Prediction and mismatch negativity responses reflect impairments in action semantic processing in adults with autism spectrum disorders
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The neurophysiological mechanisms underlying motor and language difficulties in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are still largely unclear. The present work investigates biological indicators of sound processing, (action-) semantic understanding and predictive coding and their correlation with clinical symptoms of ASD. Twenty-two adults with high-functioning ASD and 25 typically developed (TD) participants engaged in an auditory, passive listening, Mismatch Negativity (MMN) task while high-density electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Action and non-action words were presented in the context of sounds, which were either semantically congruent with regard to the body part they relate to or semantically incongruent or unrelated. The anticipatory activity before sound onset, the Prediction Potential (PP), was significantly reduced in the ASD group specifically for action, but not for non-action sounds. The early-MMN-like responses to words (latency: 120 ms) were differentially modulated across groups: controls showed larger amplitudes for words in action-sound compared to non-action contexts, whereas ASD participants demonstrated enlarged early-MMN-like responses only in a pure tone context, with no other modulation dependent on action sound context. Late-MMN-like responses around 560 ms post-stimulus onset revealed body-part-congruent action-semantic priming for words in control participants, but not in the ASD group. Importantly, neurophysiological indices of semantic priming in ASD participants correlated with the extent of autistic traits as revealed by the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ). The data suggest that high-functioning adults with ASD show a specific deficit in semantic processing and predictive coding of sounds and words related to action, which is absent for neutral, non-action, sounds.
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In autism spectrum disorder, expected events did not attenuate the N1 and N4 components.
“In addition, expected events did not attenuate the N1 (van Laarhoven et al., 2019) and N4 (Grisoni et al., 2019) components”
From Predictive coding in neuropsychiatric disorders: a systematic transdiagnostic review. (2025) · cites this paper as Grisoni et al., 2019
The Discussion reports that typically developing controls, but not ASD participants, showed a reduction of the late-MMN-like (N400-like) response for a semantically congruent action word. This supports the N4 portion attributed to Grisoni et al., but the finding concerns a specific sound–word congruency condition in high-functioning adults, not expected events generally. The N1 portion is attributed to a different citation. (LLM, conf=0.85)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder have alterations in anticipatory brain activity.
“EEG studies reported that individuals with ASD have alterations in anticipatory brain activity, that is the brain ' s preparation to respond to future events (Grisoni et al., 2019).”
From Predictive coding in neuropsychiatric disorders: a systematic transdiagnostic review. (2025) · cites this paper as Grisoni et al., 2019
The Discussion reports reduced anticipatory brain activity in high-functioning autistic adults, but specifically when they expected action sounds. It also says the groups showed similar anticipatory signals for pure tones, so the unqualified claim is broader than the finding. (LLM, conf=0.86)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredIn autism spectrum disorder, anticipatory brain activity is less elicited by action and semantic sounds and more by pure tones compared to healthy controls.
“and their anticipatory brain activity is less elicited by action and semantic sounds and more by pure tones compared to HC (Grisoni et al., 2019).”
From Predictive coding in neuropsychiatric disorders: a systematic transdiagnostic review. (2025) · cites this paper as Grisoni et al., 2019
The Results section on pre-stimulus anticipatory activity reports reduced anticipation of action sounds in adults with ASD compared with controls. It also says the groups had similar anticipatory responses to pure tones: the larger response to pure tones was relative to action sounds within the ASD group, not greater than in controls. The paper examines semantic processing of words, rather than a separate category of ‘semantic sounds.’ (LLM, conf=0.89)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredAdults diagnosed with ASD present deficits in predictive coding of sounds and words in action-sound context, with no deficits in predictive coding for neutral, non-action, and sounds.
“Adults diagnosed with ASD present deficits in predictive coding of sounds and words in action–sound context, with no deficits in predictive coding for neutral, non-action, and sounds (Grisoni et al. 2019; Laarhoven et al. 2020).”
From Autism Spectrum Disorder and auditory sensory alterations: a systematic review on the integrity of cognitive and neuronal functions related to auditory processing (2023) · cites this paper as Grisoni et al. 2019
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“EEG studies reported that individuals with ASD have alterations in anticipatory brain activity, that is the brain ’ s preparation to respond to future events (Grisoni et al., 2019).”
Influential
- Authors
- Grisoni, L., Moseley, R. L., Motlagh, S., Kandia, D., Sener, N., Pulvermüller, F., Roepke, S., & Mohr, B.
- Affiliations
- Freie Universität Berlin (DE)
- Bournemouth University (GB)
- Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (DE)
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (DE)
- Stiftung Charité (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Grisoni, Luigi
- Venue
- Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
- Publisher
- Frontiers Media SA
- Published
- 2019-11-14
- Volume
- 13
- Pages
- 395-395
- ISSN
- 1662-5161 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC6868096
- OpenAlex
- W2986474272
- Cited by
- 21
- References
- 56
- Citations by year
- 2026: 3 · 2025: 2 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 4 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2
- FWCI
- 1.16
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Bournemouth University Research Online (Bournemouth University) (acceptedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (Pu 97/22‐1, PU 97/25-1)
- Agence Nationale de la Recherche
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neurobiology of Language and Bilingualism
- Keywords
- autism spectrum disorder, mismatch negativity, action semantics, semantic processing, predictive coding, semantic priming, auditory word processing, autistic traits, Autism Spectrum Quotient, high-functioning adults
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