scholarly journals 4091 Influence of Vision and Proprioception on Motor Control in ASD

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (s1) ◽  
pp. 97-97
Author(s):  
Robin L Shafer ◽  
Zheng Wang ◽  
Matthew W. Mosconi

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Sensorimotor integration deficits are common in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). There is evidence for both an over-reliance on visual and proprioceptive feedback during motor control in ASD, suggesting deficits in the ability to modulate sensory feedback processing in order to use the most reliable input. This study aims to test this hypothesis. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: 40 persons with ASD (ages 10-33 yrs) and 25 age-, sex- and nonverbal IQ-matched controls completed precision gripping tasks under multiple proprioceptive and visual feedback conditions. Participants squeezed a force sensor with their index finger and thumb and tried to match their force output to a target force. Visual feedback of the target force (stationary bar) and their force output (bar that moved up/down with increased/decreased force) were displayed on a computer screen. Visual feedback was presented across low, medium, and high gain levels; the force bar moved a greater distance per change in force at higher gains. Proprioceptive feedback was manipulated using 80Hz tendon vibration at the wrist to create an illusion that the muscle is contracted. Force regularity (approximate entropy; ApEn) was examined. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We have scored data from 18 participants with ASD and 13 control participants to date. Preliminary results from these participants indicate a Group x Tendon Vibration x Visual Gain interaction for ApEn (F = 1.559, p = 0.023). Individuals with ASD show slight increases in ApEn with 80Hz tendon vibration relative to no tendon vibration in all visual conditions. Controls showed increased ApEn during 80Hz compared to no tendon vibration at low visual gain but decreased ApEn with tendon vibration at high visual gain. These preliminary results indicate that controls shift to using a secondary source of sensory feedback (e.g., proprioception) when the primary source (e.g., vision) is degraded. However, persons with ASD do not reweight different sensory feedback processes as feedback inputs are degraded or magnified. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Our preliminary results reveal that sensorimotor issues in ASD result from deficits in the reweighting of sensory feedback. Namely, persons with ASD fail to dynamically recalibrate feedback processes across visual and proprioceptive systems when feedback conditions change. Our results may aid treatment development for sensorimotor issues in ASD.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin L Shafer ◽  
Zheng Wang ◽  
James Bartolotti ◽  
Matthew W. Mosconi

Abstract Background Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show deficits processing sensory feedback to reactively adjust ongoing motor behaviors. Atypical reliance on visual and proprioceptive feedback each have been reported during motor behaviors in ASD suggesting that impairments are not specific to one sensory domain but may instead reflect a deficit in multisensory processing, resulting in reliance on unimodal feedback. The present study tested this hypothesis by examining motor behavior across different visual and proprioceptive feedback conditions during a visually guided precision grip force test. Methods Participants with ASD (N = 43) and age-matched typically developing (TD) controls (N = 23), range 10–20 years, completed a test of precision gripping. They pressed on force sensors with their index finger and thumb while receiving visual feedback on a computer screen in the form of a horizontal bar that moved upwards with increased force. They were instructed to press so that the bar reached the level of a static target bar and then to hold their grip force as steadily as possible. Visual feedback was manipulated by changing the gain of the force bar. Proprioceptive feedback was manipulated by applying 80 Hz tendon vibration at the wrist to induce an illusion of muscle elongation. Force variability (standard deviation) and irregularity (sample entropy) were examined using multilevel linear models. Results While TD controls showed increased force variability with the tendon vibration on compared to off, individuals with ASD showed similar levels of force variability across tendon vibration conditions. Individuals with ASD showed stronger age-associated reductions in force variability relative to controls across conditions. The ASD group also showed greater age-associated increases in force irregularity relative to controls, especially at higher gain levels and when the tendon vibrator was turned on. Conclusions Our findings that individuals with ASD show similar levels of force variability and regularity during induced proprioceptive illusions suggest a reduced ability to integrate proprioceptive feedback information to guide ongoing precision manual motor behavior. We also document stronger age-associated gains in force control in ASD relative to TD suggesting delayed development of multisensory feedback control of motor behavior.


2015 ◽  
Vol 113 (7) ◽  
pp. 1989-2001 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng Wang ◽  
Grant C. Magnon ◽  
Stormi P. White ◽  
Rachel K. Greene ◽  
David E. Vaillancourt ◽  
...  

Sensorimotor impairments are common in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but they are not well understood. Here we examined force control during initial pulses and the subsequent rise, sustained, and relaxation phases of precision gripping in 34 individuals with ASD and 25 healthy control subjects. Participants pressed on opposing load cells with their thumb and index finger while receiving visual feedback regarding their performance. They completed 2- and 8-s trials during which they pressed at 15%, 45%, or 85% of their maximum force. Initial pulses guided by feedforward control mechanisms, sustained force output controlled by visual feedback processes, and force relaxation rates all were examined. Control subjects favored an initial pulse strategy characterized by a rapid increase in and then relaxation of force when the target force was low ( Type 1). When the target force level or duration of trials was increased, control subjects transitioned to a strategy in which they more gradually increased their force, paused, and then increased their force again. Individuals with ASD showed a more persistent bias toward the Type 1 strategy at higher force levels and during longer trials, and their initial force output was less accurate than that of control subjects. Patients showed increased force variability compared with control subjects when attempting to sustain a constant force level. During the relaxation phase, they showed reduced rates of force decrease. These findings suggest that both feedforward and feedback motor control mechanisms are compromised in ASD and these deficits may contribute to the dyspraxia and sensorimotor abnormalities often seen in this disorder.


2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniele Leonardis ◽  
Antonio Frisoli ◽  
Michele Barsotti ◽  
Marcello Carrozzino ◽  
Massimo Bergamasco

This study investigates how the sense of embodiment in virtual environments can be enhanced by multisensory feedback related to body movements. In particular, we analyze the effect of combined vestibular and proprioceptive afferent signals on the perceived embodiment within an immersive walking scenario. These feedback signals were applied by means of a motion platform and by tendon vibration of lower limbs, evoking illusory leg movements. Vestibular and proprioceptive feedback were provided congruently with a rich virtual scenario reconstructing a real city, rendered on a head-mounted display (HMD). The sense of embodiment was evaluated through both self-reported questionnaires and physiological measurements in two experimental conditions: with all active sensory feedback (highly embodied condition), and with visual feedback only. Participants' self-reports show that the addition of both vestibular and proprioceptive feedback increases the sense of embodiment and the individual's feeling of presence associated with the walking experience. Furthermore, the embodiment condition significantly increased the measured galvanic skin response and respiration rate. The obtained results suggest that vestibular and proprioceptive feedback can improve the participant's sense of embodiment in the virtual experience.


1975 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 162-165 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack A. Adams ◽  
Daniel Gopher ◽  
Gavan Lintern

A self paced linear positioning task was used to study the effects of visual and proprioceptive feedback on learning and performance. Subjects were trained with knowledge of results (KR) and tested without it. The analysis of the absolute error scores of the no-KR trials is discussed in this paper. Visual feedback was the more effective source of sensory feedback, but proprioceptive feedback was also effective. An observation that the response did not become independent of sensory feedback as a result of learning, was interpreted as supporting Adams closed loop theory of motor learning in preference to the motor program hypothesis. Other data showed that the presence of visual feedback during learning could inhibit the later effectiveness of proprioceptive feedback.


2018 ◽  
Vol 31 (5) ◽  
pp. 455-480 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Goodman ◽  
Valentin A. Crainic ◽  
Stephen R. Bested ◽  
Darrin O. Wijeyaratnam ◽  
John de Grosbois ◽  
...  

In order to maximize the precise completion of voluntary actions, humans can theoretically utilize both visual and proprioceptive information to plan and amend ongoing limb trajectories. Although vision has been thought to be a more dominant sensory modality, research has shown that sensory feedback may be processed as a function of its relevance and reliability. As well, theoretical models of voluntary action have suggested that both vision and proprioception can be used to prepare online trajectory amendments. However, empirical evidence regarding the use of proprioception for online control has come from indirect manipulations from the sensory feedback (i.e., without directly perturbing the afferent information; e.g., visual–proprioceptive mismatch). In order to directly assess the relative contributions of visual and proprioceptive feedback to the online control of voluntary actions, direct perturbations to both vision (i.e., liquid crystal goggles) and proprioception (i.e., tendon vibration) were implemented in two experiments. The first experiment employed the manipulations while participants simply performed a rapid goal-directed movement (30 cm amplitude). Results from this first experiment yielded no significant evidence that proprioceptive feedback contributed to online control processes. The second experiment employed an imperceptible target jump to elicit online trajectory amendments. Without or with tendon vibration, participants still corrected for the target jumps. The current study provided more evidence of the importance of vision for online control but little support for the importance of proprioception for online limb–target regulation mechanisms.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin L. Shafer ◽  
Zheng Wang ◽  
James Bartolotti ◽  
Matthew W. Mosconi

Abstract Background Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show deficits processing sensory feedback to reactively adjust ongoing motor behaviors. Atypical reliance on visual and somatosensory feedback each have been reported during motor behaviors in ASD suggesting that impairments are not specific to one sensory domain but may instead reflect a deficit in multisensory processing, resulting in reliance on unimodal feedback. The present study tested this hypothesis by examining motor behavior across different visual and somatosensory feedback conditions during a visually guided precision grip force test. Methods Participants with ASD (N = 43) and age-matched typically developing (TD) controls (N = 23), ages 10–20 years, completed a test of precision gripping. They pressed on force transducers with their index finger and thumb while receiving visual feedback on a computer screen in the form of a horizontal bar that moved upwards with increased force. They were instructed to press so that the bar reached the level of a static target bar and then to hold their grip force as steadily as possible. Visual feedback was manipulated by changing the gain of the force bar. Somatosensory feedback was manipulated by applying 80 Hz tendon vibration at the wrist to disrupt the somatosensory percept. Force variability (standard deviation) and irregularity (sample entropy) were examined using multilevel linear models. Results While TD controls showed increased force variability with the tendon vibration on compared to off, individuals with ASD showed similar levels of force variability across tendon vibration conditions. Individuals with ASD showed stronger age-associated reductions in force variability relative to controls across conditions. The ASD group also showed greater age-associated increases in force irregularity relative to controls, especially at higher gain levels and when the tendon vibrator was turned on. Conclusions Our findings that disrupting somatosensory feedback did not contribute to changes in force variability or regularity among individuals with ASD suggests a reduced ability to integrate somatosensory feedback information to guide ongoing precision manual motor behavior. We also document stronger age-associated gains in force control in ASD relative to TD suggesting delayed development of multisensory feedback control of motor behavior.


1999 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 234-244
Author(s):  
Uwe Niederberger ◽  
Wolf-Dieter Gerber

Abstract In two experiments with four and two groups of healthy subjects, a novel motor task, the voluntary abduction of the right big toe, was trained. This task cannot usually be performed without training and is therefore ideal for the study of elementary motor learning. A systematic variation of proprioceptive, tactile, visual, and EMG feedback was used. In addition to peripheral measurements such as the voluntary range of motion and EMG output during training, a three-channel EEG was recorded over Cz, C3, and C4. The movement-related brain potential during distinct periods of the training was analyzed as a central nervous parameter of the ongoing learning process. In experiment I, we randomized four groups of 12 subjects each (group P: proprioceptive feedback; group PT: proprioceptive and tactile feedback; group PTV: proprioceptive, tactile, and visual feedback; group PTEMG: proprioceptive, tactile, and EMG feedback). Best training results were reported from the PTEMG and PTV groups. The movement-preceding cortical activity, in the form of the amplitude of the readiness potential at the time of EMG onset, was greatest in these two groups. Results of experiment II revealed a similar effect, with a greater training success and a higher electrocortical activation under additional EMG feedback compared to proprioceptive feedback alone. Sensory EMG feedback as evaluated by peripheral and central nervous measurements appears to be useful in motor training and neuromuscular re-education.


Nutrients ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julio Plaza-Díaz ◽  
Antonio Gómez-Fernández ◽  
Natalia Chueca ◽  
María Torre-Aguilar ◽  
Ángel Gil ◽  
...  

New microbiome sequencing technologies provide novel information about the potential interactions among intestinal microorganisms and the host in some neuropathologies as autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The microbiota–gut–brain axis is an emerging aspect in the generation of autistic behaviors; evidence from animal models suggests that intestinal microbial shifts may produce changes fitting the clinical picture of autism. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the fecal metagenomic profiles in children with ASD and compare them with healthy participants. This comparison allows us to ascertain how mental regression (an important variable in ASD) could influence the intestinal microbiota profile. For this reason, a subclassification in children with ASD by mental regression (AMR) and no mental regression (ANMR) phenotype was performed. The present report was a descriptive observational study. Forty-eight children aged 2–6 years with ASD were included: 30 with ANMR and 18 with AMR. In addition, a control group of 57 normally developing children was selected and matched to the ASD group by sex and age. Fecal samples were analyzed with a metagenomic approach using a next-generation sequencing platform. Several differences between children with ASD, compared with the healthy group, were detected. Namely, Actinobacteria and Proteobacteria at phylum level, as well as, Actinobacteria, Bacilli, Erysipelotrichi, and Gammaproteobacteria at class level were found at higher proportions in children with ASD. Additionally, Proteobacteria levels showed to be augmented exclusively in AMR children. Preliminary results, using a principal component analysis, showed differential patterns in children with ASD, ANMR and AMR, compared to healthy group, both for intestinal microbiota and food patterns. In this study, we report, higher levels of Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria and Bacilli, aside from Erysipelotrichi, and Gammaproteobacteria in children with ASD compared to healthy group. Furthermore, AMR children exhibited higher levels of Proteobacteria. Further analysis using these preliminary results and mixing metagenomic and other “omic” technologies are needed in larger cohorts of children with ASD to confirm these intestinal microbiota changes.


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