Brain activation during semantic processing in autism spectrum disorders via functional magnetic resonance imaging

Harris, Gordon J.; Chabris, Christopher F.; Clark, Jill; Urban, Trinity; Aharon, Itzhak; Steele, Shelley; McGrath, Lauren M.; Condouris, Karen; Tager–Flusberg, Helen

doi:10.1016/j.bandc.2005.12.015

Cited by 216 publications

(190 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…Unlike the current study, decreased activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus and increased left temporal lobe activation during sentence comprehension (Just et al, 2004;Kana et al, 2006), semantic processing (Gaffrey et al, 2007;Harris et al, 2006) has been previously reported in FMRI studies of language in ASD. Increased temporal lobe activation during language processing was interpreted to reflect an unusual strength in single word processing (Just et al, 2004).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Atypical functional lateralization of language in autism spectrum disorders

et al. 2008

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Impaired language is a prominent behavioral marker of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but its neurobiological underpinnings are incompletely understood. We studied letter and category fluency in 14 high functioning ASD individuals and 14 age-matched controls. Each fluency condition was compared to self-paced repetition of the word "nothing." Responses were recorded to monitor performance. In letter fluency, the ASD group had significantly greater activation than controls in the right frontal and right superior temporal lobe. Between-group differences were not observed in left prefrontal cortex. By examining functional asymmetry in frontal cortex, we found that the ASD group had significantly reduced lateralization of activation patterns in letter fluency compared to the controls. In category fluency, no between-group differences in lateralization were found, in light of greater bilateral activation in controls. These findings indicate reduced hemispheric differentiation for certain verbal fluency tasks in ASD, consistent with some previous evidence of atypical functional and structural asymmetries in autism. Abnormal functional organization may contribute to the language impairment seen in ASD.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 56%

Atypical functional lateralization of language in autism spectrum disorders

et al. 2008

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“…Moving to semantic processing, which has been shown in behavioral and imaging studies to be impaired in individuals with autism (Harris et al 2006), Dunn and Bates (2005) performed a study in which 8-11 year old high-functioning children and typical controls were presented with lists of words, half belonging to a specified semantic category (e.g., animals) and the other half from other categories. Their task was to choose targets in a particular semantic category.…”

Section: Auditory Social Cognition: Erps In Language Processingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Event Related Potentials in the Understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Analytical Review

Jeste

Nelson

2008

J Autism Dev Disord

157

160

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In this paper we critically review the literature on the use of event related potentials (ERPs) to elucidate the neural sources of the core deficits in autism. We review auditory and visual ERP studies, and then review the use of ERPs in the investigation of executive function. We conclude that, in autism, impairments likely exist in both low and higher level auditory and visual processing, with prominent impairments in the processing of social stimuli. We also discuss the putative neural circuitry underlying these deficits. As we look to the future, we posit that tremendous insight can be gained by applying ERPs to the definition of endophenotypes, which, in turn, can facilitate early diagnosis and the creation of informed interventions for children with autism. KeywordsEvent related potential (ERP); Autism; Auditory processing; Visual processing Since autism was first described by Kanner over fifty years ago (Kanner 1943), the neurobiology of this disorder has become the focus of intense scientific investigation. While extensive efforts have been made in describing the behaviors that define autism, only in recent years has progress been made to elucidate the underlying neural circuitry involved in autism, through structural and, more recently, functional neuroimaging. Through these studies has come a heightened interest in aberrant neural circuitry in autism. Of the neuroimaging tools that have been used to elucidate brain circuitry, functional electrophysiology stands alone in capacity to define early (i.e. in infancy) neural markers and endophenotypes. This technique, therefore, warrants further scrutiny. Using functional electrophysiology, defined by evoked potentials and then by event related potentials (ERPs), researchers have begun to elucidate sources of the core deficits in autism

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“…These pragmatic language impairments are thought to be related to deficits in Theory of Mind, or the capacity to make inferences about what others think, feel and know (Baron-Cohen, Leslie, & Frith, 1985;Baron-Cohen, 1988;Happé, 1993;Tager-Flusberg, 1993, 1997. Several studies have found atypical brain activation in autism during the processing of language (Harris et al, 2006;Just, Cherkassky, Keller, & Minshew, 2004;Kana, Keller, Cherkassky, Minshew, & Just, 2006) and during mental state attribution or Theory of Mind tasks (Castelli, Frith, Happé, & Frith, 2002;Schultz et al, 2003). Furthermore, a recent study on the comprehension of irony found significantly higher activation in Theory of Mind regions in autism, indicating the difficulty participants with autism face in tasks that involve language and Theory of Mind (Wang, Lee, Sigman, & Dapretto, 2006).…”

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confidence: 99%

Theory of Mind disruption and recruitment of the right hemisphere during narrative comprehension in autism

et al. 2008

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The intersection of Theory of Mind (ToM) processing and complex narrative comprehension in high functioning autism was examined by comparing cortical activation during the reading of passages that required inferences based on either intentions, emotional states, or physical causality. Right hemisphere activation was substantially greater for all sentences in the autism group than in a matched control group suggesting decreased LH capacity in autism resulting in a spillover of processing to RH homologs. Moreover, the ToM network was disrupted. The autism group showed similar activation for all inference types in the right temporo-parietal component of the ToM network whereas the control participants selectively activated this network only when appropriate. The autism group had lower functional connectivity within the ToM network and also between the ToM and a left hemisphere language network. Furthermore, the within-network functional connectivity in autism was correlated with the size of the anterior portion of the corpus callosum.

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Brain activation during semantic processing in autism spectrum disorders via functional magnetic resonance imaging

Cited by 216 publications

References 57 publications

Atypical functional lateralization of language in autism spectrum disorders

Atypical functional lateralization of language in autism spectrum disorders

Event Related Potentials in the Understanding of Autism Spectrum Disorders: An Analytical Review

Theory of Mind disruption and recruitment of the right hemisphere during narrative comprehension in autism

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