Atypical sound discrimination in children with ASD as indicated by cortical ERPs

Abstract

BackgroundIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show a relative indifference to the human voice. Accordingly, and contrarily to their typically developed peers, adults with autism do not show a preferential response to voices in the superior temporal sulcus; this lack of voice-specific response was previously linked to atypical processing of voices. In electroencephalography, a slow event-related potential (ERP) called the fronto-temporal positivity to voice (FTPV) is larger for vocal than for non-vocal sounds, resulting in a voice-sensitive response over right fronto-temporal sites. Here, we investigated the neurophysiological correlates of voice perception in children with and without ASD.MethodsSixteen children with autism and 16 age-matched typically developing children heard vocal (speech and non-speech) and non-vocal sounds while their electroencephalographic activity was recorded; overall IQ was smaller in the group of children with ASD. ERP amplitudes were compared using non-parametric statistical tests at each electrode and in successive 20-ms time windows. Within each group, differences between conditions were assessed using a non-parametric Quade test between 0 and 400 ms post-stimulus. Inter-group comparisons of ERP amplitudes were performed using non-paired Kruskal-Wallis tests between 140 and 180 ms post-stimulus.ResultsTypically developing children showed the classical voice-sensitive response over right fronto-temporal electrodes, for both speech and non-speech vocal sounds. Children with ASD did not show a preferential response to vocal sounds. Inter-group analysis showed no difference in the processing of vocal sounds, both speech and non-speech, but significant differences in the processing of non-vocal sounds over right fronto-temporal sites.ConclusionsOur results demonstrate a lack of voice-preferential response in children with autism spectrum disorders. In contrast to observations in adults with ASD, the lack of voice-preferential response was attributed to an atypical response to non-vocal sounds, which was overall more similar to the event-related potentials evoked by vocal sounds in both groups. This result suggests atypical maturation processes in ASD impeding the specialization of temporal regions in voice processing.

Emotional prosodic change detection in autism Spectrum disorder: an electrophysiological investigation in children and adults

“…Atypical auditory processing of vocal stimuli was evidenced in children with autism especially for the emotional stimulus. Previous studies investigating voice processing in children with autism [ 6 , 7 ] did not report any significant difference between groups for vocal stimuli processing. The context of stimulus presentation (speech stimuli only or speech/ non-speech/ non-vocal stimuli) could be responsible for the discrepancy between previous studies and ours as children with autism are sensitive to the stimulus sequence composition [ 10 ].…”

“…Experimental investigations using event-related potentials (ERP) or functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) have argued the absence of a voice-preferential brain response in ASD. In children, no voice-preferential response was evidenced [ 6 ] in relation to a larger brain response to non-vocal stimuli in subjects with ASD than in controls [ 7 ]. In adults, an absence of voice-preferential response was also originally described [ 8 ] attributed to a decreased brain activation to vocal stimuli, though this result has recently been refuted on a larger sample [ 9 ].…”

Structural and Functional Aberrations of the Auditory Brainstem in Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…19 Additionally, there is evidence that children with ASD have a preference for noise or nonverbal sounds over vocalizations 61 or marked impairment for hearing speech even when normal hearing existed for environmental sounds (eg, phone ringing, alarm). [62][63][64] A number of authors have compared thresholds using the ASR with some conflicting results: there are reports of normal middle ear reflexes in ASD 65,66 and a report of hypersensitivity. 67 We (LECOM researchers, including R.L.…”

Atypical Sound Perception in ASD Explained by Inter-Trial (In)consistency in EEG

“…More recently, TVA were evidenced in a group of participants with ASD with normal or above normal intelligence; all participants with autism displayed a larger activity to vocal than non-vocal sounds, and, overall, the group did not differ from TD participants (Schelinski et al, 2016). Using electroencephalography (EEG), it was shown that children with ASD, including both children with normal intelligence and intellectual delay, presented an atypical response to environmental sounds but not to vocal sounds (Bidet-Caulet et al, 2017). Yet, in another study, an atypical response to vocal sounds was observed in children with ASD but not in adults with ASD (Charpentier et al, 2018).…”

“…This approach when combined with a clinical evaluation involving multiple behavioral scales could also improve our understanding of the functional profiles of children with ASD. To this aim, data published in Bidet-Caulet et al (2017) were reanalyzed using a single-trial approach, and subsequently related to clinical scores with a logistic regression model.…”