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Ruiz Callejo D, Boets B. A systematic review on speech-in-noise perception in autism. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 154:105406. [PMID: 37797728 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105406] [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: 03/18/2023] [Revised: 09/20/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/07/2023]
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit atypical speech-in-noise (SiN) perception, but the scope of these impairments has not been clearly defined. We conducted a systematic review of the behavioural research on SiN perception in ASD, using a comprehensive search strategy across databases (Embase, Pubmed, Web of Science, APA PsycArticles, LLBA, clinicaltrials.gov and PsyArXiv). We withheld 20 studies that generally revealed intact speech perception in stationary noise, while impairments in speech discrimination were found in temporally modulated noise, concurrent speech, and audiovisual speech perception. An association with auditory temporal processing deficits, exacerbated by suboptimal language skills, is shown. Speech-in-speech perception might be further impaired due to deficient top-down processing of speech. Further research is needed to address remaining challenges and gaps in our understanding of these impairments, including the developmental aspects of SiN processing in ASD, and the impact of gender and social attentional orienting on this ability. Our findings have important implications for improving communication in ASD, both in daily interactions and in clinical and educational settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Diego Ruiz Callejo
- University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Bart Boets
- University Psychiatric Center KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Autism Research (LauRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute (LBI), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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Thérien VD, Degré-Pelletier J, Barbeau EB, Samson F, Soulières I. Different levels of visuospatial abilities linked to differential brain correlates underlying visual mental segmentation processes in autism. Cereb Cortex 2023; 33:9186-9211. [PMID: 37317036 PMCID: PMC10350832 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhad195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2022] [Revised: 05/10/2023] [Accepted: 05/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The neural underpinnings of enhanced locally oriented visual processing that are specific to autistics with a Wechsler's Block Design (BD) peak are largely unknown. Here, we investigated the brain correlates underlying visual segmentation associated with the well-established autistic superior visuospatial abilities in distinct subgroups using functional magnetic resonance imaging. This study included 31 male autistic adults (15 with (AUTp) and 16 without (AUTnp) a BD peak) and 28 male adults with typical development (TYP). Participants completed a computerized adapted BD task with models having low and high perceptual cohesiveness (PC). Despite similar behavioral performances, AUTp and AUTnp showed generally higher occipital activation compared with TYP participants. Compared with both AUTnp and TYP participants, the AUTp group showed enhanced task-related functional connectivity within posterior visuoperceptual regions and decreased functional connectivity between frontal and occipital-temporal regions. A diminished modulation in frontal and parietal regions in response to increased PC was also found in AUTp participants, suggesting heavier reliance on low-level processing of global figures. This study demonstrates that enhanced visual functioning is specific to a cognitive phenotypic subgroup of autistics with superior visuospatial abilities and reinforces the need to address autistic heterogeneity by good cognitive characterization of samples in future studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Véronique D Thérien
- Laboratory on Intelligence and Development in Autism, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
- Montreal Cognitive Neuroscience Autism Research Group, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montreal, 7070, Boulevard Perras, Montréal (Québec) H1E 1A4, Canada
| | - Janie Degré-Pelletier
- Laboratory on Intelligence and Development in Autism, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
- Montreal Cognitive Neuroscience Autism Research Group, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montreal, 7070, Boulevard Perras, Montréal (Québec) H1E 1A4, Canada
| | - Elise B Barbeau
- Laboratory on Intelligence and Development in Autism, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Fabienne Samson
- Laboratory on Intelligence and Development in Autism, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
| | - Isabelle Soulières
- Laboratory on Intelligence and Development in Autism, Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montreal, QC H3C 3P8, Canada
- Montreal Cognitive Neuroscience Autism Research Group, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l’île-de-Montreal, 7070, Boulevard Perras, Montréal (Québec) H1E 1A4, Canada
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Sapey-Triomphe LA, Pattyn L, Weilnhammer V, Sterzer P, Wagemans J. Neural correlates of hierarchical predictive processes in autistic adults. Nat Commun 2023; 14:3640. [PMID: 37336874 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38580-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/08/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Bayesian theories of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) suggest that atypical predictive mechanisms could underlie the autistic symptomatology, but little is known about their neural correlates. Twenty-six neurotypical (NT) and 26 autistic adults participated in an fMRI study where they performed an associative learning task in a volatile environment. By inverting a model of perceptual inference, we characterized the neural correlates of hierarchically structured predictions and prediction errors in ASD. Behaviorally, the predictive abilities of autistic adults were intact. Neurally, predictions were encoded hierarchically in both NT and ASD participants and biased their percepts. High-level predictions were following activity levels in a set of regions more closely in ASD than NT. Prediction errors yielded activation in shared regions in NT and ASD, but group differences were found in the anterior cingulate cortex and putamen. This study sheds light on the neural specificities of ASD that might underlie atypical predictive processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurie-Anne Sapey-Triomphe
- Department of Brain and Cognition, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Lauren Pattyn
- Department of Brain and Cognition, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Veith Weilnhammer
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10178, Berlin, Germany
| | - Philipp Sterzer
- Department of Psychiatry, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10117, Berlin, Germany
- Berlin Institute of Health, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, 10178, Berlin, Germany
| | - Johan Wagemans
- Department of Brain and Cognition, Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
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Hendriks MHA, Dillen C, Vettori S, Vercammen L, Daniels N, Steyaert J, Op de Beeck H, Boets B. Neural processing of facial identity and expression in adults with and without autism: A multi-method approach. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2020; 29:102520. [PMID: 33338966 PMCID: PMC7750419 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2020.102520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The ability to recognize faces and facial expressions is a common human talent. It has, however, been suggested to be impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The goal of this study was to compare the processing of facial identity and emotion between individuals with ASD and neurotypicals (NTs). Behavioural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data from 46 young adults (aged 17-23 years, NASD = 22, NNT = 24) was analysed. During fMRI data acquisition, participants discriminated between short clips of a face transitioning from a neutral to an emotional expression. Stimuli included four identities and six emotions. We performed behavioural, univariate, multi-voxel, adaptation and functional connectivity analyses to investigate potential group differences. The ASD-group did not differ from the NT-group on behavioural identity and expression processing tasks. At the neural level, we found no differences in average neural activation, neural activation patterns and neural adaptation to faces in face-related brain regions. In terms of functional connectivity, we found that amygdala seems to be more strongly connected to inferior occipital cortex and V1 in individuals with ASD. Overall, the findings indicate that neural representations of facial identity and expression have a similar quality in individuals with and without ASD, but some regions containing these representations are connected differently in the extended face processing network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle H A Hendriks
- Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 - bus 3714, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Autism Research Consortium, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Claudia Dillen
- Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 - bus 3714, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Autism Research Consortium, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Sofie Vettori
- Centre for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7 blok h - bus 7001, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Autism Research Consortium, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Laura Vercammen
- Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 - bus 3714, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Nicky Daniels
- Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 - bus 3714, Leuven, Belgium; Centre for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7 blok h - bus 7001, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Autism Research Consortium, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean Steyaert
- Centre for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7 blok h - bus 7001, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Autism Research Consortium, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Hans Op de Beeck
- Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Tiensestraat 102 - bus 3714, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- Centre for Developmental Psychiatry, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7 blok h - bus 7001, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Brain Institute, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium; Leuven Autism Research Consortium, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
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