Cited by 352Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchSchizophrenia research and treatmentNeural and Behavioral Psychology Studies

Sensorimotor gating deficits in adults with autism

Perry, William, Minassian, Arpi, Lopez, Brian, Maron, Leeza, Lincoln, Alan·2007·Biological Psychiatry

Abstract

Background Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is an operational measure of sensorimotor gating and is impaired in a family of neuropsychiatric disorders characterized by abnormalities of inhibitory function. Adults with autistic disorder (AD) exhibit clinical features of inhibitory deficits, such as restrictive and repetitive behaviors, that may be explained by deficits in sensorimotor gating. Methods Acoustic startle reactivity, habituation, and PPI (30-, 60-, 120-msec interstimulus intervals) were assessed in 14 adult men diagnosed with AD and 16 typically developing normal comparison (NC) participants. All participants were administered measures of intelligence and frontal-executive functioning. Results Adults with AD exhibited significantly less PPI in the 60-msec condition than NC participants, which was correlated with increased ratings of restricted and repetitive behaviors. The groups did not differ on measures of startle amplitude or overall habituation. There was, however, a significant group-by-block habituation effect. Furthermore, PPI was not related to intelligence but was moderately associated with performance on a measure of frontal-executive functioning. Conclusions Adults with AD have sensorimotor gating deficits similar to other neurodevelopmental disorders, implicating a failure of normal inhibitory regulation of sensory, motor, and attentional mechanisms. Thus, PPI deficits may be indirectly linked to one of the hallmark features of AD.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.biopsych.2005.09.025

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  • A strong and positive correlation has been observed between difficulties in sensory processing and executive function deficits in various populations, such as premature children, children with autism spectrum disorders, and children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

    “A strong and positive correlation has also been observed between difficulties in sensory processing and executive function deficits in various populations, such as premature children (21–23), children with ASDs (24–26), and children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (27–29).”
  • Several other clinical populations show links between atypical sensory processing and executive or adaptive function impairment.

    “Associations between atypical sensory processing and impairment in either executive function or adaptive function have been found in several other clinical populations [2, 5, 24, 25].”
  • In adults with autism, reduced auditory sensory gating is associated with worse executive function task performance.

    “Reduced auditory sensory gating has been found to coincide with poorer performance on executive function tasks in adults with autism [25] and Alzheimer’s disease [24].”
  • The associations found between sensory processing symptoms and executive function impairment in preterm children are consistent with previous studies documenting similar associations in other clinical populations.

    “Our findings of associations between sensory processing symptoms and executive function impairment in preterm children are consistent with the results of previous studies documenting similar associations in other clinical populations [5, 24, 25].”

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Authors
Perry, W., Minassian, A., Lopez, B., Maron, L., & Lincoln, A.
Affiliations
  • University of California San Diego (US)
  • University of New Mexico (US)
Corresponding author
Perry, William
Venue
Biological Psychiatry
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2007-02
Volume
61
Issue
4
Pages
482-486
ISSN
0006-3223 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2083579420
Cited by
352
References
37
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 7 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 22 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 18 · 2017: 16 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 22 · 2014: 26 · 2013: 29 · 2012: 21
FWCI
9.55
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • Biological Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, prepulse inhibition, sensorimotor gating, acoustic startle response, habituation, restricted and repetitive behaviors, inhibitory deficits, frontal executive function, autistic adults, interstimulus interval
MeSH terms
Acoustic Stimulation, Adult, Autistic Disorder, Habituation, Psychophysiologic, Humans, Inhibition, Psychological, Intelligence, Male, Problem Solving, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Reflex, Startle, Time Factors, Gait Disorders, Neurologic

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