Adults with Autism Tend to Undermine the Hidden Environmental Structure: Evidence from a Visual Associative Learning Task / L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48-9 (September 2018)  

Public ISBD [article]  inJournal of Autism and Developmental Disorders > 48-9 (September 2018) . - p.3061-3074 Titre : Adults with Autism Tend to Undermine the Hidden Environmental Structure: Evidence from a Visual Associative Learning Task Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE, Auteur ; Sandrine SONIE, Auteur ; M. A. HENAFF, Auteur ; J. MATTOUT, Auteur ; C. SCHMITZ, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.3061-3074 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Autism  Categorization  Learning  Local and global processing  Perception Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : The learning-style theory of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (Qian, Lipkin, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 5:77, 2011) states that ASD individuals differ from neurotypics in the way they learn and store information about the environment and its structure. ASD would rather adopt a lookup-table strategy (LUT: memorizing each experience), while neurotypics would favor an interpolation style (INT: extracting regularities to generalize). In a series of visual behavioral tasks, we tested this hypothesis in 20 neurotypical and 20 ASD adults. ASD participants had difficulties using the INT style when instructions were hidden but not when instructions were revealed. Rather than an inability to use rules, ASD would be characterized by a disinclination to generalize and infer such rules. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3574-1 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=367 [article] Adults with Autism Tend to Undermine the Hidden Environmental Structure: Evidence from a Visual Associative Learning Task [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE, Auteur ; Sandrine SONIE, Auteur ; M. A. HENAFF, Auteur ; J. MATTOUT, Auteur ; C. SCHMITZ, Auteur . - p.3061-3074. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders > 48-9 (September 2018) . - p.3061-3074 Mots-clés : Autism  Categorization  Learning  Local and global processing  Perception Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : The learning-style theory of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) (Qian, Lipkin, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience 5:77, 2011) states that ASD individuals differ from neurotypics in the way they learn and store information about the environment and its structure. ASD would rather adopt a lookup-table strategy (LUT: memorizing each experience), while neurotypics would favor an interpolation style (INT: extracting regularities to generalize). In a series of visual behavioral tasks, we tested this hypothesis in 20 neurotypical and 20 ASD adults. ASD participants had difficulties using the INT style when instructions were hidden but not when instructions were revealed. Rather than an inability to use rules, ASD would be characterized by a disinclination to generalize and infer such rules. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3574-1 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=367

Prediction learning in adults with autism and its molecular correlates / L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE in Molecular Autism, 12 (2021)  

Public ISBD [article]  inMolecular Autism > 12 (2021) . - 64 p. Titre : Prediction learning in adults with autism and its molecular correlates Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE, Auteur ; J. TEMMERMAN, Auteur ; N. A. J. PUTS, Auteur ; J. WAGEMANS, Auteur Article en page(s) : 64 p. Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Asd  Gaba  Glutamate  Glutathione  Magnetic resonance spectroscopy  Prediction  Prior  Probabilistic learning  Uncertainty  Volatility Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: According to Bayesian hypotheses, individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties making accurate predictions about their environment. In particular, the mechanisms by which they assign precision to predictions or sensory inputs would be suboptimal in ASD. These mechanisms are thought to be mostly mediated by glutamate and GABA. Here, we aimed to shed light on prediction learning in ASD and on its neurobiological correlates. METHODS: Twenty-six neurotypical and 26 autistic adults participated in an associative learning task where they had to learn a probabilistic association between a tone and the rotation direction of two dots, in a volatile context. They also took part in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) measurements to quantify Glx (glutamate and glutamine), GABA?+?and glutathione in a low-level perceptual region (occipital cortex) and in a higher-level region involved in prediction learning (inferior frontal gyrus). RESULTS: Neurotypical and autistic adults had their percepts biased by their expectations, and this bias was smaller for individuals with a more atypical sensory sensitivity. Both groups were able to learn the association and to update their beliefs after a change in contingency. Interestingly, the percentage of correct predictions was correlated with the Glx/GABA?+?ratio in the occipital cortex (positive correlation) and in the right inferior frontal gyrus (negative correlation). In this region, MRS results also showed an increased concentration of Glx in the ASD group compared to the neurotypical group. LIMITATIONS: We used a quite restrictive approach to select the MR spectra showing a good fit, which led to the exclusion of some MRS datasets and therefore to the reduction of the sample size for certain metabolites/regions. CONCLUSIONS: Autistic adults appeared to have intact abilities to make predictions in this task, in contrast with the Bayesian hypotheses of ASD. Yet, higher ratios of Glx/GABA?+?in a frontal region were associated with decreased predictive abilities, and ASD individuals tended to have more Glx in this region. This neurobiological difference might contribute to suboptimal predictive mechanisms in ASD in certain contexts. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-021-00470-6 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=459 [article] Prediction learning in adults with autism and its molecular correlates [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE, Auteur ; J. TEMMERMAN, Auteur ; N. A. J. PUTS, Auteur ; J. WAGEMANS, Auteur . - 64 p. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Molecular Autism > 12 (2021) . - 64 p. Mots-clés : Asd  Gaba  Glutamate  Glutathione  Magnetic resonance spectroscopy  Prediction  Prior  Probabilistic learning  Uncertainty  Volatility Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: According to Bayesian hypotheses, individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have difficulties making accurate predictions about their environment. In particular, the mechanisms by which they assign precision to predictions or sensory inputs would be suboptimal in ASD. These mechanisms are thought to be mostly mediated by glutamate and GABA. Here, we aimed to shed light on prediction learning in ASD and on its neurobiological correlates. METHODS: Twenty-six neurotypical and 26 autistic adults participated in an associative learning task where they had to learn a probabilistic association between a tone and the rotation direction of two dots, in a volatile context. They also took part in magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) measurements to quantify Glx (glutamate and glutamine), GABA?+?and glutathione in a low-level perceptual region (occipital cortex) and in a higher-level region involved in prediction learning (inferior frontal gyrus). RESULTS: Neurotypical and autistic adults had their percepts biased by their expectations, and this bias was smaller for individuals with a more atypical sensory sensitivity. Both groups were able to learn the association and to update their beliefs after a change in contingency. Interestingly, the percentage of correct predictions was correlated with the Glx/GABA?+?ratio in the occipital cortex (positive correlation) and in the right inferior frontal gyrus (negative correlation). In this region, MRS results also showed an increased concentration of Glx in the ASD group compared to the neurotypical group. LIMITATIONS: We used a quite restrictive approach to select the MR spectra showing a good fit, which led to the exclusion of some MRS datasets and therefore to the reduction of the sample size for certain metabolites/regions. CONCLUSIONS: Autistic adults appeared to have intact abilities to make predictions in this task, in contrast with the Bayesian hypotheses of ASD. Yet, higher ratios of Glx/GABA?+?in a frontal region were associated with decreased predictive abilities, and ASD individuals tended to have more Glx in this region. This neurobiological difference might contribute to suboptimal predictive mechanisms in ASD in certain contexts. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-021-00470-6 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=459

Priors Bias Perceptual Decisions in Autism, But Are Less Flexibly Adjusted to the Context / L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE in Autism Research, 14-6 (June 2021)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 14-6 (June 2021) . - p.1134-1146 Titre : Priors Bias Perceptual Decisions in Autism, But Are Less Flexibly Adjusted to the Context Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE, Auteur ; L. TIMMERMANS, Auteur ; J. WAGEMANS, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1134-1146 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Adult  Autism Spectrum Disorder/complications  Autistic Disorder  Humans  Learning  Reproducibility of Results  Visual Perception  autism  contraction bias  inflexibility  learning  predictive coding  prior  time-order effect Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : According to the predictive coding framework, percepts emerge from combinations of sensory input and prior knowledge, whose relative contributions depend on their reliability. Recent predictive coding theories suggest that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) could be characterized by an atypical weighting of priors. Here, we assessed whether individuals with ASD can flexibly adjust the weight (precision) of the prior to the context. Thirty-one neurotypical adults (NT) and 26 adults with ASD participated in a visual discrimination task designed to elicit a time-order effect (TOE). The TOE reflects the integration of priors with sensory estimates. We used two experimental contexts: a narrow stimulus range (Narrow condition) and a broader range (Broad condition) in order to induce a prior with a higher and lower precision, respectively. Both groups learned a prior that biased their perception, as shown with the TOE. As expected, the NT group had a larger TOE in the Narrow condition than in the Broad condition, revealing a contextual adjustment of the prior precision. In contrast, ASD participants were more inflexible: the extent of the TOE was not modulated by the context. In addition, the accuracy increased when the stimulus range decreased in both group, which may be interpreted as a contextual adjustment of the sensory precision. To conclude, adults with and without ASD implicitly learned a prior mean, but ASD participants failed to flexibly adjust the prior precision to the context. This increased inflexibility in ASD could account for many symptoms, such as their intolerance of uncertainty. LAY SUMMARY: Based on our experience, we have expectations about our environment. Theories suggest that the symptoms encountered in autism could be due to atypical expectations, leading to an impression of an unpredictable world. Using a visual discrimination task, we showed that adults with and without autism were biased by their expectations. Yet, the extent to which expectations biased perception did not depend on the context in autism. This higher inflexibility found in autism may explain symptoms such as resistance to change. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2452 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=449 [article] Priors Bias Perceptual Decisions in Autism, But Are Less Flexibly Adjusted to the Context [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE, Auteur ; L. TIMMERMANS, Auteur ; J. WAGEMANS, Auteur . - p.1134-1146. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 14-6 (June 2021) . - p.1134-1146 Mots-clés : Adult  Autism Spectrum Disorder/complications  Autistic Disorder  Humans  Learning  Reproducibility of Results  Visual Perception  autism  contraction bias  inflexibility  learning  predictive coding  prior  time-order effect Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : According to the predictive coding framework, percepts emerge from combinations of sensory input and prior knowledge, whose relative contributions depend on their reliability. Recent predictive coding theories suggest that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) could be characterized by an atypical weighting of priors. Here, we assessed whether individuals with ASD can flexibly adjust the weight (precision) of the prior to the context. Thirty-one neurotypical adults (NT) and 26 adults with ASD participated in a visual discrimination task designed to elicit a time-order effect (TOE). The TOE reflects the integration of priors with sensory estimates. We used two experimental contexts: a narrow stimulus range (Narrow condition) and a broader range (Broad condition) in order to induce a prior with a higher and lower precision, respectively. Both groups learned a prior that biased their perception, as shown with the TOE. As expected, the NT group had a larger TOE in the Narrow condition than in the Broad condition, revealing a contextual adjustment of the prior precision. In contrast, ASD participants were more inflexible: the extent of the TOE was not modulated by the context. In addition, the accuracy increased when the stimulus range decreased in both group, which may be interpreted as a contextual adjustment of the sensory precision. To conclude, adults with and without ASD implicitly learned a prior mean, but ASD participants failed to flexibly adjust the prior precision to the context. This increased inflexibility in ASD could account for many symptoms, such as their intolerance of uncertainty. LAY SUMMARY: Based on our experience, we have expectations about our environment. Theories suggest that the symptoms encountered in autism could be due to atypical expectations, leading to an impression of an unpredictable world. Using a visual discrimination task, we showed that adults with and without autism were biased by their expectations. Yet, the extent to which expectations biased perception did not depend on the context in autism. This higher inflexibility found in autism may explain symptoms such as resistance to change. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2452 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=449

Structural and contextual priors affect visual search in children with and without autism / S. VAN DE CRUYS in Autism Research, 14-7 (July 2021)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 14-7 (July 2021) . - p.1484-1495 Titre : Structural and contextual priors affect visual search in children with and without autism Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : S. VAN DE CRUYS, Auteur ; L. LEMMENS, Auteur ; L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE, Auteur ; A. CHETVERIKOV, Auteur ; I. NOENS, Auteur ; J. WAGEMANS, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.1484-1495 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Adult  Autism Spectrum Disorder  Autistic Disorder  Bayes Theorem  Child  Humans  Learning  Reaction Time  Visual Perception  Bayesian brain  ensemble perception  perceptual learning  predictive coding  summary statistics  visual search Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Bayesian predictive coding theories of autism spectrum disorder propose that impaired acquisition or a broader shape of prior probability distributions lies at the core of the condition. However, we still know very little about how probability distributions are learned and encoded by children, let alone children with autism. Here, we take advantage of a recently developed distribution learning paradigm to characterize how children with and without autism acquire information about probability distributions. Twenty-four autistic and 25-matched neurotypical children searched for an odd-one-out target among a set of distractor lines with orientations sampled from a Gaussian distribution repeated across multiple trials to allow for learning of the parameters (mean and variance) of the distribution. We could measure the width (variance) of the participant's encoded distribution by introducing a target-distractor role-reversal while varying the similarity between target and previous distractor mean. Both groups performed similarly on the visual search task and learned the distractor distribution to a similar extent. However, the variance learned was much broader than the one presented, consistent with less informative priors in children irrespective of autism diagnosis. These findings have important implications for Bayesian accounts of perception throughout development, and Bayesian accounts of autism specifically. LAY SUMMARY: Recent theories about the underlying cognitive mechanisms of autism propose that the way autistic individuals estimate variability or uncertainty in their perceptual environment may differ from how typical individuals do so. Children had to search an oddly tilted line in a set of lines pointing in different directions, and based on their response times we examined how they learned about the variability in a set of objects. We found that autistic children learn variability as well as typical children, but both groups learn with less precision than typical adults do on the same task. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2511 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=449 [article] Structural and contextual priors affect visual search in children with and without autism [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / S. VAN DE CRUYS, Auteur ; L. LEMMENS, Auteur ; L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE, Auteur ; A. CHETVERIKOV, Auteur ; I. NOENS, Auteur ; J. WAGEMANS, Auteur . - p.1484-1495. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 14-7 (July 2021) . - p.1484-1495 Mots-clés : Adult  Autism Spectrum Disorder  Autistic Disorder  Bayes Theorem  Child  Humans  Learning  Reaction Time  Visual Perception  Bayesian brain  ensemble perception  perceptual learning  predictive coding  summary statistics  visual search Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Bayesian predictive coding theories of autism spectrum disorder propose that impaired acquisition or a broader shape of prior probability distributions lies at the core of the condition. However, we still know very little about how probability distributions are learned and encoded by children, let alone children with autism. Here, we take advantage of a recently developed distribution learning paradigm to characterize how children with and without autism acquire information about probability distributions. Twenty-four autistic and 25-matched neurotypical children searched for an odd-one-out target among a set of distractor lines with orientations sampled from a Gaussian distribution repeated across multiple trials to allow for learning of the parameters (mean and variance) of the distribution. We could measure the width (variance) of the participant's encoded distribution by introducing a target-distractor role-reversal while varying the similarity between target and previous distractor mean. Both groups performed similarly on the visual search task and learned the distractor distribution to a similar extent. However, the variance learned was much broader than the one presented, consistent with less informative priors in children irrespective of autism diagnosis. These findings have important implications for Bayesian accounts of perception throughout development, and Bayesian accounts of autism specifically. LAY SUMMARY: Recent theories about the underlying cognitive mechanisms of autism propose that the way autistic individuals estimate variability or uncertainty in their perceptual environment may differ from how typical individuals do so. Children had to search an oddly tilted line in a set of lines pointing in different directions, and based on their response times we examined how they learned about the variability in a set of objects. We found that autistic children learn variability as well as typical children, but both groups learn with less precision than typical adults do on the same task. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2511 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=449

Tactile hypersensitivity and GABA concentration in the sensorimotor cortex of adults with autism / L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE in Autism Research, 12-4 (April 2019)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 12-4 (April 2019) . - p.562-575 Titre : Tactile hypersensitivity and GABA concentration in the sensorimotor cortex of adults with autism Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE, Auteur ; F. LAMBERTON, Auteur ; Sandrine SONIE, Auteur ; J. MATTOUT, Auteur ; C. SCHMITZ, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.562-575 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : autism spectrum disorder  gamma-aminobutyric acid  hypersensitivity  magnetic resonance spectroscopy  somatosensory cortex  touch Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Sensory hypersensitivity is frequently encountered in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been hypothesized to play a role in tactile hypersensitivity. The aim of the present study was twofold. First, as a study showed that children with ASD have decreased GABA concentrations in the sensorimotor cortex, we aimed at determining whether the GABA reduction remained in adults with ASD. For this purpose, we used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure GABA concentration in the sensorimotor cortex of neurotypical adults (n = 19) and ASD adults (n = 18). Second, we aimed at characterizing correlations between GABA concentration and tactile hypersensitivity in ASD. GABA concentration in the sensorimotor cortex of adults with ASD was lower than in neurotypical adults (decrease by 17%). Interestingly, GABA concentrations were positively correlated with self-reported tactile hypersensitivity in adults with ASD (r = 0.50, P = 0.01), but not in neurotypical adults. In addition, GABA concentrations were negatively correlated with the intra-individual variation during threshold measurement, both in neurotypical adults (r = -0.47, P = 0.04) and in adults with ASD (r = -0.59, P = 0.01). In other words, in both groups, the higher the GABA level, the more precise the tactile sensation. These results highlight the key role of GABA in tactile sensitivity, and suggest that atypical GABA modulation contributes to tactile hypersensitivity in ASD. We discuss the hypothesis that hypersensitivity in ASD could be due to suboptimal predictions about sensations. Autism Research 2019, 12: 562-575. (c) 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience tactile hypersensitivity. Here, our goal was to highlight a link between tactile hypersensitivity and the concentration of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (an inhibitory neurotransmitter) in the brain of adults with ASD. Indeed, self-reported hypersensitivity correlated with reduced GABA levels in brain areas processing touch. Our study suggests that this neurotransmitter may play a key role in tactile hypersensitivity in autism. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2073 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=388 [article] Tactile hypersensitivity and GABA concentration in the sensorimotor cortex of adults with autism [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE, Auteur ; F. LAMBERTON, Auteur ; Sandrine SONIE, Auteur ; J. MATTOUT, Auteur ; C. SCHMITZ, Auteur . - p.562-575. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 12-4 (April 2019) . - p.562-575 Mots-clés : autism spectrum disorder  gamma-aminobutyric acid  hypersensitivity  magnetic resonance spectroscopy  somatosensory cortex  touch Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Sensory hypersensitivity is frequently encountered in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been hypothesized to play a role in tactile hypersensitivity. The aim of the present study was twofold. First, as a study showed that children with ASD have decreased GABA concentrations in the sensorimotor cortex, we aimed at determining whether the GABA reduction remained in adults with ASD. For this purpose, we used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure GABA concentration in the sensorimotor cortex of neurotypical adults (n = 19) and ASD adults (n = 18). Second, we aimed at characterizing correlations between GABA concentration and tactile hypersensitivity in ASD. GABA concentration in the sensorimotor cortex of adults with ASD was lower than in neurotypical adults (decrease by 17%). Interestingly, GABA concentrations were positively correlated with self-reported tactile hypersensitivity in adults with ASD (r = 0.50, P = 0.01), but not in neurotypical adults. In addition, GABA concentrations were negatively correlated with the intra-individual variation during threshold measurement, both in neurotypical adults (r = -0.47, P = 0.04) and in adults with ASD (r = -0.59, P = 0.01). In other words, in both groups, the higher the GABA level, the more precise the tactile sensation. These results highlight the key role of GABA in tactile sensitivity, and suggest that atypical GABA modulation contributes to tactile hypersensitivity in ASD. We discuss the hypothesis that hypersensitivity in ASD could be due to suboptimal predictions about sensations. Autism Research 2019, 12: 562-575. (c) 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience tactile hypersensitivity. Here, our goal was to highlight a link between tactile hypersensitivity and the concentration of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (an inhibitory neurotransmitter) in the brain of adults with ASD. Indeed, self-reported hypersensitivity correlated with reduced GABA levels in brain areas processing touch. Our study suggests that this neurotransmitter may play a key role in tactile hypersensitivity in autism. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2073 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=388

The Glasgow Sensory Questionnaire: Validation of a French Language Version and Refinement of Sensory Profiles of People with High Autism-Spectrum Quotient / L. A. SAPEY-TRIOMPHE in Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 48-5 (May 2018)  

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