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Associations between sensory processing and electrophysiological and neurochemical measures in children with ASD: an EEG-MRS study

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Pierce, Sarah, Kadlaskar, Girija, Edmondson, David A., McNally Keehn, Rebecca, Dydak, Ulrike, Keehn, Brandon·2021·Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
DOI 10.1186/s11689-020-09351-0PMC PMC7788714
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Abstract

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with hyper- and/or hypo-sensitivity to sensory input. Spontaneous alpha power, which plays an important role in shaping responsivity to sensory information, is reduced across the lifespan in individuals with ASD. Furthermore, an excitatory/inhibitory imbalance has also been linked to sensory dysfunction in ASD and has been hypothesized to underlie atypical patterns of spontaneous brain activity. The present study examined whether resting-state alpha power differed in children with ASD as compared to TD children, and investigated the relationships between alpha levels, concentrations of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmitters, and atypical sensory processing in ASD. Methods: Participants included thirty-one children and adolescents with ASD and thirty-one age- and IQ-matched typically developing (TD) participants. Resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) was used to obtain measures of alpha power. A subset of participants (ASD = 16; TD = 16) also completed a magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) protocol in order to measure concentrations of excitatory (glutamate + glutamine; Glx) and inhibitory (GABA) neurotransmitters. Results: Children with ASD evidenced significantly decreased resting alpha power compared to their TD peers. MRS estimates of GABA and Glx did not differ between groups with the exception of Glx in the temporal-parietal junction. Inter-individual differences in alpha power within the ASD group were not associated with region-specific concentrations of GABA or Glx, nor were they associated with sensory processing differences. However, atypically decreased Glx was associated with increased sensory impairment in children with ASD. Conclusions: Although we replicated prior reports of decreased alpha power in ASD, atypically reduced alpha was not related to neurochemical differences or sensory symptoms in ASD. Instead, reduced Glx in the temporal-parietal cortex was associated with greater hyper-sensitivity in ASD. Together, these findings may provide insight into the neural underpinnings of sensory processing differences present in ASD.

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Fig. 1 a Scalp maps of resting-state alpha (8–12 Hz) power for the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) groups. Regions of interest (ROIs) examined are displayed as black dots. b Mean alpha power (db) for ASD (gray) and TD (white) for each ROI. Error bars represent ± 1 SEM. *p < .05
Fig. 1 a Scalp maps of resting-state alpha (8–12 Hz) power for the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and typically developing (TD) groups. Regions of interest (ROIs) examined are displayed as black dots. b Mean alpha power (db) for ASD (gray) and TD (white) for each ROI. Error bars represent ± 1 SEM. *p < .05CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 2 Volumes of interest (VOI) for right frontal eye fields (rFEF; left column), right temporal-parietal junction (rTPJ; center column), and visual cortex (VIS; right column) and non-transformed GABA+ and Glx values for ASD (gray) and TD (white) groups. Error bars represent ± 1 SEM. *p < .05
Fig. 2 Volumes of interest (VOI) for right frontal eye fields (rFEF; left column), right temporal-parietal junction (rTPJ; center column), and visual cortex (VIS; right column) and non-transformed GABA+ and Glx values for ASD (gray) and TD (white) groups. Error bars represent ± 1 SEM. *p < .05CC BY · PubMed Central
Fig. 3 Scatterplots displaying associations between right temporal-parietal junction (rTPJ) Glx values and Avoiding and Sensitivity quadrant scores from the Sensory Profile-2 (SP-2)
Fig. 3 Scatterplots displaying associations between right temporal-parietal junction (rTPJ) Glx values and Avoiding and Sensitivity quadrant scores from the Sensory Profile-2 (SP-2)CC BY · PubMed Central

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Authors
Pierce, S., Kadlaskar, G., Edmondson, D. A., McNally Keehn, R., Dydak, U., & Keehn, B.
Affiliations
  • Purdue University West Lafayette (US)
  • Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (US)
Corresponding author
Keehn, Brandon
ORCID
Venue
Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Publisher
Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Published
2021-01-06
Volume
13
Issue
1
Pages
5-5
ISSN
  • 1866-1947 (ISSN-L)
  • 1866-1955
DOI
10.1186/s11689-020-09351-0
PMC
PMC7788714
OpenAlex
W3119381096
Cited by
42
References
11
Citations by year
2026: 4 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 12 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 4
FWCI
3.81
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, other-oa)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • IUScholarWorks (Indiana University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
Funders
  • National Institute of Mental Health (R21 MH114095)
  • NIH Office of the Director (S10 OD012336)
  • Purdue Institute for Integrative Neuroscience (#209257)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Child Nutrition and Feeding Issues
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, sensory processing, glutamate, glutamine, GABA, excitatory-inhibitory imbalance, sensory hypersensitivity, temporal-parietal cortex, children
MeSH terms
Autism Spectrum Disorder, Adolescent, Child, Electroencephalography, Female, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy, Perception

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