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Rhodes N, Sato J, Safar K, Amorim K, Taylor MJ, Brookes MJ. Paediatric magnetoencephalography and its role in neurodevelopmental disorders. Br J Radiol 2024; 97:1591-1601. [PMID: 38976633 PMCID: PMC11417392 DOI: 10.1093/bjr/tqae123] [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: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 07/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is a non-invasive neuroimaging technique that assesses neurophysiology through the detection of the magnetic fields generated by neural currents. In this way, it is sensitive to brain activity, both in individual regions and brain-wide networks. Conventional MEG systems employ an array of sensors that must be cryogenically cooled to low temperature, in a rigid one-size-fits-all helmet. Systems are typically designed to fit adults and are therefore challenging to use for paediatric measurements. Despite this, MEG has been employed successfully in research to investigate neurodevelopmental disorders, and clinically for presurgical planning for paediatric epilepsy. Here, we review the applications of MEG in children, specifically focussing on autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder. Our review demonstrates the significance of MEG in furthering our understanding of these neurodevelopmental disorders, while also highlighting the limitations of current instrumentation. We also consider the future of paediatric MEG, with a focus on newly developed instrumentation based on optically pumped magnetometers (OPM-MEG). We provide a brief overview of the development of OPM-MEG systems, and how this new technology might enable investigation of brain function in very young children and infants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Rhodes
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2QX, United Kingdom
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Diagnostic & Interventional Radiology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Julie Sato
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Diagnostic & Interventional Radiology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Kristina Safar
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Diagnostic & Interventional Radiology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Kaela Amorim
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Program in Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Diagnostic & Interventional Radiology, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 0A4, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 2E5, Canada
- Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5T 1W7, Canada
| | - Matthew J Brookes
- Sir Peter Mansfield Imaging Centre, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham NG7 2QX, United Kingdom
- Cerca Magnetics Limited, Nottingham NG7 1LD, United Kingdom
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Rapaport H, Sowman PF. Examining predictive coding accounts of typical and autistic neurocognitive development. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 167:105905. [PMID: 39326770 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 09/16/2024] [Accepted: 09/23/2024] [Indexed: 09/28/2024]
Abstract
Predictive coding has emerged as a prominent theoretical framework for understanding perception and its neural underpinnings. There has been a recent surge of interest in the predictive coding framework across the mind sciences. However, comparatively little of the research in this field has investigated the neural underpinnings of predictive coding in young neurotypical and autistic children. This paper provides an overview of predictive coding accounts of typical and autistic neurocognitive development and includes a review of the current electrophysiological evidence supporting these accounts. Based on the current evidence, it is clear that more research in pediatrics is needed to evaluate predictive coding accounts of neurocognitive development fully. If supported, these accounts could have wide-ranging practical implications for pedagogy, parenting, artificial intelligence, and clinical approaches to helping autistic children manage the barrage of everyday sensory information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hannah Rapaport
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
| | - Paul F Sowman
- School of Psychological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia; School of Clinical Sciences, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand
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Antosh S, Drennan C, Stolfi A, Lawson R, Huntley E, McCullough-Roach R, Hill M, Adelekan T, Vachhrajani S. Use of an adaptive sensory environment in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the perioperative environment: a parallel, randomized controlled trial. LANCET REGIONAL HEALTH. AMERICAS 2024; 33:100736. [PMID: 38645550 PMCID: PMC11031801 DOI: 10.1016/j.lana.2024.100736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2023] [Revised: 03/22/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Background Patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) experience higher rates of perioperative anxiety and are likely to receive premedication. Little is known about nonpharmaceutical interventions which may decrease anxiety. This study aims to evaluate the use of an adaptive sensory environment (ASE) to reduce ASD patient anxiety during the perioperative process. Methods Our feasibility study (ClinicalTrials.govNCT04994613) enrolled 60 patients in two parallel groups randomized to a control (no ASE) or intervention group (ASE). We included all surgical patients aged three to twelve years, with a formal diagnosis of ASD, Asperger's Syndrome, or pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. Preoperative behaviors were recorded by an unblinded nurse utilizing the validated Modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (mYPAS). The difference in score on the mYPAS was the primary outcome, and an intention-to-treat analysis was employed. A generalized estimating equations model was used to compare mYPAS scores controlling for significant independent variables. Findings 58 patients were analyzed after 1:1 randomization of 30 patients to each group. Groups were balanced except the median number of intraoperative pain medications was significantly lower in the ASE group (1 vs. 3, p = 0.012). Mean (SD) age for all patients was 7.2 (2.9) years, range 2.6-12.7. 72.4% (42/58) were White and all were Non-Hispanic or Latino. 74% were Male (21/30 ASE and 22/28 Control) and 26% were Female (9/30 ASE and 6/28 Control). No differences were found in mYPAS scores between groups at three time periods (43.5 vs. 42, p = 0.88, 47.8 vs. 48.4, p = 0.76, and 36.4 vs. 43.8, p = 0.15, ASE vs. control group, respectively). The ASE group had a significant within-group decrease in mYPAS scores from nursing intake to transition (p = 0.030). Interpretation An ASE did not significantly reduce perioperative anxiety. However, the promising results deserve further investigation. Funding Dayton Children's Hospital Foundation Robert C. Cohn Memorial Research Grant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean Antosh
- Department of Anesthesia, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
| | - Chelsea Drennan
- Department of Surgery, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
| | - Adrienne Stolfi
- Department of Pediatrics, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
| | - Robin Lawson
- Department of Surgery, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
| | - Elise Huntley
- Department of Child Life, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
| | - Reaundra McCullough-Roach
- Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, 3640 Colonel Glenn Hwy., Dayton, OH, 45435, USA
| | - Madelyn Hill
- Department of Surgery, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
| | - Tahira Adelekan
- Department of Pediatrics, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
- Division of Developmental Pediatrics, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
| | - Shobhan Vachhrajani
- Department of Pediatrics, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Wright State University, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
- Department of Surgery, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
- Department of Neurosurgery, Dayton Children's Hospital, One Children's Plaza, Dayton, OH, 45404, USA
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Perkovich E, Laakman A, Mire S, Yoshida H. Conducting head-mounted eye-tracking research with young children with autism and children with increased likelihood of later autism diagnosis. J Neurodev Disord 2024; 16:7. [PMID: 38438975 PMCID: PMC10910727 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-024-09524-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/16/2024] [Indexed: 03/06/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past years, researchers have been using head-mounted eye-tracking systems to study young children's gaze behaviors in everyday activities through which children learn about the world. This method has great potential to further our understanding of how millisecond-level gaze behaviors create multisensory experiences and fluctuate around social environments. While this line of work can yield insight into early perceptual experiences and potential learning mechanisms, the majority of the work is exclusively conducted with typically-developing children. Sensory sensitivities, social-communication difficulties, and challenging behaviors (e.g., disruption, elopement) are common among children with developmental disorders, and they may represent potential methodological challenges for collecting high-quality data. RESULTS In this paper, we describe our research practices of using head-mounted eye trackers with 41 autistic children and 17 children with increased likelihood of later autism diagnosis without auditory or visual impairments, including those who are minimally or nonspeaking and/or have intellectual disabilities. The success rate in gathering data among children with autism was 92.68%. 3 of 41 children failed to complete the play-session, resulting in an 86.36% success rate among 1-4-year-olds and a 100.00% success rate among 5-8-year-olds. 1 of 17 children with increased likelihood of later autism diagnosis failed to complete the play-session, resulting in a success rate of 94.11%. There were numerous "challenging" behaviors relevant to the method. The most common challenging behaviors included taking the eye-tracking device off, elopement, and becoming distressed. Overall, among children with autism, 88.8% of 1-4-year-olds and 29.4% of 5-8-year-olds exhibited at least one challenging behavior. CONCLUSIONS Research capitalizing on this methodology has the potential to reveal early, socially-mediated gaze behaviors that are relevant for autism screening, diagnosis, and intervention purposes. We hope that our efforts in documenting our study methodology will help researchers and clinicians effectively study early naturally-occuring gaze behaviors of children during non-experimental contexts across the spectrum and other developmental disabilities using head-mounted eye-tracking. Ultimately, such applications may increase the generalizability of results, better reflect the diversity of individual characteristics, and offer new ways in which this method can contribute to the field.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - A Laakman
- University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - S Mire
- Baylor University, Waco, TX, USA
| | - H Yoshida
- University of Houston, Houston, TX, USA
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Roberts TPL, Kuschner ES, Edgar JC. Biomarkers for autism spectrum disorder: opportunities for magnetoencephalography (MEG). J Neurodev Disord 2021; 13:34. [PMID: 34525943 PMCID: PMC8442415 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-021-09385-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2020] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
This paper reviews a candidate biomarker for ASD, the M50 auditory evoked response component, detected by magnetoencephalography (MEG) and presents a position on the roles and opportunities for such a biomarker, as well as converging evidence from allied imaging techniques (magnetic resonance imaging, MRI and spectroscopy, MRS). Data is presented on prolonged M50 latencies in ASD as well as extension to include children with ASD with significant language and cognitive impairments in whom M50 latency delays are exacerbated. Modeling of the M50 latency by consideration of the properties of auditory pathway white matter is shown to be successful in typical development but challenged by heterogeneity in ASD; this, however, is capitalized upon to identify a distinct subpopulation of children with ASD whose M50 latencies lie well outside the range of values predictable from the typically developing model. Interestingly, this subpopulation is characterized by low levels of the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Following from this, we discuss a potential use of the M50 latency in indicating “target engagement” acutely with administration of a GABA-B agonist, potentially distinguishing “responders” from “non-responders” with the implication of optimizing inclusion for clinical trials of such agents. Implications for future application, including potential evaluation of infants with genetic risk factors, are discussed. As such, the broad scope of potential of a representative candidate biological marker, the M50 latency, is introduced along with potential future applications. This paper outlines a strategy for understanding brain dysfunction in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It is proposed that a multimodal approach (collection of brain structure, chemistry, and neuronal functional data) will identify IDD subpopulations who share a common disease pathway, and thus identify individuals with IDD who might ultimately benefit from specific treatments. After briefly demonstrating the need and potential for scope, examples from studies examining brain function and structure in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) illustrate how measures of brain neuronal function (from magnetoencephalography, MEG), brain structure (from magnetic resonance imaging, MRI, especially diffusion MRI), and brain chemistry (MR spectroscopy) can help us better understand the heterogeneity in ASD and form the basis of multivariate biological markers (biomarkers) useable to define clinical subpopulations. Similar approaches can be applied to understand brain dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) in general. In large part, this paper represents our endeavors as part of the CHOP/Penn NICHD-funded intellectual and developmental disabilities research center (IDDRC) over the past decade.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothy P L Roberts
- Dept. of Radiology, Lurie Family Foundations MEG Imaging Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Emily S Kuschner
- Dept. of Radiology, Lurie Family Foundations MEG Imaging Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
| | - J Christopher Edgar
- Dept. of Radiology, Lurie Family Foundations MEG Imaging Center, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, 3401 Civic Center Blvd., Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA
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