Preference for biological motion is reduced in ASD: implications for clinical trials and the search for biomarkers

Molecular Autism

F. Shic¹  S. Bölte²  T. Banaschewski³  B. Chakrabarti⁴  E. J. H. Jones⁵  L. Mason⁵  M. H. Johnson⁶  C. Ecker⁷  C. Beckmann⁸  J. Buitelaar⁸  C. Moessnang⁹  S. Baron-Cohen^1,10  T. Falck-Ytter^1,11  T. Bougeron^1,12  E. Loth^1,13  F. Dell’Acqua^1,13  D. Murphy^1,13  T. Charman^1,13  J. Tillmann^1,13  A. M. Persico^1,14  B. Oranje^1,15  S. Durston^1,15 

[1] Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA;Department of General Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA;Department of Computer Science, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden;Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany;Centre for Autism, School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences, University of Reading, RG6 6AL, Reading, UK;Department of Psychology, Ashoka University, Sonipat, India;India Autism Center, Kolkata, India;Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet St, WC1E 7HX, London, UK;Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, Malet St, WC1E 7HX, London, UK;Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK;Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Hospital, Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany;Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, London, London, UK;Department of Cognitive Neuroscience, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboudumc, Nijmegen, The Netherlands;Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Central Institute of Mental Health, University of Heidelberg, Mannheim, Germany;Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK;Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden;Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research; Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Karolinska Institutet and Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden;Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala, Sweden;Human Genetics and Cognitive Functions, Institut Pasteur, UMR3571 CNRS, Université de Paris, 75015, Paris, France;Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College, London, London, UK;Interdepartmental Program “Autism 0-90”, University of Messina, Messina, Italy;NICHE-Lab, Dept. of Psychiatry, UMC Utrecht Brain Center, Utrecht, The Netherlands;

关键词: Autism;    Biological motion;    Eye tracking;    Development;    Biomarker;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13229-021-00476-0

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe neurocognitive mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorder (ASD) remain unclear. Progress has been largely hampered by small sample sizes, variable age ranges and resulting inconsistent findings. There is a pressing need for large definitive studies to delineate the nature and extent of key case/control differences to direct research towards fruitful areas for future investigation. Here we focus on perception of biological motion, a promising index of social brain function which may be altered in ASD. In a large sample ranging from childhood to adulthood, we assess whether biological motion preference differs in ASD compared to neurotypical participants (NT), how differences are modulated by age and sex and whether they are associated with dimensional variation in concurrent or later symptomatology.MethodsEye-tracking data were collected from 486 6-to-30-year-old autistic (N = 282) and non-autistic control (N = 204) participants whilst they viewed 28 trials pairing biological (BM) and control (non-biological, CTRL) motion. Preference for the biological motion stimulus was calculated as (1) proportion looking time difference (BM-CTRL) and (2) peak look duration difference (BM-CTRL).ResultsThe ASD group showed a present but weaker preference for biological motion than the NT group. The nature of the control stimulus modulated preference for biological motion in both groups. Biological motion preference did not vary with age, gender, or concurrent or prospective social communicative skill within the ASD group, although a lack of clear preference for either stimulus was associated with higher social-communicative symptoms at baseline.LimitationsThe paired visual preference we used may underestimate preference for a stimulus in younger and lower IQ individuals. Our ASD group had a lower average IQ by approximately seven points. 18% of our sample was not analysed for various technical and behavioural reasons.ConclusionsBiological motion preference elicits small-to-medium-sized case–control effects, but individual differences do not strongly relate to core social autism associated symptomatology. We interpret this as an autistic difference (as opposed to a deficit) likely manifest in social brain regions. The extent to which this is an innate difference present from birth and central to the autistic phenotype, or the consequence of a life lived with ASD, is unclear.

【 授权许可】

CC BY