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Poole D, Grange JA, Milne E. Putting the Spotlight Back Onto the Flanker Task in Autism: Autistic Adults Show Increased Interference from Foils Compared with Non-autistic Adults. J Cogn 2024; 7:46. [PMID: 38799080 PMCID: PMC11122699 DOI: 10.5334/joc.369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Autistic people may have a less focused spotlight of spatial selective attention than non-autistic people, meaning that distracting stimuli are less effectively suppressed. Previous studies using the flanker task have supported this suggestion with observations of increased congruency effects in autistic participants. However, findings across studies have been mixed, mainly based on research in children and on response time measures, which may be influenced by differences in response strategy between autistic and non-autistic people rather than differences in selective attention. In this pre-registered study, 153 autistic and 147 non-autistic adults completed an online flanker task. The aims of this study were to test whether increased congruency effects replicate in autistic adults and to extend previous work by fitting a computational model of spatial selective attention on the flanker task to the data. Congruency effects were increased in the autistic group. The modelling revealed that the interference time from the foils was increased in the autistic group. This suggests that the activation of the foils was increased, meaning suppression was less effective for autistic participants. There were also differences in non-interference parameters between the groups. The estimate of response caution was increased in the autistic group and the estimate of perceptual efficiency was decreased. Together these findings suggest inefficient suppression, response strategy and perceptual processing all contribute to differences in performance on the flanker task between autistic and non-autistic people.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Poole
- Department of Psychology, University of Sheffield, UK
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Peterson M, Prigge MBD, Floris DL, Bigler ED, Zielinski B, King JB, Lange N, Alexander AL, Lainhart JE, Nielsen JA. Reduced Lateralization of Multiple Functional Brain Networks in Autistic Males. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.12.15.571928. [PMID: 38187671 PMCID: PMC10769214 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.15.571928] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2024]
Abstract
Background Autism spectrum disorder has been linked to a variety of organizational and developmental deviations in the brain. One such organizational difference involves hemispheric lateralization, which may be localized to language-relevant regions of the brain or distributed more broadly. Methods In the present study, we estimated brain hemispheric lateralization in autism based on each participant's unique functional neuroanatomy rather than relying on group-averaged data. Additionally, we explored potential relationships between the lateralization of the language network and behavioral phenotypes including verbal ability, language delay, and autism symptom severity. We hypothesized that differences in hemispheric asymmetries in autism would be limited to the language network, with the alternative hypothesis of pervasive differences in lateralization. We tested this and other hypotheses by employing a cross-sectional dataset of 118 individuals (48 autistic, 70 neurotypical). Using resting-state fMRI, we generated individual network parcellations and estimated network asymmetries using a surface area-based approach. A series of multiple regressions were then used to compare network asymmetries for eight significantly lateralized networks between groups. Results We found significant group differences in lateralization for the left-lateralized Language (d = -0.89), right-lateralized Salience/Ventral Attention-A (d = 0.55), and right-lateralized Control-B (d = 0.51) networks, with the direction of these group differences indicating less asymmetry in autistic individuals. These differences were robust across different datasets from the same participants. Furthermore, we found that language delay stratified language lateralization, with the greatest group differences in language lateralization occurring between autistic individuals with language delay and neurotypical individuals. Limitations The generalizability of our findings is restricted due to the male-only sample and greater representation of individuals with high verbal and cognitive performance. Conclusions These findings evidence a complex pattern of functional lateralization differences in autism, extending beyond the Language network to the Salience/Ventral Attention-A and Control-B networks, yet not encompassing all networks, indicating a selective divergence rather than a pervasive one. Furthermore, a differential relationship was identified between Language network lateralization and specific symptom profiles (namely, language delay) of autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madeline Peterson
- Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
| | - Molly B. D. Prigge
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Dorothea L. Floris
- Methods of Plasticity Research, Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
| | - Erin D. Bigler
- Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84604, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Brandon Zielinski
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA
- Department of Neurology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA
- Division of Pediatric Neurology, Departments of Pediatrics, Neurology, and Neuroscience, College of Medicine, University of Florida, FL, 32610, United States
| | - Jace B. King
- Department of Radiology and Imaging Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, 84108, USA
| | - Nicholas Lange
- Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Andrew L. Alexander
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53719, USA
- Department of Medical Physics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
| | - Janet E. Lainhart
- Waisman Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53705, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53719, USA
| | - Jared A. Nielsen
- Department of Psychology, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA
- Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84604, USA
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Abdulah DM, Abdulla BMO, Liamputtong P. Impact of short and intensive art-based intervention on symptomatology and social interactions among children with autism spectrum disorder. Clin Exp Pediatr 2023; 66:447-454. [PMID: 37705335 PMCID: PMC10556794 DOI: 10.3345/cep.2023.00640] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 06/29/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 09/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Consensus on the effectiveness of art therapy in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is lacking in the literature. PURPOSE Here, we examined the effectiveness of a short and intensive art-based intervention on autistic symptomatology and social skills among children with ASD levels 2 and 3. METHODS This pre- and postexperimental investigation included 13 children previously diagnosed with ASD levels 2 and 3 in Kurdistan Region in 2019. They completed the art-based intervention 2 hours/day for 3 days/week for 1 month. The activities included cutting and pasting squares and triangles, coloring black-and-white images, and recognizing and coloring shapes. Children used wooden and aquatic pens and scissors under guidance. Symptom severity was measured using the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2), a validated tool for measuring the severity of autistic traits and symptoms that features subscales of social awareness, social cognition, social communication, social motivation, and autistic mannerisms. Children with ASD level 2 require significant support and experience notable difficulties in verbal and social communication, while those with ASD level 3 require extensive support and have the most severe form of autism. The outcome was measured one day before the course commenced and one week after completion. RESULTS The mean patient age (n=13) was 8.15 years (standard deviation, 1.95; range, 5-11 years). Most patients were male (n=11, 84.62%). The mean SRS-2 score did not change significantly pre- to postexperiment (159 vs. 157, P=0.601). Similarly, we found no significant changes in social awareness (19 vs. 19, P=0.779); social cognition (28 vs. 27, P=0.199); social communication (56 vs. 54, P=0.600); social motivation (26 vs. 24, P=0.684); and autistic mannerisms (33 vs. 32; P= 0.780), respectively. CONCLUSION The art-based intervention did not improve autism symptoms or social interactions among children with ASD levels 2 and 3.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deldar Morad Abdulah
- Community and Maternity Health Nursing Unit, College of Nursing, University of Duhok, Duhok, Iraq
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Ridderinkhof A, de Bruin EI, van den Driesschen S, Bögels SM. Attention in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Effects of a Mindfulness-Based Program. J Atten Disord 2020; 24:681-692. [PMID: 30222027 PMCID: PMC7003152 DOI: 10.1177/1087054718797428] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
Objective: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show atypical attention. Mindfulness-based programs (MBPs), with self-regulation of attention as a basic component, could benefit these children. Method: We investigated how 49 children with ASD differed from 51 typically developing (TD) children in their attention systems; and whether their attention systems were improved by an MBP for children and their parents (MYmind), using a cognitive measure of attention, the Attention Network Test. Results: Children with ASD did not differ from TD children in the speed of the attention systems, but were somewhat less accurate in their orienting and executive attention. Also, MYmind did not significantly improve attention, although trend effects indicated improved orienting and executive attention. Robustness checks supported these improvements. Conclusion: Trend effects of the MBP on the attention systems of children with ASD were revealed, as well as minor differences between children with ASD and TD children in their attention systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Ridderinkhof
- Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands,Anna Ridderinkhof, Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, Nieuwe Achtergracht 127, 1018 WS Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
| | - Esther I. de Bruin
- Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Susan M. Bögels
- Research Institute of Child Development and Education, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands,Department of Developmental Psychology, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands,UvA minds, The Netherlands
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Gomot M, Belmonte MK, Bullmore ET, Bernard FA, Baron-Cohen S. Brain hyper-reactivity to auditory novel targets in children with high-functioning autism. Brain 2008; 131:2479-88. [PMID: 18669482 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awn172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Although communication and social difficulties in autism have received a great deal of research attention, the other key diagnostic feature, extreme repetitive behaviour and unusual narrow interests, has been addressed less often. Also known as 'resistance to change' this may be related to atypical processing of infrequent, novel stimuli. This can be tested at sensory and neural levels. Our aims were to (i) examine auditory novelty detection and its neural basis in children with autism spectrum conditions (ASC) and (ii) test for brain activation patterns that correlate quantitatively with number of autistic traits as a test of the dimensional nature of ASC. The present study employed event-related fMRI during a novel auditory detection paradigm. Participants were twelve 10- to 15-year-old children with ASC and a group of 12 age-, IQ- and sex-matched typical controls. The ASC group responded faster to novel target stimuli. Group differences in brain activity mainly involved the right prefrontal-premotor and the left inferior parietal regions, which were more activated in the ASC group than in controls. In both groups, activation of prefrontal regions during target detection was positively correlated with Autism Spectrum Quotient scores measuring the number of autistic traits. These findings suggest that target detection in autism is associated not only with superior behavioural performance (shorter reaction time) but also with activation of a more widespread network of brain regions. This pattern also shows quantitative variation with number of autistic traits, in a continuum that extends to the normal population. This finding may shed light on the neurophysiological process underlying narrow interests and what clinically is called 'need for sameness'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie Gomot
- INSERM U930, Centre de Pédopsychiatrie, CHU Bretonneau, Tours Cedex 9, France.
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