Region-Wise Brain Response Classification of ASD Children Using EEG and BiLSTM RNN

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairment in sensory modulation. These sensory modulation deficits would ultimately lead them to difficulties in adaptive behavior and intellectual functioning. The purpose of this study was to observe changes in the nervous system with responses to auditory/visual and only audio stimuli in children with autism and typically developing (TD) through electroencephalography (EEG). In this study, 20 children with ASD and 20 children with TD were considered to investigate the difference in the neural dynamics. The neural dynamics could be understood by non-linear analysis of the EEG signal. In this research to reveal the underlying nonlinear EEG dynamics, recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) is applied. RQA measures were analyzed using various parameter changes in RQA computations. In this research, the cosine distance metric was considered due to its capability of information retrieval and the other distance metrics parameters are compared for identifying the best biomarker. Each computational combination of the RQA measure and the responding channel was analyzed and discussed. To classify ASD and TD, the resulting features from RQA were fed to the designed BiLSTM (bi-long short-term memory) network. The classification accuracy was tested channel-wise for each combination. T3 and T5 channels with neighborhood selection as FAN (fixed amount of nearest neighbors) and distance metric as cosine is considered as the best-suited combination to discriminate between ASD and TD with the classification accuracy of 91.86%, respectively.

Sensory Modulation and Participation in Daily Occupations in Stroke Survivors

Background. Stroke may alter sensory modulation and restrict participation in daily occupations. Although studies highlight the relationship between altered sensory modulation and reduced participation, this relationship in stroke survivors has not been studied enough. Purpose. To examine the prevalence of altered sensory modulation among stroke survivors; to compare sensory modulation and participation between stroke survivors and healthy controls; to estimate the relationship between sensory modulation and participation among stroke survivors. Method. Thirty stroke survivors and 30 healthy controls, aged 18–70, completed the MoCA, the Adolescent-Adult Sensory Profile and the Activity Card Sort. Findings. Altered sensory modulation was more prevalent among stroke survivors. Their participation was significantly restricted as compared to healthy controls. Lower tendency to seek sensory input predicted lower participation in social activities. Implications. Occupational therapists should screen for altered sensory modulation in stroke survivors and understand their impacts on participation, in order to improve intervention outcomes.

The corticospinal tract primarily modulates sensory inputs in the mouse lumbar cord

It is generally assumed that the main function of the corticospinal tract (CST) is to convey motor commands to bulbar or spinal motoneurons. Yet the CST has also been shown to modulate sensory signals at their entry point in the spinal cord through primary afferent depolarization (PAD). By sequentially investigating different routes of corticofugal pathways through electrophysiological recordings and an intersectional viral strategy, we here demonstrate that motor and sensory modulation commands in mice belong to segregated paths within the CST. Sensory modulation is executed exclusively by the CST via a population of lumbar interneurons located in the deep dorsal horn. In contrast, the cortex conveys the motor command via a relay in the upper spinal cord or supraspinal motor centers. At lumbar level, the main role of the CST is thus the modulation of sensory inputs, which is an essential component of the selective tuning of sensory feedback used to ensure well-coordinated and skilled movement.

Investigation of Sensory Modulation Dysfunction in Children in Congregate Foster Care

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Youth who reside in congregate-care foster homes are at greater risk of developing physical, emotional, and behavioral problems. Many of these children could benefit from OT services but are not yet identified because of a lack of assessment. Data from this study suggest sensory modulation challenges are common in this population and may contribute to observed behavior problems. Critical information is provided to advocate for OT services in the foster care system. Primary Author and Speaker: Amy Armstrong-Heimsoth Additional Authors and Speakers: Sarah A. Schoen Contributing Authors: Tessa Burt

Is Sensory Modulation Disorder a Risk Factor for Female Sexual Dysfunction?

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. Individuals with female sexual dysfunction (FSD) were found to be at increased risk for sensory over-responsivity across sensory modalities. OTs provide services for a variety of diagnostic populations with sexual dysfunction and should expand their unique role to include individuals with co-occurring FSD and sensory modulation disorder, by incorporating sensory processing into the routine evaluation and providing sensory strategies to facilitate satisfying sexual functioning. Primary Author and Speaker: Aviva Yochman Contributing Authors: Mijal Luria, Hadas Noy-Nota

Sensory Modulation in Children Exposed to Continuous Traumatic Stress

Date Presented Accepted for AOTA INSPIRE 2021 but unable to be presented due to online event limitations. A comparison between children with and without posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms found that children with PTS symptoms are at increased risk for sensory processing deficits in various sensory modalities, over and above the core symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder. These results emphasize that sensory processing should be incorporated into the routine evaluation of this population and point to the importance of OT trauma-informed intervention programs, emphasizing the sensory component of regulation. Primary Author and Speaker: Aviva Yochman

The association between sensory traits and daily parenting challenges of typical mothers and their children

Introduction Sensory modulation impacts daily family life; however, parents’ sensory traits are rarely considered and analysed together with their child’s. This study aimed to: (1) determine the association between healthy child and mother sensory modulation traits and (2) examine how these traits interact in predicting daily parenting challenges. Method Seventy-three healthy mothers of typically developing 3–6-year-old children completed the Short Sensory Profile, Adult/Adolescent Sensory Profile and Parenting Daily Hassles questionnaires. Mother and child sensory over-responsivity (SOR), under-responsivity (SUR) and seeking traits were entered as predictors of frequency of daily hassles. Results Mother and child’s SOR and SUR traits were significantly associated ( r = .33 and .25, respectively). The frequency of parenting challenges was significantly associated with both mother and child’s sensory seeking ( r = .25 and .26, respectively). A mediation model demonstrated a significant indirect effect of mother SOR on the frequency of daily hassles ( β = .26, p < .05), with the child’s SOR ( β = .33, p < .01), and seeking behaviours ( β = .48, p < .001) mediating this effect. Conclusion Mothers with elevated sensory traits of children with elevated sensory traits are likely to experience higher frequencies of daily parenting burden, even within the typical population. Therapists who wish to practice a developmental and family-centred approach should assess how the mother–child sensory traits interact and how this interaction can influence the family’s well-being.

Infant sensory patterns: associations with previous perinatal loss, maternal-foetal attachment and postnatal maternal sensory patterns

Purpose This paper aims to investigate infant sensory patterns and their associations with previous perinatal loss, maternal-foetal attachment and postnatal maternal sensory patterns. Design/methodology/approach In a prospective cohort study, women with and without perinatal loss (N = 57) were recruited from an Australian public hospital. Participants were surveyed during pregnancy (maternal-foetal attachment, loss) and again postnatally (maternal/infant sensory patterns). Chi-square tests and logistic regression analyses controlling for previous perinatal loss were conducted with infant sensory patterns as outcome variables. Findings “More than typical” infant low registration was associated with poorer quality of maternal-foetal attachment. “More than typical” infant sensory seeking was associated with previous perinatal loss and higher levels of maternal sensory seeking. “More than typical” infant sensory sensitivity was linked with previous perinatal loss, poorer quality of maternal-foetal attachment and higher maternal low registration. “More than typical” infant sensory avoidance was associated with poorer quality of maternal-foetal attachment and higher levels of maternal sensory sensitivity. Practical implications To support more typical infant sensory patterns, results point to the potential benefit of occupational therapists supporting pregnant women with previous perinatal loss; facilitating favourable maternal-foetal attachment; and educating new mothers on how their sensory patterns impact on interactions with their infant. Sensory modulation strategies that consider the sensory patterns of both mother and infant may be beneficial to promote engagement in co-occupations. Originality/value These findings are the first to suggest that previous perinatal loss, poorer quality of maternal-foetal attachment and higher levels of maternal postnatal sensory patterns represent risk factors for infant sensory patterns that are “more than typical.”