Self-motion perception in autism is compromised by visual noise but integrated optimally across multiple senses
Open accessAbstract
Perceptual processing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is marked by superior low-level task performance and inferior complex-task performance. This observation has led to theories of defective integration in ASD of local parts into a global percept. Despite mixed experimental results, this notion maintains widespread influence and has also motivated recent theories of defective multisensory integration in ASD. Impaired ASD performance in tasks involving classic random dot visual motion stimuli, corrupted by noise as a means to manipulate task difficulty, is frequently interpreted to support this notion of global integration deficits. By manipulating task difficulty independently of visual stimulus noise, here we test the hypothesis that heightened sensitivity to noise, rather than integration deficits, may characterize ASD. We found that although perception of visual motion through a cloud of dots was unimpaired without noise, the addition of stimulus noise significantly affected adolescents with ASD, more than controls. Strikingly, individuals with ASD demonstrated intact multisensory (visual-vestibular) integration, even in the presence of noise. Additionally, when vestibular motion was paired with pure visual noise, individuals with ASD demonstrated a different strategy than controls, marked by reduced flexibility. This result could be simulated by using attenuated (less reliable) and inflexible (not experience-dependent) Bayesian priors in ASD. These findings question widespread theories of impaired global and multisensory integration in ASD. Rather, they implicate increased sensitivity to sensory noise and less use of prior knowledge in ASD, suggesting increased reliance on incoming sensory information.
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Individuals with ASD may be able to integrate visual-vestibular information optimally but have a poor tolerance for noise.
“Recent work in the realm of visual-vestibular integration, however, suggests that individuals with ASD may be able to integrate information in an optimal fashion but have a poor tolerance for noise (Zaidel et al., 2015)”
From Behavioral, Perceptual, and Neural Alterations in Sensory and Multisensory Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder (2015) · cites this paper as Zaidel et al., 2015
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- Authors
- Zaidel, A., Goin-Kochel, R. P., & Angelaki, D. E.
- Affiliations
- Bar-Ilan University (IL)
- Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030; and
- Departments of aNeuroscience and
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2015-05-04
- Volume
- 112
- Issue
- 20
- Pages
- 6461-6466
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC4443344
- OpenAlex
- W1534056364
- Cited by
- 92
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 15 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 9 · 2019: 2 · 2018: 4 · 2017: 7 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 4 · 2012: 1
- FWCI
- 4.41
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- Simons Foundation (SFARI 247992)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Visual perception and processing mechanisms
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Multisensory perception and integration
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, self-motion perception, multisensory integration, visual-vestibular integration, random dot motion, prior distributions, perceptual flexibility
- MeSH terms
- Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adolescent, Bayes Theorem, Humans, Male, Models, Neurological, Motion Perception, Photic Stimulation, Psychometrics, Sensory Thresholds, Texas
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