scholarly journals Bridging physiological and perceptual views of autism by means of sampling-based Bayesian inference

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-27
Author(s):  
Rodrigo Echeveste ◽  
Enzo Ferrante ◽  
Diego H. Milone ◽  
Inés Samengo
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Neural Circuit ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Physiological Level ◽  
Cortical Dynamics ◽  
Significant Challenge ◽  
Characteristic Features ◽  
Neural Variability ◽  
Two Sides ◽  
Different Levels

Abstract Theories for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been formulated at different levels: ranging from physiological observations to perceptual and behavioral descriptions. Understanding the physiological underpinnings of perceptual traits in ASD remains a significant challenge in the field. Here we show how a recurrent neural circuit model which was optimized to perform sampling-based inference and displays characteristic features of cortical dynamics can help bridge this gap. The model was able to establish a mechanistic link between two descriptive levels for ASD: a physiological level, in terms of inhibitory dysfunction, neural variability and oscillations, and a perceptual level, in terms of hypopriors in Bayesian computations. We took two parallel paths: inducing hypopriors in the probabilistic model, and an inhibitory dysfunction in the network model, which lead to consistent results in terms of the represented posteriors, providing support for the view that both descriptions might constitute two sides of the same coin.

Altered EEG Variability on Different Time Scales in Participants with Autism Spectrum Disorder

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lukas Hecker ◽  
Mareike Wilson ◽  
Ludger Tebartz van Elst ◽  
Jürgen Kornmeier
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Time Scales ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Multiple Time Scales ◽  
Multiple Time ◽  
Neural Noise ◽  
Scientific Attention ◽  
Neural Variability ◽  
Different Time Scales

Abstract Background: One of the great challenges in psychiatry is finding reliable biomarkers that may allow for more accurate diagnosis and treatment of patients. In this context the topic of neural variability received scientific attention in recent years. Altered neural variability was found in different cohorts of patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using both functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and electroencephalography (EEG). These findings lead to the neural noise hypothesis of ASD. The number of studies focusing on neural variability is, however, yet small and the reported effects are controversial and poorly understood. Methods: In the present study we compared different temporal and structural aspects of variability in visually evoked EEG activity in a cohort of 16 adult participants with Asperger Syndrome (AS) and 19 matched neurotypical (NT) controls. Participants performed a visual oddball task using fine and coarse checkerboard stimuli. Results: We investigated various measures of neural variability and found effects on multiple time scales. (1) As opposed to some of the previous studies, we found reduced inter-trial variability in the AS group compared to NT. (2) This effect builds up over the entire course of a 5-minute experiment and (3) seems to be based on smaller variability of neural background activity in patients compared to NTs. Limitations: The present study is exploratory in nature with a hypothesis generating character. Further studies with a new and larger set of participants are thus mandatory to verify or falsify our findings. Conclusion: The here reported variability effects come with considerably large effect sizes, making them promising candidates for potentially reliable biomarkers in psychiatric diagnostics. The observed pattern of universality across different time scales and stimulation conditions indicates trade like effects. The inconsistency of our findings with previous reports from the literature, on the other hand, rather points towards state-like effects, specific to the current stimulus material and/or experimental paradigm.

scholarly journals Social behaviour and social cognition in high-functioning adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): two sides of the same coin?

2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (4) ◽  
pp. 545-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evelien M. Barendse ◽  
Marc P. H. Hendriks ◽  
Geert Thoonen ◽  
Albert P. Aldenkamp ◽  
Roy P. C. Kessels
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Cognition ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
High Functioning ◽  
Adolescents With Autism ◽  
Two Sides

scholarly journals Prosodic entrainment in individuals with autism spectrum disorder

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 47-61
Author(s):  
Joanna Kruyt ◽  
Štefan Beňuš
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Ecological Validity ◽  
Open Science ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Social Difficulties ◽  
Automatic Methods ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Different Levels ◽  
Monitoring Progress

Abstract Entrainment is the tendency of people to behave similarly during an interaction. It occurs on different levels of behaviour, including speech, and has been associated with pro-social behaviour and increased rapport. This review paper outlines the current understanding of linguistic entrainment, particularly at the speech level, in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a disorder that is associated with social difficulties and unusual prosody. Aberrant entrainment patterns in individuals with ASD could thus contribute to both their perceived unusual prosody and their social difficulties. Studying the relationship between speech entrainment and ASD holds great potential for applied benefits in utilizing this knowledge for pre-screening or diagnosis, monitoring progress longitudinally, and intervention practices. Our findings suggest that research on entrainment in ASD is sparse and exploratory, and the ecological validity of experimental paradigms varies. Moreover, there is little consistency in methodology and results vary between studies, which highlights the need for standardized methods in entrainment research. A promising way to standardize methods, facilitate their use, and extend them to everyday clinical practice, is by implementing automatic methods for speech analysis and adhering to open-science principles.

Problem behavior in autism spectrum disorders: A paradigmatic self-organized perspective of network structures

2019 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucio Tonello ◽  
Luca Giacobbi ◽  
Alberto Pettenon ◽  
Alessandro Scuotto ◽  
Massimo Cocchi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Problem Behaviors ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
The Self ◽  
Network Structures ◽  
Self Organized ◽  
Critical Equilibrium ◽  
Self Organized Criticality ◽  
Acute Agitation ◽  
Spectrum Disorders

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) subjects can present temporary behaviors of acute agitation and aggressiveness, named problem behaviors. They have been shown to be consistent with the self-organized criticality (SOC), a model wherein occasionally occurring “catastrophic events” are necessary in order to maintain a self-organized “critical equilibrium.” The SOC can represent the psychopathology network structures and additionally suggests that they can be considered as self-organized systems.

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.

Parent Education in Studies With Nonverbal and Minimally Verbal Participants With Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 890-902
Author(s):  
Lynn Kern Koegel ◽  
Katherine M. Bryan ◽  
Pumpki Lei Su ◽  
Mohini Vaidya ◽  
Stephen Camarata
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Parent Education ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Verbal Communication ◽  
Fidelity Of Implementation ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Education Programs ◽  
Minimally Verbal ◽  
Parent Education Programs

Purpose The purpose of this systematic review was to identify parent education procedures implemented in intervention studies focused on expressive verbal communication for nonverbal (NV) or minimally verbal (MV) children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Parent education has been shown to be an essential component in the habilitation of individuals with ASD. Parents of individuals with ASD who are NV or MV may particularly benefit from parent education in order to provide opportunities for communication and to support their children across the life span. Method ProQuest databases were searched between the years of 1960 and 2018 to identify articles that targeted verbal communication in MV and NV individuals with ASD. A total of 1,231 were evaluated to assess whether parent education was implemented. We found 36 studies that included a parent education component. These were reviewed with regard to (a) the number of participants and participants' ages, (b) the parent education program provided, (c) the format of the parent education, (d) the duration of the parent education, (e) the measurement of parent education, and (f) the parent fidelity of implementation scores. Results The results of this analysis showed that very few studies have included a parent education component, descriptions of the parent education programs are unclear in most studies, and few studies have scored the parents' implementation of the intervention. Conclusions Currently, there is great variability in parent education programs in regard to participant age, hours provided, fidelity of implementation, format of parent education, and type of treatment used. Suggestions are made to provide both a more comprehensive description and consistent measurement of parent education programs.

The Influence of Language Context on Repetitive Speech Use in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 327-334 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allison Gladfelter ◽  
Cassidy VanZuiden
Keyword(s):  
Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Autism Spectrum ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Receptive Vocabulary ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
School Age Children ◽  
Social Responsiveness ◽  
Contributing Factors ◽  
Children With Asd ◽  
Language Context

Purpose Although repetitive speech is a hallmark characteristic of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the contributing factors that influence repetitive speech use remain unknown. The purpose of this exploratory study was to determine if the language context impacts the amount and type of repetitive speech produced by children with ASD. Method As part of a broader word-learning study, 11 school-age children with ASD participated in two different language contexts: storytelling and play. Previously collected language samples were transcribed and coded for four types of repetitive speech: immediate echolalia, delayed echolalia, verbal stereotypy, and vocal stereotypy. The rates and proportions of repetitive speech were compared across the two language contexts using Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests. Individual characteristics were further explored using Spearman correlations. Results The children produced lower rates of repetitive speech during the storytelling context than the play-based context. Only immediate echolalia differed between the two contexts based on rate and approached significance based on proportion, with more immediate echolalia produced in the play-based context than in the storytelling context. There were no significant correlations between repetitive speech and measures of social responsiveness, expressive or receptive vocabulary, or nonverbal intelligence. Conclusions The children with ASD produced less immediate echolalia in the storytelling context than in the play-based context. Immediate echolalia use was not related to social skills, vocabulary, or nonverbal IQ scores. These findings offer valuable insights into better understanding repetitive speech use in children with ASD.

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