Enhanced motor noise in an autism subtype with poor motor skills

Mandelli, Veronica; Landi, Isotta; Ceccarelli, Silvia; Molteni, Massimo; Nobile, Maria; D’Ausilio, Alessandro; Fadiga, Luciano; Crippa, Alessandro; Lombardo, Michael

doi:10.1101/2023.03.25.23287738

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 83 publications

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“…We find evidence supporting the idea that within idiopathic autistic males, there are 2 robust and reproducible E:I neurosubtypes and that such subtypes can be identified with 92-98% accuracy in new independent data. Alongside our other past work taking a similar relative clustering validation approach 25,32,33 , this work showcases that we can begin with unsupervised data-driven discoveries and then immediately translate those discoveries into supervised prediction and classification models. Further utilization of such robust, reproducible, and highly generalizable stratification models may be useful for future work in the field.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Electrophysiologically-defined excitation-inhibition autism neurosubtypes

Bertelsen,

Mancini,

Sastre-Yague

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Excitation-inhibition (E:I) imbalance has long been considered one of the primary neurobiological theories explaining autism. However, the theory has been bolstered heavily by research on high-penetrance genetic mechanisms which are only found in a small proportion of the autism population. Thus, how well does E:I imbalance explain idiopathic autism? Here we find that idiopathic autistic males can be split into two distinct E:I-defined ‘neurosubtypes’. These E:I neurosubtypes can be identified in EEG data via an E:I-sensitive metric known as the Hurst exponent (H). Half of autistic individuals fall into the first E:I neurosubtype and can be described as having elevated E:I ratio relative to typically-developing (TD) comparison group. The remaining other half of autistic males fall into a second E:I neurosubtype with the opposite pattern of reduced E:I ratio relative to TD. Finally, E:I neurosubtypes show differential relationships between H and behavioral and demographic variables consisting of age, intelligence, and autism symptomatology. This work suggests that different types of E:I imbalance can manifest in idiopathic autistic males. Such differential E:I biomarkers may be indicative of distinctive etiological or compensatory mechanisms and differential underlying micro- and macroscale neural organization with differential phenotypic impact.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 86%

Electrophysiologically-defined excitation-inhibition autism neurosubtypes

Bertelsen,

Mancini,

Sastre-Yague

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The role of dorsal premotor cortex in joint action inhibition

Dolfini,

Cardellicchio,

Fadiga

et al. 2024

Sci Rep

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Behavioral interpersonal coordination requires smooth negotiation of actions in time and space (joint action—JA). Inhibitory control may play a role in fine-tuning appropriate coordinative responses. To date, little research has been conducted on motor inhibition during JA and on the modulatory influence that premotor areas might exert on inhibitory control. Here, we used an interactive task in which subjects were required to reach and open a bottle using one hand. The bottle was held and stabilized by a co-actor (JA) or by a mechanical holder (vice clamp, no-JA). We recorded two TMS-based indices of inhibition (short-interval intracortical inhibition—sICI; cortical silent period—cSP) during the reaching phase of the task. These reflect fast intracortical (GABAa-mediated) and slow corticospinal (GABAb-mediated) inhibition. Offline continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS) was used to interfere with dorsal premotor cortex (PMd), ventral premotor cortex (PMv), and control site (vertex) before the execution of the task. Our results confirm a dissociation between fast and slow inhibition during JA coordination and provide evidence that premotor areas drive only slow inhibitory mechanisms, which in turn may reflect behavioral co-adaptation between trials. Exploratory analyses further suggest that PMd, more than PMv, is the key source of modulatory drive sculpting movements, according to the socio-interactive context.

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Decreased central corpus callosum volume is associated with repetitive behaviours and motor difficulties in autistic children

Scaccabarozzi,

Peruzzo,

Arrigoni

et al. 2024

Preprint

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Along with the core characteristics of the condition, autistic individuals commonly experience motor coordination difficulties, potentially related to a reduced cortical connectivity. Being the largest human commissure, the corpus callosum (CC) plays an essential role in interhemispheric connectivity and has been often involved among autistic atypicalities. This study aimed to investigate the volumes of corpus callosum subregions in a group of drug-naïve, autistic children and to explore its possible associations with both core features and motor coordination skills. Thirty-five autistic children (2.5-12 years) were compared with a group of 35 closely IQ-matched, non-autistic peers. CC was identified and segmented into five subregions using Freesurfer. Callosal volumes were compared between the two groups and correlated with parental ratings of core autistic features as assessed by the Social Responsiveness Scale and with motor features as assessed by the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire. Associations between CC volume and Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule scores were also explored in autistic participants. Autistic children showed a reduced volume of the central segment of the CC, in the context of a comparable CC total volume. This reduction appeared to be correlated with symptoms of restricted and repetitive behaviours in autistic children, and to parental ratings of autistic mannerisms and motor skills across participants. These findings expand the current knowledge about the neural mechanisms underlying autism, suggesting that the reduced connectivity through the CC might have implications for both core and motor features of autistic individuals.Lay SummaryDifferences in brain development have been widely outlined in autism. Exploring brain scans of 35 autistic and non-autistic children aged 2.5-12 years and closely matched for cognitive functioning, we found that the central part of the corpus callosum was smaller for the autistic group. This reduction was associated with the level of restricted and repetitive behaviours in autistic children, and to parental ratings of autistic mannerisms and motor coordination skills across participants. This work offers new empirical evidence that interhemispheric connectivity is atypical in autism and that the corpus callosum can be involved in the manifestation of both core and motor characteristics of autistic children.

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Enhanced motor noise in an autism subtype with poor motor skills

Cited by 3 publications

References 83 publications

Electrophysiologically-defined excitation-inhibition autism neurosubtypes

Electrophysiologically-defined excitation-inhibition autism neurosubtypes

The role of dorsal premotor cortex in joint action inhibition

Decreased central corpus callosum volume is associated with repetitive behaviours and motor difficulties in autistic children

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