Abnormal cortical responses elicited by audiovisual movies in patients with autism spectrum disorder with atypical sensory behavior: A magnetoencephalographic study

Language and sensory characteristics are reflected in voice-evoked responses in low birth weight children

BACKGROUND

Children born with very low birth weight (VLBW) are at higher risk for cognitive impairment, including language deficits and sensorimotor difficulties. Voice-evoked response (P1m), which has been suggested as a language development biomarker in young children, remains unexplored for its efficacy in VLBW children. Furthermore, the relation between P1m and sensory difficulties in VLBW children remains unclear.

METHODS

40 children with VLBW were recruited at 5-to-6 years old (26 male, 14 female, mean age of months ± SD, 80.0 ± 4.9). We measured their voice-evoked brain response using child-customized magnetoencephalography (MEG) and examined the relation between P1m and language conceptual inference ability and sensory characteristics.

RESULTS

The final sample comprised 36 children (23 boys, 13 girls; ages 61-86 months; gestational ages 24-36 weeks). As a result of multiple regression analysis, voice-evoked P1m in the left hemisphere was correlated significantly with language ability (β = 0.414 P = 0.015) and sensory hypersensitivity (β = 0.471 P = 0.005).

CONCLUSION

Our findings indicate that the relation between P1m and language conceptual inference ability observed in term children in earlier studies is replicated in VLBW children, and suggests P1m intensity as a biomarker of sensory sensitivity characteristics.

IMPACT

We investigated brain functions related to language development and sensory problems in very low birth-weight children. In very low birth weight children at early school age, brain responses to human voices are associated with language conceptual inference ability and sensory hypersensitivity. These findings promote a physiological understanding of both language development and sensory characteristics in very low birth weight children.

[A prospective randomized controlled study of neurofeedback combined with learning style profile intervention training in children with high-functioning autism]

OBJECTIVES

To explore the application of neurofeedback (NFB) combined with learning style profile (LSP) intervention training in children with high-functioning autism (HFA).

METHODS

A prospective study was conducted to select 86 children with HFA admitted to the hospital from February 2022 to February 2024. They were divided into two groups according to the random number table method, with 43 cases in each group. In this double-blind study, the control group was given LSP intervention training, and the observation group was given NFB intervention on the basis of the treatment used in the control group. Both groups were treated for 6 months. The scores of Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC), Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), and Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) were compared between the two groups before intervention and at 6 months after intervention. The relationship of PedsQL score with ABC, ATEC, and SRS scores was analyzed in children with HFA.

RESULTS

After 6 months of intervention, the scores of ABC, ATEC, and SRS in the observation group were significantly lower than those in the control group, while the PedsQL score in the observation group was significantly higher than that in the control group (P<0.05). The PedsQL score was negatively correlated with the ABC, ATEC, and SRS scores in children with HFA (r=-0.238, -0.381, -0.219 respectively; P<0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

NFB combined with LSP can effectively improve the clinical symptoms and social ability, control the development of the disease, and improve the quality of life in children with HFA.

Autism Spectrum Disorder and auditory sensory alterations: a systematic review on the integrity of cognitive and neuronal functions related to auditory processing

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition with a wide spectrum of symptoms, mainly characterized by social, communication, and cognitive impairments. Latest diagnostic criteria according to DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, 2013) now include sensory issues among the four restricted/repetitive behavior features defined as "hyper- or hypo-reactivity to sensory input or unusual interest in sensory aspects of environment". Here, we review auditory sensory alterations in patients with ASD. Considering the updated diagnostic criteria for ASD, we examined research evidence (2015-2022) of the integrity of the cognitive function in auditory-related tasks, the integrity of the peripheral auditory system, and the integrity of the central nervous system in patients diagnosed with ASD. Taking into account the different approaches and experimental study designs, we reappraise the knowledge on auditory sensory alterations and reflect on how these might be linked with behavior symptomatology in ASD.

Modulation of the thermosensory system by oxytocin

Oxytocin (OT) is a neurohormone involved early in neurodevelopment and is implicated in multiple functions, including sensory modulation. Evidence of such modulation has been observed for different sensory modalities in both healthy and pathological conditions. This review summarizes the pleiotropic modulation that OT can exercise on an often overlooked sensory system: thermosensation. This system allows us to sense temperature variations and compensate for the variation to maintain a stable core body temperature. Oxytocin modulates autonomic and behavioral mechanisms underlying thermoregulation at both central and peripheral levels. Hyposensitivity or hypersensitivity for different sensory modalities, including thermosensitivity, is a common feature in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), recapitulated in several ASD mouse models. These sensory dysregulations occur early in post-natal development and are correlated with dysregulation of the oxytocinergic system. In this study, we discussed the potential link between thermosensory atypia and the dysregulation of the oxytocinergic system in ASD.

Intact memory storage but impaired retrieval in visual memory in autism: New insights from an electrophysiological study

In a recent study on visual episodic memory (Desaunay, Clochon, et al., 2020), we have shown event-related potentials (ERPs) differences associated with priming (150-300 msec), familiarity (350-470 msec), and recollection (600-700 msec), in young people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) compared with typical development (TD). To go further into the study of the processes of storage and retrieval of the memory trace, we re-analyzed Desaunay, Clochon, et al's data using time-frequency analysis, that is, event-related synchronization and desynchronization (ERS/ERD). This allows a decomposition of the spectral power within frequency bands associated with these ERPs. We focused both on the same time windows and the same regions of interest as previously published. We mainly identified, in ASD compared with TD, reduced ERS in low-frequencies (delta, theta) in early time-windows, and non-significant differences in ERD in higher frequencies (alpha, beta1) in all time-windows. Reduced ERS during recognition confirmed previously reported diminution of priming effects and difficulties in manipulation and retrieval of both semantic and episodic information. Conversely, preserved ERD corroborates a preservation of memory storage processes. These observations are consistent with a cognitive model of memory in ASD, that suggests difficulties in cognitive operations or executive demand at retrieval, subsequent to successful long-term storage of information. LAY SUMMARY: We assessed the EEG synchronization and desynchronization, during visual episodic recognition. We observed, in youth with Autism, reduced synchronization in low-frequencies (delta, theta), suggesting reduced access to and manipulation of long-term stored information. By contrast, non-significant differences in desynchronization at higher frequencies (alpha, beta frequency bands), that support long-term stored semantic and episodic information, suggested preserved memory traces.

Sensory Processing Disorders in Children and Adolescents: Taking Stock of Assessment and Novel Therapeutic Tools

Sensory processing disorders (SPDs) can be described as difficulty detecting, modulating, interpreting, and/or responding to sensory experiences. Because SPDs occur in many individuals with autism spectrum disorder and in other populations with neurodevelopmental disorders, it is important to distinguish between typical and atypical functioning in sensory processes and to identify early phenotypic markers for developing SPDs. This review considers different methods for diagnosing SPDs to outline a multidisciplinary approach useful for developing valid diagnostic measures. In particular, the advantages and limitations of the most commonly used tools in assessment of SPDs, such as caregiver reports, clinical observation, and psychophysical and neuroimaging studies, will be reviewed. Innovative treatment methods such as neuromodulation techniques and virtual reality will also be suggested.