may be recruiting more brain resources in ASD and may have implications for understanding social movement through modeling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather M Wadsworth
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA; Glenwood Autism & Behavioral Health Center, Birmingham, USA
| | - Jose O Maximo
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Rebecca J Donnelly
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA; Department of Child and Family Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, USA
| | - Rajesh K Kana
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
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22
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Turi M, Muratori F, Tinelli F, Morrone MC, Burr DC. Autism is associated with reduced ability to interpret grasping actions of others. Sci Rep 2017; 7:12687. [PMID: 28979000 PMCID: PMC5627240 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-12995-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
We investigated the ability of children with ASD to discriminate a small cylinder from a large cube by observing a point-light movie of an actor grasping the object, either from an allocentric or egocentric viewpoint (observing action of others or self). Compared with typically developing controls, high functioning autistic children showed a strong selective impairment in this task, but only with the allocentric viewpoint, where thresholds were twice as high: egocentric thresholds were similar to age- and ability-matched controls. The magnitude of the impairment correlated strongly with the degree of symptomology (R2 = 0.5). The results suggest that children with ASD might be impaired in their ability to predict and infer the consequences of others' movements, which could be related to the social-communicative deficits often reported in autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Turi
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Fondazione Stella Maris Mediterraneo, Chiaromonte, Potenza, Italy
| | - Filippo Muratori
- IRCCS Stella Maris Foundation, Pisa, Italy
- Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Francesca Tinelli
- Department of Developmental Neuroscience, Stella Maris Scientific Institute, Pisa, Italy
| | - Maria Concetta Morrone
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- Robotics, Brain & Cognitive Sciences Department, Italian Institute of Technology, via Morego 30, 16163, Genoa, Italy
| | - David C Burr
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
- CNR Neuroscience Institute, Pisa, Italy.
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23
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Vilidaite G, Yu M, Baker DH. Internal noise estimates correlate with autistic traits. Autism Res 2017; 10:1384-1391. [PMID: 28419785 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2016] [Revised: 01/23/2017] [Accepted: 02/24/2017] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
Previous neuroimaging research has reported increased internal (neural) noise in sensory systems of autistic individuals. However, it is unclear if this difference has behavioural or perceptual consequences, as previous attempts at measuring internal noise in ASD psychophysically have been indirect. Here, we use a "gold standard" psychophysical double-pass paradigm to investigate the relationship between internal noise and autistic traits in the neurotypical population (n = 43). We measured internal noise in three tasks (contrast perception, facial expression intensity perception, and number summation) to estimate a global internal noise factor using principal components analysis. This global internal noise was positively correlated with autistic traits (rs = 0.32, P = 0.035). This suggests that increased internal noise is associated with the ASD phenotype even in subclinical populations. The finding is discussed in relation to the neural and genetic basis of internal noise in ASD. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1384-1391. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Greta Vilidaite
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, North Yorkshire, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Miaomiao Yu
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, North Yorkshire, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel H Baker
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, North Yorkshire, YO10 5DD, United Kingdom
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24
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Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental disorders with early onset, characterized by deficits in social communication and repetitive and restricted interests and activities. A growing number of studies over the last 10 years support the efficacy of behaviorally based interventions in ASD for the improvement of social communication and behavioral functioning. In contrast, research on neurobiological based therapies for ASD is still at its beginnings. In this article, we will provide a selective overview of both well-established evidence-based treatments and novel interventions and drug treatments based on neurobiological principles aiming at improving core symptoms in ASD. Directions and options for future research on treatment in ASD are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Poustka
- Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
| | - I Kamp-Becker
- Clinic for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Medical University of Vienna, Währinger Gürtel 18-20, 1090, Vienna, Austria
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25
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Degroote S, Hunting D, Takser L. Improved assessment of sensorimotor gating in animal models relevant to ASD: A data modelling approach to quantify PrePulse Inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex. J Neurosci Methods 2017; 276:13-22. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2016.11.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2016] [Revised: 11/10/2016] [Accepted: 11/10/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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26
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Minichino A, Cadenhead K. Mirror Neurons in Psychiatric Disorders: from Neuroception to Bio-behavioral System Dysregulation. Neuropsychopharmacology 2017; 42:366. [PMID: 27909332 PMCID: PMC5143509 DOI: 10.1038/npp.2016.220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amedeo Minichino
- Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
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27
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Ewbank MP, Pell PJ, Powell TE, von dem Hagen EAH, Baron-Cohen S, Calder AJ. Repetition Suppression and Memory for Faces is Reduced in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions. Cereb Cortex 2017; 27:92-103. [PMID: 27909005 PMCID: PMC6044360 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhw373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2016] [Revised: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum conditions (ASC) are associated with a number of atypicalities in face processing, including difficulties in face memory. However, the neural mechanisms underlying this difficulty are unclear. In neurotypical individuals, repeated presentation of the same face is associated with a reduction in activity, known as repetition suppression (RS), in the fusiform face area (FFA). However, to date, no studies have investigated RS to faces in individuals with ASC, or the relationship between RS and face memory. Here, we measured RS to faces and geometric shapes in individuals with a clinical diagnosis of an ASC and in age and IQ matched controls. Relative to controls, the ASC group showed reduced RS to faces in bilateral FFA and reduced performance on a standardized test of face memory. By contrast, RS to shapes in object-selective regions and object memory did not differ between groups. Individual variation in face-memory performance was positively correlated with RS in regions of left parietal and prefrontal cortex. These findings suggest difficulties in face memory in ASC may be a consequence of differences in the way faces are stored and/or maintained across a network of regions involved in both visual perception and short-term/working memory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael P. Ewbank
- Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, CB2 7EF Cambridge, UK
| | - Philip J. Pell
- Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, CB2 7EF Cambridge, UK
| | - Thomas E. Powell
- Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, CB2 7EF Cambridge, UK
| | - Elisabeth A. H. von dem Hagen
- Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, CB2 7EF Cambridge, UK
- School of Psychology, Cardiff University, CB2 8AH Cardiff, UK
| | - Simon Baron-Cohen
- Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, CB2 7EF Cambridge, UK
- Department of Psychiatry, Autism Research Centre, University of Cambridge, CF10 3AT Cambridge, UK
| | - Andrew J. Calder
- Medical Research Council, Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, CB2 7EF Cambridge, UK
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28
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Wadsworth HM, Maximo JO, Lemelman AR, Clayton K, Sivaraman S, Deshpande HD, Ver Hoef L, Kana RK. The Action Imitation network and motor imitation in children and adolescents with autism. Neuroscience 2016; 343:147-156. [PMID: 27956067 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2016.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2016] [Revised: 11/30/2016] [Accepted: 12/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
While deficits in imitation had been reported in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), its exact nature remains unclear. A dysfunction in mirroring mechanisms (through action imitation) has been proposed by some studies to explain this, although some recent evidence points against this hypothesis. The current study used behavior and functional MRI to examine the integrated functioning of the regions that are considered part of the Action Imitation network (AIN) in children and adolescents with ASD during a motor imitation task. Fourteen ASD and 15 age-and-IQ-matched typically developing (TD) children were asked to imitate a series of hand gestures in the MRI scanner. Intact performance on imitation (accurate imitation of hand gestures outside the scanner) in both ASD and TD groups was accompanied by significantly lower activity in ASD participants, relative to TD, in right angular gyrus, precentral gyrus, and left middle cingulate. In addition, autism traits were found to be significantly correlated with activation in the right angular gyrus. Overall, the findings of this study support the role of AIN in imitation and a potential difference in the recruitment of this network in ASD children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Heather M Wadsworth
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Jose O Maximo
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Amy R Lemelman
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Kacy Clayton
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Soumya Sivaraman
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | | | - Lawrence Ver Hoef
- Department of Neurology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA
| | - Rajesh K Kana
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, USA.
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Hayes SJ, Andrew M, Elliott D, Gowen E, Bennett SJ. Low Fidelity Imitation of Atypical Biological Kinematics in Autism Spectrum Disorders Is Modulated by Self-Generated Selective Attention. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 46:502-13. [PMID: 26349922 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2588-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
We examined whether adults with autism had difficulty imitating atypical biological kinematics. To reduce the impact that higher-order processes have on imitation we used a non-human agent model to control social attention, and removed end-state target goals in half of the trials to minimise goal-directed attention. Findings showed that only neurotypical adults imitated atypical biological kinematics. Adults with autism did, however, become significantly more accurate at imitating movement time. This confirmed they engaged in the task, and that sensorimotor adaptation was self-regulated. The attentional bias to movement time suggests the attenuation in imitating kinematics might be a compensatory strategy due to deficits in lower-level visuomotor processes associated with self-other mapping, or selective attention modulated the processes that represent biological kinematics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Spencer J Hayes
- Brain and Behaviour Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK.
| | - Matthew Andrew
- Brain and Behaviour Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK
| | - Digby Elliott
- Brain and Behaviour Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK.,Department of Kinesiology, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Emma Gowen
- Faculty of Life Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Simon J Bennett
- Brain and Behaviour Laboratory, Faculty of Science, Research Institute for Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Byrom Street, Liverpool, L3 3AF, UK
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Nordt M, Hoehl S, Weigelt S. The use of repetition suppression paradigms in developmental cognitive neuroscience. Cortex 2016; 80:61-75. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.04.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Revised: 02/29/2016] [Accepted: 04/04/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Schulte-Rüther M, Otte E, Adigüzel K, Firk C, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Koch I, Konrad K. Intact mirror mechanisms for automatic facial emotions in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2016; 10:298-310. [DOI: 10.1002/aur.1654] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/2016] [Revised: 05/11/2016] [Accepted: 05/23/2016] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Martin Schulte-Rüther
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen; Germany
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM 3), Research Center Jülich; Germany
- Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA-Brain); Germany
| | - Ellen Otte
- Cognitive and Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University; Aachen Germany
| | - Kübra Adigüzel
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen; Germany
- Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA-Brain); Germany
| | - Christine Firk
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen; Germany
| | - Beate Herpertz-Dahlmann
- Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA-Brain); Germany
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry; Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen; Aachen Germany
| | - Iring Koch
- Cognitive and Experimental Psychology, Institute of Psychology, RWTH Aachen University; Aachen Germany
| | - Kerstin Konrad
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, University Hospital RWTH Aachen; Germany
- Cognitive Neuroscience, Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM 3), Research Center Jülich; Germany
- Translational Brain Medicine, Jülich Aachen Research Alliance (JARA-Brain); Germany
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Gonen-Yaacovi G, Arazi A, Shahar N, Karmon A, Haar S, Meiran N, Dinstein I. Increased ongoing neural variability in ADHD. Cortex 2016; 81:50-63. [PMID: 27179150 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2016.04.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2015] [Revised: 12/31/2015] [Accepted: 04/07/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) has been described as a disorder where frequent lapses of attention impair the ability of an individual to focus/attend in a sustained manner, thereby generating abnormally large intra-individual behavioral variability across trials. Indeed, increased reaction time (RT) variability is a fundamental behavioral characteristic of individuals with ADHD found across a large number of cognitive tasks. But what is the underlying neurophysiology that might generate such behavioral instability? Here, we examined trial-by-trial EEG response variability to visual and auditory stimuli while subjects' attention was diverted to an unrelated task at the fixation cross. Comparisons between adult ADHD and control participants revealed that neural response variability was significantly larger in the ADHD group as compared with the control group in both sensory modalities. Importantly, larger trial-by-trial variability in ADHD was apparent before and after stimulus presentation as well as in trials where the stimulus was omitted, suggesting that ongoing (rather than stimulus-evoked) neural activity is continuously more variable (noisier) in ADHD. While the patho-physiological mechanisms causing this increased neural variability remain unknown, they appear to act continuously rather than being tied to a specific sensory or cognitive process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gil Gonen-Yaacovi
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ayelet Arazi
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Nitzan Shahar
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Anat Karmon
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Shlomi Haar
- Department of Cognitive and Brain Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Nachshon Meiran
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ilan Dinstein
- Department of Psychology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel; Department of Cognitive and Brain Science, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
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Abstract
Previous findings have shown that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) evince greater intra-individual variability (IIV) in their sensory-evoked fMRI responses compared to typical control participants. We explore the robustness of this finding with a new sample of high-functioning adults with autism. Participants were presented with visual, somatosensory and auditory stimuli in the scanner whilst they completed a one-back task. While ASD and control participants were statistically indistinguishable with respect to behavioral responses, the new ASD group exhibited greater IIV relative to controls. We also show that the IIV was equivalent across hemispheres and remained stable over the duration of the experiment. This suggests that greater cortical IIV may be a replicable characteristic of sensory systems in autism.
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Mehta UM, Waghmare AV, Thirthalli J, Venkatasubramanian G, Gangadhar BN. Is the human mirror neuron system plastic? Evidence from a transcranial magnetic stimulation study. Asian J Psychiatr 2015; 17:71-7. [PMID: 26194133 DOI: 10.1016/j.ajp.2015.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2015] [Revised: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/23/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Virtual lesions in the mirror neuron network using inhibitory low-frequency (1Hz) transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) have been employed to understand its spatio-functional properties. However, no studies have examined the influence of neuro-enhancement by using excitatory high-frequency (20Hz) repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (HF-rTMS) on these networks. We used three forms of TMS stimulation (HF-rTMS, single and paired pulse) to investigate whether the mirror neuron system facilitates the motor system during goal-directed action observation relative to inanimate motion (motor resonance), a marker of putative mirror neuron activity. 31 healthy individuals were randomized to receive single-sessions of true or sham HF-rTMS delivered to the left inferior frontal gyrus - a component of the human mirror system. Motor resonance was assessed before and after HF-rTMS using three TMS cortical reactivity paradigms: (a) 120% of resting motor threshold (RMT), (b) stimulus intensity set to evoke motor evoked potential of 1-millivolt amplitude (SI1mV) and (c) a short latency paired pulse paradigm. Two-way RMANOVA showed a significant group (true versus sham) X occasion (pre- and post-HF-rTMS motor resonance) interaction effect for SI1mV [F(df)=6.26 (1, 29), p=0.018] and 120% RMT stimuli [F(df)=7.01 (1, 29), p=0.013] indicating greater enhancement of motor resonance in the true HF-rTMS group than the sham-group. This suggests that HF-rTMS could adaptively modulate properties of the mirror neuron system. This neuro-enhancement effect is a preliminary step that can open translational avenues for novel brain stimulation therapeutics targeting social-cognition deficits in schizophrenia and autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Urvakhsh Meherwan Mehta
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore 560029, India.
| | - Avinash V Waghmare
- Department of Psychiatry, Smt. Kashibai Navale Medical College and Genral Hospital, Pune 411041, India
| | - Jagadisha Thirthalli
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore 560029, India
| | - Ganesan Venkatasubramanian
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore 560029, India
| | - Bangalore N Gangadhar
- Department of Psychiatry, National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bangalore 560029, India
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Soto-Icaza P, Aboitiz F, Billeke P. Development of social skills in children: neural and behavioral evidence for the elaboration of cognitive models. Front Neurosci 2015; 9:333. [PMID: 26483621 PMCID: PMC4586412 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2015.00333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2015] [Accepted: 09/04/2015] [Indexed: 01/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Social skills refer to a wide group of abilities that allow us to interact and communicate with others. Children learn how to solve social situations by predicting and understanding other's behaviors. The way in which humans learn to interact successfully with others encompasses a complex interaction between neural, behavioral, and environmental elements. These have a role in the accomplishment of positive developmental outcomes, including peer acceptance, academic achievement, and mental health. All these social abilities depend on widespread brain networks that are recently being studied by neuroscience. In this paper, we will first review the studies on this topic, aiming to clarify the behavioral and neural mechanisms related to the acquisition of social skills during infancy and their appearance in time. Second, we will briefly describe how developmental diseases like Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can inform about the neurobiological mechanisms of social skills. We finally sketch a general framework for the elaboration of cognitive models in order to facilitate the comprehension of human social development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Patricia Soto-Icaza
- Laboratorio de Neurociencias Cognitivas, Departamento de Psiquiatría, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileSantiago, Chile
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileSantiago, Chile
| | - Francisco Aboitiz
- Laboratorio de Neurociencias Cognitivas, Departamento de Psiquiatría, Facultad de Medicina, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileSantiago, Chile
- Centro Interdisciplinario de Neurociencia, Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileSantiago, Chile
| | - Pablo Billeke
- División de Neurociencia, Centro de Investigación en Complejidad Social, Facultad de Gobierno, Universidad del DesarrolloSantiago, Chile
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Commentary on “Autism, oxytocin and interoception”: Alexithymia, not Autism Spectrum Disorders, is the consequence of interoceptive failure. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 56:348-53. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.07.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2015] [Revised: 07/08/2015] [Accepted: 07/15/2015] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
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Andrews SC, Enticott PG, Hoy KE, Thomson RH, Fitzgerald PB. No evidence for mirror system dysfunction in schizophrenia from a multimodal TMS/EEG study. Psychiatry Res 2015; 228:431-40. [PMID: 26154818 DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2015.05.067] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2014] [Revised: 05/20/2015] [Accepted: 05/25/2015] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Dysfunctional mirror neuron systems have been proposed to contribute to the social cognitive deficits observed in schizophrenia. A few studies have explored mirror systems in schizophrenia using various techniques such as TMS (levels of motor resonance) or EEG (levels of mu suppression), with mixed results. This study aimed to use a novel multimodal approach (i.e. concurrent TMS and EEG) to further investigate mirror systems and social cognition in schizophrenia. Nineteen individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 19 healthy controls participated. Single-pulse TMS was applied to M1 during the observation of hand movements designed to elicit mirror system activity. Single EEG electrodes (C3, CZ, C4) recorded brain activity. Participants also completed facial affect recognition and theory of mind tasks. The schizophrenia group showed significant deficits in facial affect recognition and higher level theory of mind compared to healthy controls. A significant positive relationship was revealed between mu suppression and motor resonance for the overall sample, indicating concurrent validity of these measures. Levels of mu suppression and motor resonance were not significantly different between groups. These findings indicate that in stable outpatients with schizophrenia, mirror system functioning is intact, and therefore their social cognitive difficulties may be caused by alternative pathophysiology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie C Andrews
- School of Psychological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia; Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.
| | - Peter G Enticott
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Burwood, Victoria, Australia
| | - Kate E Hoy
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Richard H Thomson
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul B Fitzgerald
- Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre, The Alfred and Central Clinical School Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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38
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Gallese V, Gernsbacher MA, Heyes C, Hickok G, Iacoboni M. Mirror Neuron Forum. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2015; 6:369-407. [PMID: 25520744 DOI: 10.1177/1745691611413392] [Citation(s) in RCA: 106] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Vittorio Gallese
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Parma, and Italian Institute of Technology Brain Center for Social and Motor Cognition, Parma, Italy
| | | | - Cecilia Heyes
- All Souls College and Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Gregory Hickok
- Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Department of Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine
| | - Marco Iacoboni
- Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Social Behavior, Brain Research Institute, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles
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Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a behaviorally defined and heterogeneous disorder. Biomarkers for ASD offer the opportunity to improve prediction, diagnosis, stratification by severity and subtype, monitoring over time and in response to interventions, and overall understanding of the underlying biology of this disorder. A variety of potential biomarkers, from the level of genes and proteins to network-level interactions, is currently being examined. Many of these biomarkers relate to inhibition, which is of particular interest because in many cases ASD is thought to be a disorder of imbalance between excitation and inhibition. Abnormalities in inhibition at the cellular level lead to emergent properties in networks of neurons. These properties take into account a more complete genetic and cellular background than findings at the level of individual genes or cells, and are able to be measured in live humans, offering additional potential as diagnostic biomarkers and predictors of behaviors. In this review we provide examples of how altered inhibition may inform the search for ASD biomarkers at multiple levels, from genes to cells to networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- April R Levin
- Department of Neurology, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA,
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40
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Neural variability: friend or foe? Trends Cogn Sci 2015; 19:322-8. [PMID: 25979849 DOI: 10.1016/j.tics.2015.04.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 132] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2015] [Revised: 03/31/2015] [Accepted: 04/09/2015] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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41
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Abstract
Autistic traits span a wide spectrum of behavioral departures from typical function. Despite the heterogeneous nature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there have been attempts at formulating unified theoretical accounts of the associated impairments in social cognition. A class of prominent theories capitalizes on the link between social interaction and visual perception: effective interaction with others often relies on discrimination of subtle nonverbal cues. It has been proposed that individuals with ASD may rely on poorer perceptual representations of other people's actions as returned by dysfunctional visual circuitry and that this, in turn, may lead to less effective interpretation of those actions for social behavior. It remains unclear whether such perceptual deficits exist in ASD: the evidence currently available is limited to specific aspects of action recognition, and the reported deficits are often attributable to cognitive factors that may not be strictly visual (e.g., attention). We present results from an exhaustive set of measurements spanning the entire action processing hierarchy, from motion detection to action interpretation, designed to factor out effects that are not selectively relevant to this function. Our results demonstrate that the ASD perceptual system returns functionally intact signals for interpreting other people's actions adequately; these signals can be accessed effectively when autistic individuals are prompted and motivated to do so under controlled conditions. However, they may fail to exploit them adequately during real-life social interactions.
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42
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Yang DYJ, Rosenblau G, Keifer C, Pelphrey KA. An integrative neural model of social perception, action observation, and theory of mind. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 51:263-75. [PMID: 25660957 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.01.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 168] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2014] [Revised: 01/13/2015] [Accepted: 01/23/2015] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
In the field of social neuroscience, major branches of research have been instrumental in describing independent components of typical and aberrant social information processing, but the field as a whole lacks a comprehensive model that integrates different branches. We review existing research related to the neural basis of three key neural systems underlying social information processing: social perception, action observation, and theory of mind. We propose an integrative model that unites these three processes and highlights the posterior superior temporal sulcus (pSTS), which plays a central role in all three systems. Furthermore, we integrate these neural systems with the dual system account of implicit and explicit social information processing. Large-scale meta-analyses based on Neurosynth confirmed that the pSTS is at the intersection of the three neural systems. Resting-state functional connectivity analysis with 1000 subjects confirmed that the pSTS is connected to all other regions in these systems. The findings presented in this review are specifically relevant for psychiatric research especially disorders characterized by social deficits such as autism spectrum disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Y-J Yang
- Center for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.
| | - Gabriela Rosenblau
- Center for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Cara Keifer
- Center for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Kevin A Pelphrey
- Center for Translational Developmental Neuroscience, Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
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43
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Pokorny JJ, Hatt NV, Colombi C, Vivanti G, Rogers SJ, Rivera SM. The Action Observation System when Observing Hand Actions in Autism and Typical Development. Autism Res 2015; 8:284-96. [DOI: 10.1002/aur.1445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer J. Pokorny
- The MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute; University of California Davis Medical Center; Sacramento California 95817
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; University of California Davis; Sacramento California 95817
- Center for Mind and Brain; University of California Davis; Davis California 95618
| | - Naomi V. Hatt
- Department of Psychology; University of California Davis; Davis California 95616
- Center for Mind and Brain; University of California Davis; Davis California 95618
| | | | - Giacomo Vivanti
- The MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute; University of California Davis Medical Center; Sacramento California 95817
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; University of California Davis; Sacramento California 95817
| | - Sally J. Rogers
- The MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute; University of California Davis Medical Center; Sacramento California 95817
- Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences; University of California Davis; Sacramento California 95817
| | - Susan M. Rivera
- The MIND (Medical Investigation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders) Institute; University of California Davis Medical Center; Sacramento California 95817
- Department of Psychology; University of California Davis; Davis California 95616
- Center for Mind and Brain; University of California Davis; Davis California 95618
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44
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Sims TB, Neufeld J, Johnstone T, Chakrabarti B. Autistic traits modulate frontostriatal connectivity during processing of rewarding faces. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2014; 9:2010-6. [PMID: 24493838 PMCID: PMC4249479 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsu010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2013] [Revised: 12/02/2013] [Accepted: 01/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Deficits in facial mimicry have been widely reported in autism. Some studies have suggested that these deficits are restricted to spontaneous mimicry and do not extend to volitional mimicry. We bridge these apparently inconsistent observations by testing the impact of reward value on neural indices of mimicry and how autistic traits modulate this impact. Neutral faces were conditioned with high and low reward. Subsequently, functional connectivity between the ventral striatum (VS) and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) was measured while neurotypical adults (n = 30) watched happy expressions made by these conditioned faces. We found greater VS-IFG connectivity in response to high reward vs low reward happy faces. This difference was negatively proportional to autistic traits, suggesting that reduced spontaneous mimicry of social stimuli seen in autism, may be related to a failure in the modulation of the mirror system by the reward system rather than a circumscribed deficit in the mirror system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas B Sims
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AL, UK
| | - Janina Neufeld
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AL, UK
| | - Tom Johnstone
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AL, UK
| | - Bhismadev Chakrabarti
- Centre for Integrative Neuroscience and Neurodynamics, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, Reading RG6 6AL, UK
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45
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Abstract
Human social interaction is part of what defines us. Here I present an overview of recent studies of imitation, a subdomain of social interaction that can be dissected and examined in a scientific fashion. I use these studies to test two core claims: (a) that there is more than one copying mechanism in the human brain and (b) that mimicry (a form of copying) is particularly relevant for understanding social behaviour. Evidence in favour of the first claim comes from neuroimaging studies that show distinct brain systems for understanding action kinematics, action goals, and irrational actions. Further studies of participants with autism show abnormal copying of irrational actions. Evidence in favour of the second claim comes from behavioural studies of the social cues that prime mimicry and from neuroimaging studies of the pathways involved in this priming. These studies suggest that medial prefrontal cortex has a core role in controlling mimicry responses and support the STORM (social top-down response modulation) model. Future work should determine what organizing principles govern the control of social responses and how these critical mechanisms for interpersonal connection differ in autism.
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46
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Sinha P, Kjelgaard MM, Gandhi TK, Tsourides K, Cardinaux AL, Pantazis D, Diamond SP, Held RM. Autism as a disorder of prediction. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2014; 111:15220-5. [PMID: 25288765 PMCID: PMC4210351 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1416797111] [Citation(s) in RCA: 324] [Impact Index Per Article: 32.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A rich collection of empirical findings accumulated over the past three decades attests to the diversity of traits that constitute the autism phenotypes. It is unclear whether subsets of these traits share any underlying causality. This lack of a cohesive conceptualization of the disorder has complicated the search for broadly effective therapies, diagnostic markers, and neural/genetic correlates. In this paper, we describe how theoretical considerations and a review of empirical data lead to the hypothesis that some salient aspects of the autism phenotype may be manifestations of an underlying impairment in predictive abilities. With compromised prediction skills, an individual with autism inhabits a seemingly "magical" world wherein events occur unexpectedly and without cause. Immersion in such a capricious environment can prove overwhelming and compromise one's ability to effectively interact with it. If validated, this hypothesis has the potential of providing unifying insights into multiple aspects of autism, with attendant benefits for improving diagnosis and therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pawan Sinha
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139;
| | - Margaret M Kjelgaard
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions, Boston, MA 02129; and
| | - Tapan K Gandhi
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139; Department of Biomedical Engineering, Defense Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences, New Delhi, India DL 110054
| | - Kleovoulos Tsourides
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Annie L Cardinaux
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Dimitrios Pantazis
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Sidney P Diamond
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139
| | - Richard M Held
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02139;
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47
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Grasping motor impairments in autism: not action planning but movement execution is deficient. J Autism Dev Disord 2014; 43:2793-806. [PMID: 23619948 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-013-1825-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Different views on the origin of deficits in action chaining in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been posited, ranging from functional impairments in action planning to internal models supporting motor control. Thirty-one children and adolescents with ASD and twenty-nine matched controls participated in a two-choice reach-to-grasp paradigm wherein participants received cueing information indicating either the object location or the required manner of grasping. A similar advantage for location cueing over grip cueing was found in both groups. Both accuracy and reaction times of the ASD group were indistinguishable from the control group. In contrast, movement times of the ASD group were significantly delayed in comparison with controls. These findings suggest that movement execution rather than action planning is deficient in ASD, and that deficits in action chaining derive from impairments in internal action models supporting action execution.
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48
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Libero LE, Maximo JO, Deshpande HD, Klinger LG, Klinger MR, Kana RK. The role of mirroring and mentalizing networks in mediating action intentions in autism. Mol Autism 2014; 5:50. [PMID: 25352976 PMCID: PMC4210608 DOI: 10.1186/2040-2392-5-50] [Citation(s) in RCA: 46] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The ability to interpret agents' intent from their actions is a vital skill in successful social interaction. However, individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been found to have difficulty in attributing intentions to others. The present study investigated the neural mechanisms of inferring intentions from actions in individuals with ASD. METHODS Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data were acquired from 21 high-functioning young adults with ASD and 22 typically developing (TD) control participants, while making judgments about the means (how an action is performed) and intention (why an action is performed) of a model's actions. RESULTS Across both groups of participants, the middle and superior temporal cortex, extending to temporoparietal junction, and posterior cingulate cortex, responded significantly to inferring the intent of an action, while inferior parietal lobule and occipital cortices were active for judgments about the means of an action. Participants with ASD had significantly reduced activation in calcarine sulcus and significantly increased activation in left inferior frontal gyrus, compared to TD peers, while attending to the intentions of actions. Also, ASD participants had weaker functional connectivity between frontal and posterior temporal regions while processing intentions. CONCLUSIONS These results suggest that processing actions and intentions may not be mutually exclusive, with reliance on mirroring and mentalizing mechanisms mediating action understanding. Overall, inferring information about others' actions involves activation of the mirror neuron system and theory-of-mind regions, and this activation (and the synchrony between activated brain regions) appears altered in young adults with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Libero
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235G, 1719 6th Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0021 USA
| | - Jose O Maximo
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235G, 1719 6th Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0021 USA
| | - Hrishikesh D Deshpande
- Department of Radiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235F, 1719 6th Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0021 USA
| | - Laura G Klinger
- Treatment and Education of Autistic and Communication related handicapped CHildren (TEACCH) Autism Program, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Campus Box 7180, UNC-Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27510 USA
| | - Mark R Klinger
- Department of Allied Health Sciences, University of North Carolina, Bondurant Hall, CB #7120, Chapel Hill, NC 25799-7120 USA
| | - Rajesh K Kana
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, CIRC 235G, 1719 6th Ave South, Birmingham, AL 35294-0021 USA
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49
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Marsh LE, Pearson A, Ropar D, Hamilton AFDC. Predictive Gaze During Observation of Irrational Actions in Adults with Autism Spectrum Conditions. J Autism Dev Disord 2014; 45:245-61. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-014-2215-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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50
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Dumas G, Soussignan R, Hugueville L, Martinerie J, Nadel J. Revisiting mu suppression in autism spectrum disorder. Brain Res 2014; 1585:108-19. [PMID: 25148709 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2014.08.035] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2014] [Revised: 08/12/2014] [Accepted: 08/13/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Two aspects of the EEG literature lead us to revisit mu suppression in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). First and despite the fact that the mu rhythm can be functionally segregated in two discrete sub-bands, 8-10 Hz and 10-12/13 Hz, mu-suppression in ASD has been analyzed as a homogeneous phenomenon covering the 8-13 Hz frequency. Second and although alpha-like activity is usually found across the entire scalp, ASD studies of action observation have focused on the central electrodes (C3/C4). The present study was aimed at testing on the whole brain the hypothesis of a functional dissociation of mu and alpha responses to the observation of human actions in ASD according to bandwidths. Electroencephalographic (EEG) mu and alpha responses to execution and observation of hand gestures were recorded on the whole scalp in high functioning subjects with ASD and typical subjects. When two bandwidths of the alpha-mu 8-13 Hz were distinguished, a different mu response to observation appeared for subjects with ASD in the upper sub-band over the sensorimotor cortex, whilst the lower sub-band responded similarly in the two groups. Source reconstructions demonstrated that this effect was related to a joint mu-suppression deficit over the occipito-parietal regions and an increase over the frontal regions. These findings suggest peculiarities in top-down response modulation in ASD and question the claim of a global dysfunction of the MNS in autism. This research also advocates for the use of finer grained analyses at both spatial and spectral levels for future directions in neurophysiological accounts of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillaume Dumas
- CNRS, UMR-7225, Paris, France; INSERM, U1227 Paris, France; Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France; Univ. Sorbonne UPMC, UMR S1127, Paris, France; INRIA Paris-Rocquencourt, ARAMIS team, Paris, France.
| | - Robert Soussignan
- Centre des Sciences du Goût et de l׳Alimentation, CNRS, UMR 6265, Université de Bourgogne-Inra, Dijon, France
| | - Laurent Hugueville
- CNRS, UMR-7225, Paris, France; INSERM, U1227 Paris, France; Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France; Univ. Sorbonne UPMC, UMR S1127, Paris, France; INRIA Paris-Rocquencourt, ARAMIS team, Paris, France
| | - Jacques Martinerie
- CNRS, UMR-7225, Paris, France; INSERM, U1227 Paris, France; Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France; Univ. Sorbonne UPMC, UMR S1127, Paris, France
| | - Jacqueline Nadel
- CNRS, UMR-7225, Paris, France; Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Paris, France; Univ. Sorbonne UPMC, UMR S1127, Paris, France.
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