Exploration of human movement processing in autism spectrum disorder

Abstract

Evidence regarding whether people diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show differences in processing human movement is mixed, with recent findings being both in support and in contrast. To provide more clarity, this study utilised inter-subject correlation (ISC) analysis to quantify similarities in human movement processing in fMRI responses to a naturalistic movie paradigm portraying ballet dance between adults with and without ASD. Moreover, similarities within each individuals fMRI responses over repeated viewings were quantified to see if responses were stable and if idiosyncratic patterns could be determined. One group difference found was a cluster in the right posterior cingulate showing significantly lower ISC for the ASD group, corresponding to extensive literature showing atypical activity in the Default Mode Network in ASD. Idiosyncratic brain activation patterns were found only for a subset of ASD individuals, opening up the possibility to subtypes and a possible link to severity in symptoms.