Differential responses of primary auditory cortex in autistic spectrum disorder with auditory hypersensitivity

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the differential responses of the primary auditory cortex to auditory stimuli in autistic spectrum disorder with or without auditory hypersensitivity. Auditory-evoked field values were obtained from 18 boys (nine with and nine without auditory hypersensitivity) with autistic spectrum disorder and 12 age-matched controls. Autistic disorder with hypersensitivity showed significantly more delayed M50/M100 peak latencies than autistic disorder without hypersensitivity or the control. M50 dipole moments in the hypersensitivity group were larger than those in the other two groups [corrected]. M50/M100 peak latencies were correlated with the severity of auditory hypersensitivity; furthermore, severe hypersensitivity induced more behavioral problems. This study indicates auditory hypersensitivity in autistic spectrum disorder as a characteristic response of the primary auditory cortex, possibly resulting from neurological immaturity or functional abnormalities in it.

Atypical Bilateral Brain Synchronization in the Early Stage of Human Voice Auditory Processing in Young Children with Autism

“…Reports have indicated that the ASD population exhibits elevated rates of brain stem or peripheral hearing dysfunction [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20] and abnormalities in AEF components (i.e., cortical dysfunction) [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][21][22][23][24][25]. Intriguingly, research has indicated that individuals with ASD may present with peripheral auditory asymmetry [13], which may distort the cortical bilateral synchronization of AEF components in the central nervous system.…”

“…Altered auditory processing systems in children with ASD have been studied as neurological correlates of some phenotypes in ASD, such as inhibited language acquisition [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] and auditory hypersensitivity [9][10][11], and previous studies that have focused on auditory responses of the brain have also demonstrated altered cerebral laterality [2,5,6] and regional connectivity [12] in children with ASD. These studies have indicated alterations in cortical auditory processes in ASD [1,2,4,5,9,10], whereas increased rates of brain stem or peripheral hearing dysfunction have also been reported in the ASD population [13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

“…In the last decade, MEG has emerged as an important investigatory tool in neurodevelopmental studies because MEG has advantages over other neuroimaging techniques for young children, including safety, fewer constraints and less environmental noise. Using MEG, many recent studies have observed aberrant brain activities in children with ASD [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29] by investigating brain connectivity [26,[28][29][30] or atypical brain responses to auditory stimuli [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][21][22][23][24][25].…”

“…In previous MEG studies, this component has been alternatively labeled M100 or N100m; we here call this component "N1m." The main sources of the P1m and N1m are the auditory cortex and association cortices, and abnormalities in AEF components have been reported in patients with ASD [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][21][22][23][24][25]. Although many prior studies have focused on the aberrant intensity or latency of AEF components in children with ASD, no investigations have focused on the bilateral synchronization of AEF components in children with ASD.…”

Increased Hyperacusis with Risperidone in an Autistic Child

“…Although these electrophysiological studies showed auditory processing differences between autistic and control patients, the cause of auditory hypersensitivity remains unknown. Recently, it has been thought to be associated with decreased inhibitory processing, possibly resulting from the dysfunction of inhibitory interneurons or an abnormal sensory gating system (4,9). Its relation to drugs has not been well documented to date.…”