Abstract
Previous research found that the parental autism phenotype is associated with child autism spectrum disorder (ASD), even if the pathway between autistic traits in parents and child ASD is still largely unknown. Several studies investigated frontal asymmetry in alpha oscillation (FAA) as an early marker for ASD. However, no study has examined the mediational effect of FAA between parental autistic traits and child ASD symptoms in the general population. We carried out a prospective study of 103 typically developing infants and measured FAA as a mediator between both maternal and paternal autistic traits and child ASD traits. We recorded infant baseline electroencephalogram (EEG) at 6 months of age. Child ASD symptoms were measured at age 24 months by the Child Behavior Checklist 1½–5 Pervasive Developmental Problems Scale, and parental autistic traits were scored by the Autism spectrum Quotient questionnaire. The mediation model showed that paternal vs. maternal autistic traits are associated with greater left FAA which, in turn, is associated with more child ASD traits with a significant indirect effect only in female infants vs. male infants. Our findings show a potential cascade of effects whereby paternal autistic traits drive EEG markers contributing to ASD risk.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex and heterogeneous condition characterized by social communication deficits and repetitive patterns of behavior [1]
In full-spectrum data, we focused on frontal alpha asymmetry (FAA) that has been well characterized in infants
Discussion at age 6 months as a potential mediator in the developmental pathway from maternal and paternal. This is the first general population study looking at frontal asymmetry in EEG alpha oscillation autistic traits to child ASD-related traits at age 24 months
Summary
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex and heterogeneous condition characterized by social communication deficits and repetitive patterns of behavior [1]. Twin studies show that ASD is a heritable condition, with heritability estimates ranging between 64% and 91% [2]. Genetic susceptibility appears to be expressed in relatives of individuals with ASD through an independent segregation of a broader range of subclinical features (autistic traits) in social communication and atypical patterns that are referred to as representing the broader autism phenotype (BAP). Parental autistic traits have been found associated with child ASD symptoms in both ASD samples and the general population, suggesting that broader autistic traits are important to identify both clinical and subclinical conditions [3]. Even if BAP and ASD seem to exist on a continuum, it is still unknown whether and how maternal and paternal autistic traits are differentially associated with
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