Enhanced visual processing contributes to matrix reasoning in autism

Abstract

Recent behavioral investigations have revealed that autistics perform more proficiently on Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) than would be predicted by their Wechsler intelligence scores. A widely-used test of fluid reasoning and intelligence, the RSPM assays abilities to flexibly infer rules, manage goal hierarchies, and perform high-level abstractions. The neural substrates for these abilities are known to encompass a large frontoparietal network, with different processing models placing variable emphasis on the specific roles of the prefrontal or posterior regions. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the neural bases of autistics' RSPM problem solving. Fifteen autistic and eighteen non-autistic participants, matched on age, sex, manual preference and Wechsler IQ, completed 60 self-paced randomly-ordered RSPM items along with a visually similar 60-item pattern matching comparison task. Accuracy and response times did not differ between groups in the pattern matching task. In the RSPM task, autistics performed with similar accuracy, but with shorter response times, compared to their non-autistic controls. In both the entire sample and a subsample of participants additionally matched on RSPM performance to control for potential response time confounds, neural activity was similar in both groups for the pattern matching task. However, for the RSPM task, autistics displayed relatively increased task-related activity in extrastriate areas (BA18), and decreased activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex (BA9) and the medial posterior parietal cortex (BA7). Visual processing mechanisms may therefore play a more prominent role in reasoning in autistics.

Neuroanatomical differences in brain areas implicated in perceptual and other core features of autism revealed by cortical thickness analysis and voxel‐based morphometry

“…While structural differences in the middle occipital gyrus in autism have previously been reported and linked in a general way to social cognition [Hadjikhani et al, 2006], here we propose the novel interpretation that these visual and auditory cortical thickness increases may be related to enhanced low-level and locally-oriented visual [Bertone et al, 2005;Dakin and Frith, 2005], and auditory [Jarvinen-Pasley and Heaton, 2007;Samson et al, 2006] perception in autism [for a review of the enhanced role and function of perception in autism, see the enhanced perceptual functioning model in Mottron et al, 2006]. An increased role of visual associative areas in autistic participants has been demonstrated in a variety of tasks involving the manipulation of visual stimuli, including problem-solving tasks [for relevant findings and a review, see Soulieres et al, 2009]. Atypical visual perception in autism, in particular in the form of more local visual analysis, is also related to atypical face perception [Lahaie et al, 2006].…”

Brain Anatomy and Its Relationship to Behavior in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…[77][78][79] Increasing MRI evidence in autism has also been reported for both functional and anatomic differences in the occipital cortex. 16,34,80,81 For example, hyperactivation (ASD Ͼ controls) of low-level visual cortices overlapping with our VBM result has been observed across a variety of tasks tapping visuospatial (eg, motion processing, embedded figures, visuospatial learning, matrix reasoning, and stimulus-oriented processing) 71,[82][83][84][85][86][87][88] and language processing (eg, lexical decision and text comprehension with visual imagery demands). 59,89 Thus, one possible explanation for enhanced perceptual function in some individuals with autism may be linked to structural variation of cortices processing bottom-up information.…”

Deterioration of abstract reasoning ability in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease: correlation with regional grey matter volume loss revealed by diffeomorphic anatomical registration through exponentiated lie algebra analysis

“…The brain regions whose GM volumes were found to be correlated with the CPM scores in our study in most parts overlap the results of the activation studies described above. Specifically, significant correlations of the CPM deterioration with GM volume loss in the bilateral middle and left inferior frontal gyri, bilateral inferior parietal and left superior parietal cortices, and right middle and left inferior temporal gyri can be accounted for by the results of those functional MR imaging studies on RSPM [18][19][20]. In the present study, the largest cluster was found in the left superior temporal gyrus (Tables 1 and 3, Fig.…”

“…This area has been previously reported to be involved in attentional control in a visual task [24]. Although activation of this area has not been shown in the functional activation by RSPM [18][19][20], impaired attentional control due to neurodegenerative damage in this brain region might have resulted in a deterioration of CPM task performance.…”

“…They found activations in the pre-supplementary motor area, premotor area, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, anterior insula, posterior part of inferior temporal gyrus, precuneus, and intraparietal sulcus. More recently, another functional MR imaging study of RSPM was published by Soulieres et al [20]. They used RSPM to assess altered visual processing in autism.…”