Sensorimotor processing in autism and typical development: a high-density electrical mapping study of response-locked neural activity in children and adolescents

Abstract

Sensorimotor atypicalities are common in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and are often evident prior to classical ASD symptoms. Despite evidence of differences in neural processing during imitation in ASD, research on integrity of basic sensorimotor processing is surprisingly sparce. To address this gap in the literature, here we examined basic sensorimotor processing in autism by analyzing EEG data recorded from a large sample of children and adolescents while they performed an audio-visual speeded reaction time task. Using response-locked signal averaging, we investigated the neural processes associated with execution of a cued movement in a large sample of children and adolescents with ASD (n=84) and without ASD (n=84). Analyses focused on motor related brain responses that are well-characterized in adults: the late berichtsheft potential, the motor potential, and the reafferent potential. Group differences were examined in data parsed by age (6-9 years, 9-12 years, 12-15 years), sensory cue preceding the response (auditory, visual, bi-sensory audio-visual), and reaction time quartile. Overall, the data revealed robust sensorimotor neural responses in ASD. Nevertheless, subtle sensorimotor atypicalities were present in autistic children across all parcellations, and these differences were most prominent in the youngest group of children (age 6-9). Future studies focused on younger children are needed to understand if differences in basic sensorimotor processing are more prominent earlier in development in autism.

Profiles of women in science: Sophie Molholm, Professor, Albert Einstein School of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA

“…The latest EJN publication from Dr. Molholm's research group is Cued motor processing in autism and typical development: A high‐density electrical mapping study of response‐locked neural activity in children and adolescents (Wakim et al, 2023). Dr. Molholm also serves as a Section Editor for EJN, in the cognitive neuroscience subject area.…”