Tactile cortical responses and association with tactile reactivity in young children on the autism spectrum

Molecular Autism

Adam McCrimmon¹  Charlene Wright²  Maia Ross³  Olesya Dmitrieva³  Niloy Nath³  Sakshi Kaur³  Kate J. Godfrey⁴  Kara Murias⁵  Deborah Dewey⁶  Carly McMorris⁷  Svenja Espenhahn⁸  Ashley D. Harris⁹  Signe Bray⁹  Filomeno Cortese^1,10  Andrea B. Protzner^1,11 

[1] Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Child and Adolescent Imaging Research (CAIR) Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Child and Adolescent Imaging Research (CAIR) Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Child and Adolescent Imaging Research (CAIR) Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, T2N 4N1, Calgary, AB, Canada;Child and Adolescent Imaging Research (CAIR) Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, T2N 4N1, Calgary, AB, Canada;Child and Adolescent Imaging Research (CAIR) Program, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Department of Paediatrics, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Department of Radiology, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, T2N 4N1, Calgary, AB, Canada;Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Hotchkiss Brain Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;The Mathison Centre for Mental Health Research and Education, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;Department of Psychology, Faculty of Arts, University of Calgary, Calgary, AB, Canada;

关键词: Somatosensory-evoked potentials;    ERP;    EEG;    Adaptation;    Tactile stimulation;    Tactile sensitivities;    Autism;    Children;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13229-021-00435-9

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundUnusual behavioral reactions to sensory stimuli are frequently reported in individuals on the autism spectrum (AS). Despite the early emergence of sensory features (< age 3) and their potential impact on development and quality of life, little is known about the neural mechanisms underlying sensory reactivity in early childhood autism.MethodsHere, we used electroencephalography (EEG) to investigate tactile cortical processing in young children aged 3–6 years with autism and in neurotypical (NT) children. Scalp EEG was recorded from 33 children with autism, including those with low cognitive and/or verbal abilities, and 45 age- and sex-matched NT children during passive tactile fingertip stimulation. We compared properties of early and later somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) and their adaptation with repetitive stimulation between autistic and NT children and assessed whether these neural measures are linked to “real-world” parent-reported tactile reactivity.ResultsAs expected, we found elevated tactile reactivity in children on the autism spectrum. Our findings indicated no differences in amplitude or latency of early and mid-latency somatosensory-evoked potentials (P50, N80, P100), nor adaptation between autistic and NT children. However, latency of later processing of tactile information (N140) was shorter in young children with autism compared to NT children, suggesting faster processing speed in young autistic children. Further, correlational analyses and exploratory analyses using tactile reactivity as a grouping variable found that enhanced early neural responses were associated with greater tactile reactivity in autism.LimitationsThe relatively small sample size and the inclusion of a broad range of autistic children (e.g., with low cognitive and/or verbal abilities) may have limited our power to detect subtle group differences and associations. Hence, replications are needed to verify these results.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that electrophysiological somatosensory cortex processing measures may be indices of “real-world” tactile reactivity in early childhood autism. Together, these findings advance our understanding of the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying tactile reactivity in early childhood autism and, in the clinical context, may have therapeutic implications.

【 授权许可】

CC BY