Abstract
Electroencephalography (EEG) and blood oxygen level dependent functional magnetic resonance imagining (BOLD fMRI) assessed the neurocorrelates of sensory processing of visual and auditory stimuli in 11 adults with autism (ASD) and 10 neurotypical (NT) controls between the ages of 20–28. We hypothesized that ASD performance on combined audiovisual trials would be less accurate with observable decreased EEG power across frontal, temporal, and occipital channels and decreased BOLD fMRI activity in these same regions; reflecting deficits in key sensory processing areas. Analysis focused on EEG power, BOLD fMRI, and accuracy. Lower EEG beta power and lower left auditory cortex fMRI activity were seen in ASD compared to NT when they were presented with auditory stimuli as demonstrated by contrasting the activity from the second presentation of an auditory stimulus in an all auditory block vs. the second presentation of a visual stimulus in an all visual block (AA2-VV2).We conclude that in ASD, combined audiovisual processing is more similar than unimodal processing to NTs.
Highlights
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a potentially life long condition that is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as containing three key features: (1) restricted interests (2) repetitive behaviors and (3) impaired social communication (American Psychiatric Association, 2013)
No significant differences were observed between the NT and ASD groups across any trial types or sessions
It is important to note that while we found significant observations for simultaneous presentation of auditory and visual stimuli contrasted to other modes of presentation the small number of mixed trials per participant (3) causes us to proceed with caution in our generalization of these findings
Summary
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a potentially life long condition that is defined by the American Psychiatric Association as containing three key features: (1) restricted interests (2) repetitive behaviors and (3) impaired social communication (American Psychiatric Association, 2013). Attempts to identify a neurological basis for these deficits have received a great deal of investigation in recent years (see Amaral et al, 2008; Anagnostou and Taylor, 2011; Kana et al, 2011 for review). Amongst these investigations, a common trend appears to involve dysfunctions in sensory processing (Iarocci and McDonald, 2006). For a comprehensive review of how sensory processing is affected in individuals with ASD, please see Marco et al (2011).
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