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Tommerdahl M, Francisco E, Holden J, Lensch R, Tommerdahl A, Kirsch B, Dennis R, Favorov O. An Accurate Measure of Reaction Time can Provide Objective Metrics of Concussion. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2020. [DOI: 10.37714/josam.v2i2.31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
There have been numerous reports of neurological assessments of post-concussed athletes and many deploy some type of reaction time assessment. However, most of the assessment tools currently deployed rely on consumer-grade computer systems to collect this data. In a previous report, we demonstrated the inaccuracies that typical computer systems introduce to hardware and software to collect these metrics with robotics (Holden et al, 2020). In that same report, we described the accuracy of a tactile based reaction time test (administered with the Brain Gauge) as approximately 0.3 msec and discussed the shortcoming of other methods for collecting reaction time. The latency errors introduced with those alternative methods were reported as high as 400 msec and the system variabilities could be as high as 80 msec, and these values are several orders of magnitude above the control values previously reported for reaction time (200-220msec) and reaction time variability (10-20 msec). In this report, we examined the reaction time and reaction time variability from 396 concussed individuals and found that there were significant differences in the reaction time metrics obtained from concussed and non-concussed individuals for 14-21 days post-concussion. A survey of the literature did not reveal comparable sensitivity in reaction time testing in concussion studies using alternative methods. This finding was consistent with the prediction put forth by Holden and colleagues with robotics testing of the consumer grade computer systems that are commonly utilized by researchers conducting reaction time testing on concussed individuals. The significant difference in fidelity between the methods commonly used by concussion researchers is attributed to the differences in accuracy of the measures deployed and/or the increases in biological fidelity introduced by tactile based reaction times over visually administered reaction time tests. Additionally, while most of the commonly used computerized testing assessment tools require a pre-season baseline test to predict a neurological insult, the tactile based methods reported in this paper did not utilize any baselines for comparisons. The reaction time data reported was one test of a battery of tests administered to the population studied, and this is the first of a series of papers that will examine each of those tests independently.
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Failla MD, Peters BR, Karbasforoushan H, Foss-Feig JH, Schauder KB, Heflin BH, Cascio CJ. Intrainsular connectivity and somatosensory responsiveness in young children with ASD. Mol Autism 2017; 8:25. [PMID: 28630661 PMCID: PMC5470196 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-017-0143-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 05/17/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The human somatosensory system comprises dissociable paths for discriminative and affective touch, reflected in separate peripheral afferent populations and distinct cortical targets. Differences in behavioral and neural responses to affective touch may have an important developmental role in early social experiences, which are relevant for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS Using probabilistic tractography, we compared the structural integrity of white matter pathways for discriminative and affective touch in young children with ASD and their typically developing (TD) peers. We examined two tracts: (1) a tract linking the thalamus with the primary somatosensory cortex, which carries discriminative tactile information, and (2) a tract linking the posterior insula-the cortical projection target of unmyelinated tactile afferents mediating affective touch-with the anterior insula, which integrates sensory and visceral inputs to interpret emotional salience of sensory stimuli. We investigated associations between tract integrity and performance on a standardized observational assessment measuring tactile discrimination and affective responses to touch. RESULTS Both the thalamocortical and intrainsular tracts showed reduced integrity (higher mean diffusivity) in the ASD group compared to those in the TD group. Consistent with the previous findings, the ASD group exhibited impaired tactile discriminative ability, more tactile defensiveness, and more sensory seeking (e.g., enthusiastic play or repetitive engagement with a specific tactile stimulus). There was a significant relation between intrainsular tract integrity and tactile seeking. The direction of this relation differed between groups: higher intrainsular mean diffusivity (MD) (reflecting decreased tract integrity) was associated with increased tactile seeking in the TD group but with decreased tactile seeking in the ASD group. In the TD group, decreased tactile defensiveness was also associated with higher intrainsular MD, but there was no relation in the ASD group. Discriminative touch was not significantly associated with integrity of either tract in either group. CONCLUSIONS These results support previous findings suggesting a central role for the insula in affective response to touch. While both discriminative and affective touch and both somatosensory tracts are affected in ASD, the restriction of brain-behavior associations to the intrainsular tract and tactile seeking suggests more complex and perhaps higher-order influence on differences in tactile defensiveness and discrimination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle D. Failla
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37212 USA
| | | | - Haleh Karbasforoushan
- Interdepartmental Neuroscience (NUIN) PhD Program, Northwestern University, Evanston, IL 60208 USA
| | - Jennifer H. Foss-Feig
- Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029 USA
- Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, New York, NY 10029 USA
| | | | - Brynna H. Heflin
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37212 USA
| | - Carissa J. Cascio
- Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN 37212 USA
- Vanderbilt Kennedy Center, Nashville, TN 37203 USA
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Puts NAJ, Wodka EL, Harris AD, Crocetti D, Tommerdahl M, Mostofsky SH, Edden RAE. Reduced GABA and altered somatosensory function in children with autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2016; 10:608-619. [PMID: 27611990 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1691] [Citation(s) in RCA: 145] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 08/12/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Abnormal responses to tactile stimuli are a common feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Several lines of evidence suggest that GABAergic function, which has a crucial role in tactile processing, is altered in ASD. In this study, we determine whether in vivo GABA levels are altered in children with ASD, and whether alterations in GABA levels are associated with abnormal tactile function in these children. METHODS GABA-edited magnetic resonance spectroscopy was acquired in 37 children with Autism and 35 typically developing children (TDC) from voxels over primary sensorimotor and occipital cortices. Children performed tactile tasks previously shown to be altered in ASD, linked to inhibitory mechanisms. Detection threshold was measured with- and without the presence of a slowly increasing sub-threshold stimulus. Amplitude discrimination was measured with- and without the presence of an adapting stimulus, and frequency discrimination was measured. RESULTS Sensorimotor GABA levels were significantly reduced in children with autism compared to healthy controls. Occipital GABA levels were normal. Sensorimotor GABA levels correlated with dynamic detection threshold as well as with the effect of sub-threshold stimulation. Sensorimotor GABA levels also correlated with amplitude discrimination after adaptation (an effect absent in autism) and frequency discrimination in controls, but not in children with autism. CONCLUSIONS GABA levels correlate with behavioral measures of inhibition. Children with autism have reduced GABA, associated with abnormalities in tactile performance. We show here that altered in vivo GABA levels might predict abnormal tactile information processing in ASD and that the GABA system may be a future target for therapies. Autism Res 2016. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolaas A J Puts
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21287.,F.M. Kirby Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 N Broadway Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205
| | - Ericka L Wodka
- Center for Neurocognitive and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 716 N Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205.,Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 3901 Greenspring Ave, Baltimore, Maryland, 21211.,Department of Behavioral Science and Psychiatry, Johns Hopkins University, School of Medicine, 600 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21287
| | - Ashley D Harris
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21287.,F.M. Kirby Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 N Broadway Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205.,Radiology, University of Calgary, 1403 - 29th Street N.W, Calgary, AB, T2N 2T9, Canada.,CAIR Program, Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, 1403 - 29th Street N.W, Calgary, AB, T2N 2T9, Canada.,Hotchkiss Brain Institute and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, 3330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 4N1, Canada
| | - Deana Crocetti
- F.M. Kirby Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 N Broadway Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205.,Center for Neurocognitive and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 716 N Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205
| | - Mark Tommerdahl
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599
| | - Stewart H Mostofsky
- Center for Neurocognitive and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 716 N Broadway, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205.,Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 3901 Greenspring Ave, Baltimore, Maryland, 21211.,Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, 600 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21287
| | - Richard A E Edden
- Russell H. Morgan Department of Radiology and Radiological Science, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N Wolfe Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21287.,F.M. Kirby Center for Functional Brain Imaging, Kennedy Krieger Institute, 707 N Broadway Street, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205
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