Developmental Changes in Brain Function Underlying Inhibitory Control in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

The development of inhibitory control—the ability to suppress inappropriate actions in order to make goal-directed responses—is often impaired in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In the present study, we examined whether the impairments in inhibitory control evident in ASD reflect—in part—differences in the development of the neural substrates of inhibitory control from adolescence into adulthood. We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study on the anti-saccade task, a probe of inhibitory control, in high-functioning adolescents and adults with ASD compared to a matched group of typically developing (TD) individuals. The ASD group did not show the age-related improvements in behavioral performance from adolescence to adulthood evident in the typical group, consistent with previous behavioral work. The fMRI results indicated that much of the circuitry recruited by the ASD group was similar to the TD group. However, the ASD group demonstrated some unique patterns, including: (a) a failure to recruit the frontal eye field during response preparation in adolescence but comparable recruitment in adulthood; (b) greater recruitment of putamen in adolescence and precuneus in adolescence and adulthood than the TD group; and (c) decreased recruitment in the inferior parietal lobule relative to TD groups. Taken together, these results suggest that brain circuitry underlying inhibitory control develops differently from adolescence to adulthood in ASD. Specifically, there may be relative underdevelopment of brain processes underlying inhibitory control in ASD, which may lead to engagement of subcortical compensatory processes.

Cognitive mechanisms of inhibitory control deficits in autism spectrum disorder

“…Extending previous findings (Padmanabhan et al., ), we found that for both ASD and control groups, the abilities to inhibit responses and proactively delay response onset mature into early adulthood. Stopping abilities mature rapidly from middle childhood and throughout adulthood in individuals with and without ASD, consistent with previous findings (Happe et al., ; Luna et al., ).…”

More than Leisure: Organized Activity Participation and Socio-Emotional Adjustment Among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…These findings suggest the importance of these skills to socio-emotional adjustment and vice versa. Although inhibition deficits characterize children with ASD (Padmanabhan et al 2014) which was corroborated in this study, these deficits were only associated with one form of socio-emotional adjustment (i.e., depressive symptoms) in the current study.…”

“…In addition, research has consistently shown that youth with HFASD demonstrate impairments in EF in comparison to neurotypical peers (Akshoomoff 2005;Hughes 2011;Russo et al 2007;Semrud-Clikeman et al 2014;Verte et al 2006) and those with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD; e.g., Semrud-Clikeman et al 2010;Hughes 2011). EF include a variety of higher order cognitive skills, but inhibition and emotional control are thought to be especially pertinent to social and emotional functioning (Padmanabhan et al 2014;Riggs et al 2006). Indeed, existing literature suggests that deficits in inhibition and emotional control have been reported among children and adolescents with ASD (Konstantareas and Stewart 2006;Verte et al 2006;Narzisi et al 2013).…”

An Altered Scaffold for Information Processing: Cognitive Control Development in Adolescents With Autism

“…Activation in both the left and right dACC predicted RBs. Finally, Padmanabhan et al [93] used fMRI to extend Luna et al’s [85] behavioral study of cognitive control using an anti-saccade task. The groups did not differ in pro-saccade performance.…”