scholarly journals Electrophysiological alterations in motor‐auditory predictive coding in autism spectrum disorder

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 589-599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thijs van Laarhoven ◽  
Jeroen J. Stekelenburg ◽  
Mart L.J.M. Eussen ◽  
Jean Vroomen
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder

scholarly journals Atypical cortical connectivity in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as measured by magnetoencephalography (MEG)

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert A. Seymour ◽  
Paul Sowman ◽  
Klaus Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Sensory Processing ◽  
Perspective Taking ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Alpha Oscillations ◽  
Oscillatory Power ◽  
Phase Amplitude

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition, characterised by impairments in social interaction and communication, the presence of repetitive behaviours, and multisensory hyper- and hypo-sensitives. This thesis utilised magnetoencephalography, in combination with robust analysis techniques, to investigate the neural basis of ASD. Based on previous research, it was hypothesised that cortical activity in ASD would be associated with disruptions to oscillatory synchronisation during sensory processing, as well as during high-level perspective-taking. More specifically, a novel framework was introduced, based on local gamma-band dysregulation, global hypoconnectivity and deficient predictive-coding. To test this framework, data were collected from adolescents diagnosed with ASD and age-matched controls.Using a visual grating stimulus, it was found that in primary visual cortex, ASD participants had reduced coupling between the phase of alpha oscillations and the amplitude of gamma oscillations (i.e. phase amplitude coupling), suggesting dysregulated visual gamma in ASD. These findings were based on a robust analysis pipeline outlined in Chapter 2. Next, directed connectivity in the visual system was quantified using Granger causality. Compared with controls, ASD participants showed reductions in feedback connectivity, mediated by alpha oscillations, but no differences in inter-regional feedforward connectivity, mediated by gamma oscillations. In the auditory domain, it was found that ASD participants had reduced steady-state responses at 40Hz, in terms of oscillatory power and inter-trial coherence, again suggesting dysregulated gamma. Investigating predictive-coding theories of ASD using an auditory oddball paradigm, it was found that evoked responses to the omission of an expected tone were reduced for ASD participants. Finally, we found reductions in theta-band oscillatory power and connectivity for ASD participants, during embodied perspective-taking. Overall, these findings fit the proposed framework, and demonstrate that cortical activity in ASD is characterised by disruptions to oscillatory synchronisation, at the local and global scales, during both sensory processing and higher-level perspective-taking.Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Magnetoencephalography; Oscillations; Phase Amplitude Coupling; Connectivity.

scholarly journals Dysregulated Oscillatory Connectivity in the Visual System in Autism Spectrum Disorder

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.A. Seymour ◽  
G. Rippon ◽  
G. Gooding-Williams ◽  
J.M. Schoffelen ◽  
K. Kessler
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Visual Processing ◽  
Local Level ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Gamma Oscillations ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Alpha Band ◽  
Feedback Information ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder Group

AbstractAutism Spectrum Disorder is increasingly associated with atypical perceptual and sensory symptoms. Here we explore the hypothesis that aberrant sensory processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder could be linked to atypical intra- (local) and inter-regional (global) brain connectivity. To elucidate oscillatory dynamics and connectivity in the visual domain we used magnetoencephalography and a simple visual grating paradigm with a group of 18 adolescent autistic participants and 18 typically developing controls. Both groups showed similar increases in gamma (40-80Hz) and decreases in alpha (8-13Hz) frequency power in occipital cortex. However, systematic group differences emerged when analysing intra- and inter-regional connectivity in detail. Firstly, directed connectivity was estimated using non-parametric Granger causality between visual areas V1 and V4. Feedforward V1-to-V4 connectivity, mediated by gamma oscillations, was equivalent between Autism Spectrum Disorder and control groups, but importantly, feedback V4-to-V1 connectivity, mediated by alpha (8-13Hz) oscillations, was significantly reduced in the Autism Spectrum Disorder group. This reduction was positively correlated with autistic quotient scores, consistent with an atypical visual hierarchy in autism, characterised by reduced top-down modulation of visual input via alpha-band oscillations. Secondly, at the local level in V1, coupling of alpha-phase to gamma amplitude (alpha-gamma phase amplitude coupling, PAC) was reduced in the Autism Spectrum Disorder group. This implies dysregulated local visual processing, with gamma oscillations decoupled from patterns of wider alpha-band phase synchrony (i.e. reduced PAC), possibly due to an excitation-inhibition imbalance. More generally, these results are in agreement with predictive coding accounts of neurotypical perception and indicate that visual processes in autism are less modulated by contextual feedback information.

scholarly journals Intention Attribution in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An EEG Study

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magdalena Schütz ◽  
Sara Boxhoorn ◽  
Andreas M. Mühlherr ◽  
Hannah Mössinger ◽  
Christine M. Freitag ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Children And Adolescents ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Neural Processes ◽  
Adolescents With Autism ◽  
Neural Signature ◽  
Adolescents With Asd ◽  
Observed Behavior

AbstractThe ability to infer intentions from observed behavior and predict actions based on this inference, known as intention attribution (IA), has been hypothesized to be impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The underlying neural processes, however, have not been conclusively determined. The aim of this study was to examine the neural signature of IA in children and adolescents with ASD, and to elucidate potential links to contextual updating processes using electroencephalography. Results did not indicate that IA or early contextual updating was impaired in ASD. However, there was evidence of aberrant processing of expectation violations in ASD, particularly if the expectation was based on IA. Results are discussed within the context of impaired predictive coding in ASD.

scholarly journals Predictive coding in autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder

2015 ◽  
Vol 114 (5) ◽  
pp. 2625-2636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Luz Gonzalez-Gadea ◽  
Srivas Chennu ◽  
Tristan A. Bekinschtein ◽  
Alexia Rattazzi ◽  
Ana Beraudi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ◽  
Attention Deficit ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Control Mechanisms ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Unexpected Events ◽  
Hyperactivity Disorder

Predictive coding has been proposed as a framework to understand neural processes in neuropsychiatric disorders. We used this approach to describe mechanisms responsible for attentional abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We monitored brain dynamics of 59 children (8–15 yr old) who had ASD or ADHD or who were control participants via high-density electroencephalography. We performed analysis at the scalp and source-space levels while participants listened to standard and deviant tone sequences. Through task instructions, we manipulated top-down expectation by presenting expected and unexpected deviant sequences. Children with ASD showed reduced superior frontal cortex (FC) responses to unexpected events but increased dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation to expected events. In contrast, children with ADHD exhibited reduced cortical responses in superior FC to expected events but strong PFC activation to unexpected events. Moreover, neural abnormalities were associated with specific control mechanisms, namely, inhibitory control in ASD and set-shifting in ADHD. Based on the predictive coding account, top-down expectation abnormalities could be attributed to a disproportionate reliance (precision) allocated to prior beliefs in ASD and to sensory input in ADHD.

scholarly journals Atypical visual-auditory predictive coding in autism spectrum disorder: Electrophysiological evidence from stimulus omissions

Autism ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (7) ◽  
pp. 1849-1859
Author(s):  
Thijs van Laarhoven ◽  
Jeroen J Stekelenburg ◽  
Mart LJM Eussen ◽  
Jean Vroomen
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Brain Activity ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Sensory Information ◽  
Sensory Stimulation ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Prediction Errors ◽  
Typical Development ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder Group

Autism spectrum disorder is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder that has been linked to a range of perceptual processing alterations, including hypo- and hyperresponsiveness to sensory stimulation. A recently proposed theory that attempts to account for these symptoms, states that autistic individuals have a decreased ability to anticipate upcoming sensory stimulation due to overly precise internal prediction models. Here, we tested this hypothesis by comparing the electrophysiological markers of prediction errors in auditory prediction by vision between a group of autistic individuals and a group of age-matched individuals with typical development. Between-group differences in prediction error signaling were assessed by comparing event-related potentials evoked by unexpected auditory omissions in a sequence of audiovisual recordings of a handclap in which the visual motion reliably predicted the onset and content of the sound. Unexpected auditory omissions induced an increased early negative omission response in the autism spectrum disorder group, indicating that violations of the prediction model produced larger prediction errors in the autism spectrum disorder group compared to the typical development group. The current results show that autistic individuals have alterations in visual-auditory predictive coding, and support the notion of impaired predictive coding as a core deficit underlying atypical sensory perception in autism spectrum disorder. Lay abstract Many autistic individuals experience difficulties in processing sensory information (e.g. increased sensitivity to sound). Here we show that these difficulties may be related to an inability to process unexpected sensory stimulation. In this study, 29 older adolescents and young adults with autism and 29 age-matched individuals with typical development participated in an electroencephalography study. The electroencephalography study measured the participants’ brain activity during unexpected silences in a sequence of videos of a handclap. The results showed that the brain activity of autistic individuals during these silences was increased compared to individuals with typical development. This increased activity indicates that autistic individuals may have difficulties in processing unexpected incoming sensory information, and might explain why autistic individuals are often overwhelmed by sensory stimulation. Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying the different sensory perception experienced by autistic individuals.

scholarly journals Individuals with autism have no detectable deficit in neural markers of prediction error when presented with auditory rhythms of varied temporal complexity

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily J. Knight ◽  
Leona A. Oakes ◽  
Susan L. Hyman ◽  
Edward G. Freedman ◽  
John J. Foxe
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Communication ◽  
Prediction Error ◽  
Repetitive Behavior ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Repetitive Behaviors ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Brain Wave ◽  
Temporal Complexity

ABSTRACTThe brain’s ability to encode temporal patterns and predict upcoming events is critical for speech perception and other aspects of social communication. Deficits in predictive coding may contribute to difficulties with social communication and overreliance on repetitive predictable environments in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Using a mismatch negativity (MMN) task involving rhythmic tone sequences of varying complexity, we tested the hypotheses that 1) individuals with ASD have reduced MMN response to auditory stimuli that deviate in presentation timing from expected patterns, particularly as pattern complexity increases and 2) amplitude of MMN signal is inversely correlated with level of impairment in social communication and repetitive behaviors. Electroencephalography was acquired as individuals (age 6-21years) listened to repeated five-rhythm tones that varied in the Shannon entropy of the rhythm across three conditions (zero, medium-1 bit) and high-2 bit entropy). The majority of the tones conformed to the established rhythm (standard tones); occasionally the 4th tone was temporally shifted relative to its expected time of occurrence (deviant tones). Social communication and repetitive behaviors were measured using the Social Responsiveness Scale and Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised. Both neurotypical controls (n=19) and individuals with ASD (n=21) show stepwise decreases in MMN as a function of increasing entropy. Contrary to the result forecasted by a predictive coding hypothesis, individuals with ASD do not differ from controls in these neural mechanisms of prediction error to auditory rhythms of varied temporal complexity, and there is no relationship between these signals and social communication or repetitive behavior measures.Lay SummaryWe tested the idea that the brain’s ability to use previous experience to influence processing of sounds is weaker in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) than in neurotypical individuals. We found no difference between individuals with ASD and neurotypical controls in brain wave responses to sounds that occurred earlier than expected in either simple or complex rhythms. There was also no relationship between these brain waves and social communication or repetitive behavior scores.

Explaining autism spectrum disorders: central coherence vs. predictive coding theories

2014 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 2669-2671 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason S. Chan ◽  
Marcus J. Naumer
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Predictive Coding ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Central Coherence ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Perceptual Abilities

In this article, we review a recent paper by Stevenson et al. ( J Neurosci 34: 691–697, 2014). This paper illustrates the need to present different forms of stimuli in order to characterize the perceptual abilities of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Furthermore, we will discuss their behavioral results and offer an opposing viewpoint to the suggested neuronal drivers of ASD.

Development of Neural Structure and Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Potential Implications for Learning Language

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 1783-1797
Author(s):  
Kelly L. Coburn ◽  
Diane L. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Language Development ◽  
Diffusion Tensor ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Language Intervention ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autistic Children ◽  
Neural Structure ◽  
Complex Information ◽  
And Function

Purpose Neurodevelopmental processes that begin during gestation and continue throughout childhood typically support language development. Understanding these processes can help us to understand the disruptions to language that occur in neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method For this tutorial, we conducted a focused literature review on typical postnatal brain development and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, magnetoencephalography, and electroencephalography studies of the neurodevelopmental differences that occur in ASD. We then integrated this knowledge with the literature on evidence-based speech-language intervention practices for autistic children. Results In ASD, structural differences include altered patterns of cortical growth and myelination. Functional differences occur at all brain levels, from lateralization of cortical functions to the rhythmic activations of single neurons. Neuronal oscillations, in particular, could help explain disrupted language development by elucidating the timing differences that contribute to altered functional connectivity, complex information processing, and speech parsing. Findings related to implicit statistical learning, explicit task learning, multisensory integration, and reinforcement in ASD are also discussed. Conclusions Consideration of the neural differences in autistic children provides additional scientific support for current recommended language intervention practices. Recommendations consistent with these neurological findings include the use of short, simple utterances; repetition of syntactic structures using varied vocabulary; pause time; visual supports; and individualized sensory modifications.

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