Attenuated contact heat-evoked potentials associated with sensory and social-emotional symptoms in individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Sensory disturbance is associated with socio-emotional problems in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most studies assess sensory symptoms by self-reports, which are largely limited by the language ability and self-awareness of the individuals. This study aims to investigate sensory disturbance by contact heat-evoked potentials (CHEP) in ASD individuals, and to examine the clinical correlates of CHEP parameters. We compared the CHEP parameters and reported pain between 31 ASD individuals (aged 20.5 ± 5.2 years) and and 22 typically-developing controls (TD, aged 21.4 ± 2.6), and correlated the CHEP parameters with self-reported sensory symptoms and attention/socio-emotional symptoms. We found that ASD individuals showed smaller P2-wave amplitudes than TD, even though they reported a similar level of pain. In TD individuals, a smaller P2-wave amplitude was related to higher scores on ‘low registration,’ ‘attention to detail,’ and ‘attention switching difficulties.’ In ASD individuals, longer N2-wave latency was related to higher scores on ‘sensory sensitivity’ and socio-emotional problems; while higher reported pain was associated with higher scores on ‘low registration,’ overall autistic severity, and longer N2-wave latency. Our findings of attenuated CHEP response in ASD, which was associated with sensory symptoms and socio-emotional problems, suggest a potential role for CHEP in studying sensory disturbances in ASD.

Overlaps and distinctions between attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder in young adulthood: Systematic review and guiding framework for EEG-imaging research

“…Further support for atypical early pain processing in ASD at age 20 was demonstrated by a reduced P2 amplitude induced by thermal pain, administered with a contact heat-evoked potential stimulator on the right lateral leg, despite equivalent self-reported pain levels to non-ASD controls (Chien et al, 2017). Administration of oxytocin appeared to enhance the LPP amplitude in individuals with ASD at age 22, but only if they were also easily distressed when seeing others in stressful situations (Althaus et al, 2015), suggesting that importance of considering individual differences within ASD.…”

A co-twin-control study of altered sensory processing in autism

“…The Swedish version was used, which is adapted to Swedish conditions both linguistically and culturally and validated in 500 individuals between 11 and 65 years ( Brown & Dunn, 2014 ). The Low Registration sub-domain contains questions assessing how commonly individuals do not notice sensory stimuli or are unable to detect them such as “I don’t smell things that other people say they smell.” The Sensory Sensitivity sub-domain contains questions concerning aversive effects of sensory stimuli, such as “I am distracted if there is a lot of noises around.” The Sensation Seeking sub-domain assesses actions that people undertake in order to enhance sensory input, for example, “I like to go to places that have bright lights and that are colorful.” In contrast, the Sensation Avoiding sub-domain assesses actions that are undertaken in order to limit sensory input, for example, “I stay away from noisy settings.” Higher scores indicate more sensory symptoms and individuals diagnosed with ASD typically score higher than TD individuals in the domains Low Registration, Sensory Sensitivity , and Sensation Avoiding , but often lower in the Sensation Seeking domain of the AASP ( Chien et al, 2017 ; Crane et al, 2009 ).…”

“…In contrast, the Sensation Avoiding sub-domain assesses actions that are undertaken in order to limit sensory input, for example, "I stay away from noisy settings." Higher scores indicate more sensory symptoms and individuals diagnosed with ASD typically score higher than TD individuals in the domains Low Registration, Sensory Sensitivity, and Sensation Avoiding, but often lower in the Sensation Seeking domain of the AASP (Chien et al, 2017;Crane et al, 2009).…”

Nociception, douleur et autisme

“…Cependant, en distinguant les différentes modalités nociceptives, certaines différences peuvent apparaître, mais elles sont loin d'être consensuelles. Concernant la sensibilité nociceptive thermique au chaud et au froid, par exemple, une hyper-sensibilité mais également une absence de différence ont été décrites [11,[17][18][19][20][21][22]. Quant aux études relatives à la modalité nociceptive mécanique, elles indiquent des normo-, des hypo-ou des hyper-sensibilités [11,19,23,24].…”

“…L'absence de différences dans la sensibilité douloureuse retrouvée dans certaines études n'indique donc pas obligatoirement une absence de différences d'encodage des stimulations nociceptives. Par exemple, la réponse corticale observée par électroencéphalographie à la suite d'une stimulation nociceptive chaude, appelée potentiel évoqué thermique, est diminuée chez les individus porteurs de TSA, et ceci même si l'intensité n'est pas décrite comme différente sur l'échelle verbale [21]. Récemment, l'imagerie fonctionnelle par IRM (imagerie par résonance magnétique) a permis de caractériser une réponse cérébrale « signature » de la douleur, définie par l'augmentation de l'activité hémodynamique de certaines zones du cerveau (thalamus, cortex somato-sensoriel, insula, cortex cingulaire antérieur, etc.)…”