Underconnectivity Between Visual and Salience Networks and Links With Sensory Abnormalities in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Keehn, R. Joanne Jao; Pueschel, Ellyn B.; Gao, Yangfeifei; Jahedi, Afrooz; Alemu, Kalekirstos; Carper, Ruth A.; Fishman, Inna; Müller, Ralph‐Axel

doi:10.1016/j.jaac.2020.02.007

Cited by 14 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 65 publications

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“…In this case, the communicatively relevant and visually salient kinematic features that neurotypicals utilize to better understand an iconic gesture may not be salient to autistic individuals. This would fit well with the framing of sensory differences in autism being related to an abnormal neural connectivity between visual networks and saliency networks (Jao Keehn et al, 2021;Zalla & Sperduti, 2013). Interestingly, however, despite this difference there was not a significant difference in accuracy.…”

Section: Gesture Comprehension: Different Perceptual Processing Strategy In the Asc Groupsupporting

confidence: 76%

Differences in the production and perception of communicative kinematics in autism

et al. 2021

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In human communication, social intentions and meaning are often revealed in the way we move. In this study, we investigate the flexibility of human communication in terms of kinematic modulation in a clinical population, namely, autistic individuals. The aim of this study was twofold: to assess (a) whether communicatively relevant kinematic features of gestures differ between autistic and neurotypical individuals, and (b) if autistic individuals use communicative kinematic modulation to support gesture recognition. We tested autistic and neurotypical individuals on a silent gesture production task and a gesture comprehension task. We measured movement during the gesture production task using a Kinect motion tracking device in order to determine if autistic individuals differed from neurotypical individuals in their gesture kinematics. For the gesture comprehension task, we assessed whether autistic individuals used communicatively relevant kinematic cues to support recognition. This was done by using stick-light figures as stimuli and testing for a correlation between the kinematics of these videos and recognition performance. We found that (a) silent gestures produced by autistic and neurotypical individuals differ in communicatively relevant kinematic features, such as the number of meaningful holds between movements, and (b) while autistic individuals are overall unimpaired at recognizing gestures, they processed repetition and complexity, measured as the amount of submovements perceived, differently than neurotypicals do. These findings highlight how subtle aspects of neurotypical behavior can be experienced differently by autistic individuals. They further demonstrate the relationship between movement kinematics and social interaction in high-functioning autistic individuals. Lay SummaryHand gestures are an important part of how we communicate, and the way that we move when gesturing can influence how easy a gesture is to understand. We studied how autistic and typical individuals produce and recognize hand gestures, and how this relates to movement characteristics. We found that autistic individuals moved differently when gesturing compared to typical individuals. In addition, while autistic individuals were not worse at recognizing gestures, they differed from typical individuals in how they interpreted certain movement characteristics. K E Y W O R D S autism, gesture, kinematics, motion tracking, movement Irina Sheftel-Simanova and Harold Bekkering contributed equally to this study.

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Section: Gesture Comprehension: Different Perceptual Processing Strategy In the Asc Groupsupporting

confidence: 76%

Differences in the production and perception of communicative kinematics in autism

et al. 2021

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“…Aberrant activity of the salience network has been reported in ASD, which includes within‐network hyper‐connectivity (Abbott et al., 2016; Green et al., 2016; Menon, 2013; Uddin et al., 2013). Hyper‐connectivity of the salience network appears to correlate with sensory hypersensitivity and social symptoms in ASD (Green et al., 2016; Jao Keehn et al., 2021). As microstates reflect synchronized activities within large‐scale networks, atypically high levels of connectivity may result in unusually high electrocortical signals.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

EEG microstates suggest atypical resting‐state network activity in high‐functioning children and adolescents with autism spectrum development

Takarae

Zanesco

Keehn

et al. 2022

Developmental Science

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EEG microstates represent transient electrocortical events that reflect synchronized activities of large-scale networks, which allows investigations of brain dynamics with sub-second resolution. We recorded resting EEG from 38 children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Development (ASD) and 48 age, IQ, sex, and handednessmatched typically developing (TD) participants. The EEG was segmented into a time series of microstates using modified k-means clustering of scalp voltage topographies.The frequency and global explained variance (GEV) of a specific microstate (type C) were significantly lower in the ASD group compared to the TD group while the duration of the same microstate was correlated with the presence of ASD-related behaviors. The duration of this microstate was also positively correlated with participant age in the TD group, but not in the ASD group. Further, the frequency and duration of the microstate were significantly correlated with the overall alpha power only in the TD group. The signal strength and GEV for another microstate (type G) was greater in the ASD group than the TD group, and the associated topographical pattern differed between groups with greater variations in the ASD group. While more work is needed to clarify the underlying neural sources, the existing literature supports associations between the two microstates and the default mode and salience networks. The current study suggests specific alterations of temporal dynamics of the resting cortical network activities as well as their developmental trajectories and relationships to alpha power, which has been proposed to reflect reduced neural inhibition in ASD.

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“…This network refers to a group of brain regions located in the anterior cingulate and ventral anterior insular cortices and includes the thalamus [ 58 ]. The anterior insular cortex is critically involved in visual awareness [ 59 ] as well as emotional processing including anxiety [ 60 ]. Anxiety, depression and depersonalisation are frequent comorbid in a cohort of VSS patients [ 61 ].…”

Section: Potential Mechanisms Of Visual Snowmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual Snow: Updates on Pathology

Fraser

2022

Curr Neurol Neurosci Rep

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Purpose of Review Until the last 5 years, there was very little in the literature about the phenomenon now known as visual snow syndrome. This review will examine the current thinking on the pathology of visual snow and how that thinking has evolved. Recent Findings While migraine is a common comorbidity to visual snow syndrome, evidence points to these conditions being distinct clinical entities, with some overlapping pathophysiological processes. There is increasing structural and functional evidence that visual snow syndrome is due to a widespread cortical dysfunction. Cortical hyperexcitability coupled with changes in thalamocortical pathways and higher-level salience network controls have all shown differences in patients with visual snow syndrome compared to controls. Summary Further work is needed to clarify the exact mechanisms of visual snow syndrome. Until that time, treatment options will remain limited. Clinicians having a clearer understanding of the basis for visual snow syndrome can appropriately discuss the diagnosis with their patients and steer them towards appropriate management options.

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Underconnectivity Between Visual and Salience Networks and Links With Sensory Abnormalities in Autism Spectrum Disorders

Cited by 14 publications

References 65 publications

Differences in the production and perception of communicative kinematics in autism

Differences in the production and perception of communicative kinematics in autism

EEG microstates suggest atypical resting‐state network activity in high‐functioning children and adolescents with autism spectrum development

Visual Snow: Updates on Pathology

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