6 recherche sur le mot-clé 'Autistic Disorder/physiopathology/psychology'

Altered interactive dynamics of gaze behavior during face-to-face interaction in autistic individuals: a dual eye-tracking study / Bastian SCHILLER ; Antonia VEHLEN ; Kathrin NICKEL ; Ludger TEBARTZ VAN ELST ; Gregor DOMES ; Markus HEINRICHS in Molecular Autism, 16 (2025)  

Public ISBD [article]  inMolecular Autism > 16 (2025) . - 12 Titre : Altered interactive dynamics of gaze behavior during face-to-face interaction in autistic individuals: a dual eye-tracking study Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Bastian SCHILLER, Auteur ; Antonia VEHLEN, Auteur ; Kathrin NICKEL, Auteur ; Ludger TEBARTZ VAN ELST, Auteur ; Gregor DOMES, Auteur ; Markus HEINRICHS, Auteur Article en page(s) : 12 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Humans  Male  Female  Eye-Tracking Technology  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Fixation, Ocular  Adult  Young Adult  Social Interaction  Adolescent  Eye Movements  Case-Control Studies  Autism spectrum  Dual eye-tracking  Naturalistic gaze behavior  Social interaction  the University of Freiburg approved this study (reference number: EK-Freiburg:  439/15). All participants gave written informed consent before the experiment  took place. Autism-related language preferences: The authors of this paper aimed  to use terminology that aligns with the language preferences of autistic adults,  referring to [93]. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests:  The authors declare no competing interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Previous eye-tracking research on autistic individuals has mostly examined the gaze behavior of one individual in response to social stimuli presented on a computer screen, suggesting that there is atypical gaze behavior. However, it is unknown how these findings translate to the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior during "face-to-face" encounters between two individuals. Only by analyzing the gaze behaviour of both interaction partners is it possible to determine the frequency of actual eye-contact and who initiates or breaks such periods of mutual eye gaze. The knowledge gained from this analysis could contribute to theorizing about the psychological mechanisms (e.g., gaze avoidance vs. gaze indifference) underlying autism. METHODS: The present study applied a novel dual eye-tracking setup that allows the assessment and analysis of the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior regarding (i) mutual eye gaze (i.e., eye contact), (ii) initiations, and (iii) break-ups of eye contact. Participants (37 autistic individuals, 37 age- and IQ-matched neurotypical individuals) performed a semi-standardized social interaction (i.e., Fast Friends Procedure) with a confederate (trained to interact in a standardized manner). RESULTS: Eye contact was reduced in interactions involving autistic individuals. Additional analyses revealed that this reduction was primarily due to the more frequent breaking of eye contact by these individuals. We also found considerable heterogeneity among autistic individuals, with atypical gaze behavior present in only about half of the sample. LIMITATIONS: Further research is required to determine whether the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior observed in this dual eye-tracking setup can be generalized to real-world situations. Future studies could also include arousal-related physiological measures. CONCLUSIONS: By tracking the gaze behavior of two interacting individuals, this study reveals specific atypicalities in the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior in a subset of autistic individuals, potentially informing diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. More broadly, our study highlights the added value of dual eye-tracking in elucidating the interactive nature of social encounters in both neurodiverse and neurotypical individuals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered as a clinical trial before starting data collection ( https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00018957 ; Registration Date: 12/17/2019). En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-025-00645-5 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=555 [article] Altered interactive dynamics of gaze behavior during face-to-face interaction in autistic individuals: a dual eye-tracking study [texte imprimé] / Bastian SCHILLER, Auteur ; Antonia VEHLEN, Auteur ; Kathrin NICKEL, Auteur ; Ludger TEBARTZ VAN ELST, Auteur ; Gregor DOMES, Auteur ; Markus HEINRICHS, Auteur . - 12. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Molecular Autism > 16 (2025) . - 12 Mots-clés : Humans  Male  Female  Eye-Tracking Technology  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Fixation, Ocular  Adult  Young Adult  Social Interaction  Adolescent  Eye Movements  Case-Control Studies  Autism spectrum  Dual eye-tracking  Naturalistic gaze behavior  Social interaction  the University of Freiburg approved this study (reference number: EK-Freiburg:  439/15). All participants gave written informed consent before the experiment  took place. Autism-related language preferences: The authors of this paper aimed  to use terminology that aligns with the language preferences of autistic adults,  referring to [93]. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests:  The authors declare no competing interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Previous eye-tracking research on autistic individuals has mostly examined the gaze behavior of one individual in response to social stimuli presented on a computer screen, suggesting that there is atypical gaze behavior. However, it is unknown how these findings translate to the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior during "face-to-face" encounters between two individuals. Only by analyzing the gaze behaviour of both interaction partners is it possible to determine the frequency of actual eye-contact and who initiates or breaks such periods of mutual eye gaze. The knowledge gained from this analysis could contribute to theorizing about the psychological mechanisms (e.g., gaze avoidance vs. gaze indifference) underlying autism. METHODS: The present study applied a novel dual eye-tracking setup that allows the assessment and analysis of the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior regarding (i) mutual eye gaze (i.e., eye contact), (ii) initiations, and (iii) break-ups of eye contact. Participants (37 autistic individuals, 37 age- and IQ-matched neurotypical individuals) performed a semi-standardized social interaction (i.e., Fast Friends Procedure) with a confederate (trained to interact in a standardized manner). RESULTS: Eye contact was reduced in interactions involving autistic individuals. Additional analyses revealed that this reduction was primarily due to the more frequent breaking of eye contact by these individuals. We also found considerable heterogeneity among autistic individuals, with atypical gaze behavior present in only about half of the sample. LIMITATIONS: Further research is required to determine whether the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior observed in this dual eye-tracking setup can be generalized to real-world situations. Future studies could also include arousal-related physiological measures. CONCLUSIONS: By tracking the gaze behavior of two interacting individuals, this study reveals specific atypicalities in the interactive dynamics of gaze behavior in a subset of autistic individuals, potentially informing diagnostic and therapeutic decisions. More broadly, our study highlights the added value of dual eye-tracking in elucidating the interactive nature of social encounters in both neurodiverse and neurotypical individuals. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered as a clinical trial before starting data collection ( https://drks.de/search/en/trial/DRKS00018957 ; Registration Date: 12/17/2019). En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-025-00645-5 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=555

Discrimination sensitivity of visual shapes sharpens in autistic adults but only after explicit category learning / Jaana VAN OVERWALLE in Molecular Autism, 15 (2024)  

Public ISBD [article]  inMolecular Autism > 15 (2024) . - 23p. Titre : Discrimination sensitivity of visual shapes sharpens in autistic adults but only after explicit category learning Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Jaana VAN OVERWALLE, Auteur ; Birte GEUSENS, Auteur ; Stephanie VAN DER DONCK, Auteur ; Bart BOETS, Auteur ; Johan WAGEMANS, Auteur Article en page(s) : 23p. Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Humans  Male  Adult  Female  Electroencephalography  Young Adult  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Discrimination, Psychological  Learning  Photic Stimulation  Visual Perception  Autism Spectrum Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Autism  Category learning  Discrimination sensitivity  Frequency-tagging electroencephalography Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Categorization and its influence on perceptual discrimination are essential processes to organize information efficiently. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) are suggested to display enhanced discrimination on the one hand, but also to experience difficulties with generalization and ignoring irrelevant differences on the other, which underlie categorization. Studies on categorization and discrimination in ASC have mainly focused on one process at a time, however, and typically only used either behavioral or neural measures in isolation. Here, we aim to investigate the interrelationships between these perceptual processes using novel stimuli sampled from a well-controlled artificial stimulus space. In addition, we complement standard behavioral psychophysical tasks with frequency-tagging EEG (FT-EEG) to obtain a direct, non-task related neural index of discrimination and categorization. METHODS: The study was completed by 38 adults with ASC and 38 matched neurotypical (NT) individuals. First, we assessed baseline discrimination sensitivity by administering FT-EEG measures and a complementary behavioral task. Second, participants were trained to categorize the stimuli into two groups. Finally, participants again completed the neural and behavioral discrimination sensitivity measures. RESULTS: Before training, NT participants immediately revealed a categorical tuning of discrimination, unlike ASC participants who showed largely similar discrimination sensitivity across the stimuli. During training, both autistic and non-autistic participants were able to categorize the stimuli into two groups. However, in the initial training phase, ASC participants were less accurate and showed more variability, as compared to their non-autistic peers. After training, ASC participants showed significantly enhanced neural and behavioral discrimination sensitivity across the category boundary. Behavioral indices of a reduced categorical processing and perception were related to the presence of more severe autistic traits. Bayesian analyses confirmed overall results. LIMITATIONS: Data-collection occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Our behavioral and neural findings indicate that adults with and without ASC are able to categorize highly similar stimuli. However, while categorical tuning of discrimination sensitivity was spontaneously present in the NT group, it only emerged in the autistic group after explicit categorization training. Additionally, during training, adults with autism were slower at category learning. Finally, this multi-level approach sheds light on the mechanisms underlying sensory and information processing issues in ASC. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-024-00604-6 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=538 [article] Discrimination sensitivity of visual shapes sharpens in autistic adults but only after explicit category learning [texte imprimé] / Jaana VAN OVERWALLE, Auteur ; Birte GEUSENS, Auteur ; Stephanie VAN DER DONCK, Auteur ; Bart BOETS, Auteur ; Johan WAGEMANS, Auteur . - 23p. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Molecular Autism > 15 (2024) . - 23p. Mots-clés : Humans  Male  Adult  Female  Electroencephalography  Young Adult  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Discrimination, Psychological  Learning  Photic Stimulation  Visual Perception  Autism Spectrum Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Autism  Category learning  Discrimination sensitivity  Frequency-tagging electroencephalography Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Categorization and its influence on perceptual discrimination are essential processes to organize information efficiently. Individuals with Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) are suggested to display enhanced discrimination on the one hand, but also to experience difficulties with generalization and ignoring irrelevant differences on the other, which underlie categorization. Studies on categorization and discrimination in ASC have mainly focused on one process at a time, however, and typically only used either behavioral or neural measures in isolation. Here, we aim to investigate the interrelationships between these perceptual processes using novel stimuli sampled from a well-controlled artificial stimulus space. In addition, we complement standard behavioral psychophysical tasks with frequency-tagging EEG (FT-EEG) to obtain a direct, non-task related neural index of discrimination and categorization. METHODS: The study was completed by 38 adults with ASC and 38 matched neurotypical (NT) individuals. First, we assessed baseline discrimination sensitivity by administering FT-EEG measures and a complementary behavioral task. Second, participants were trained to categorize the stimuli into two groups. Finally, participants again completed the neural and behavioral discrimination sensitivity measures. RESULTS: Before training, NT participants immediately revealed a categorical tuning of discrimination, unlike ASC participants who showed largely similar discrimination sensitivity across the stimuli. During training, both autistic and non-autistic participants were able to categorize the stimuli into two groups. However, in the initial training phase, ASC participants were less accurate and showed more variability, as compared to their non-autistic peers. After training, ASC participants showed significantly enhanced neural and behavioral discrimination sensitivity across the category boundary. Behavioral indices of a reduced categorical processing and perception were related to the presence of more severe autistic traits. Bayesian analyses confirmed overall results. LIMITATIONS: Data-collection occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Our behavioral and neural findings indicate that adults with and without ASC are able to categorize highly similar stimuli. However, while categorical tuning of discrimination sensitivity was spontaneously present in the NT group, it only emerged in the autistic group after explicit categorization training. Additionally, during training, adults with autism were slower at category learning. Finally, this multi-level approach sheds light on the mechanisms underlying sensory and information processing issues in ASC. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-024-00604-6 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=538

Prediction efficiency and incremental processing strategy during spoken language comprehension in autistic children: an eye-tracking study / Zihui HUA in Molecular Autism, 16 (2025)  

Public ISBD [article]  inMolecular Autism > 16 (2025) . - 39 Titre : Prediction efficiency and incremental processing strategy during spoken language comprehension in autistic children: an eye-tracking study Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Zihui HUA, Auteur ; Tianbi LI, Auteur ; Ruoxi SHI, Auteur ; Ran WEI, Auteur ; Li YI, Auteur ; Zihui HUA, Auteur ; Tianbi LI, Auteur ; Ruoxi SHI, Auteur ; Ran WEI, Auteur ; Li YI, Auteur Article en page(s) : 39 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Humans  Child  Male  Female  Comprehension/physiology  Child, Preschool  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Eye-Tracking Technology  Speech Perception  Language  Eye Movements  Autism  Children  Eye tracking  Incremental processing  Language comprehension  Language processing  Prediction  Predictive processing  by Peking University’s research ethics committee (approval number: 2024-02-11).  Written informed consent was obtained from the parents or legal guardians of all  participants prior to their participation. All procedures were conducted in  accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Consent for publication: Not  applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Language difficulties are common in autism, with several theoretical perspectives proposing that difficulties in forming and updating predictions may underlie the cognitive profile of autism. However, research examining prediction in the language domain among autistic children remains limited, with inconsistent findings regarding prediction efficiency and insufficient investigation of how autistic children incrementally integrate multiple semantic elements during language processing. This study addresses these gaps by investigating both prediction efficiency and incremental processing strategy during spoken language comprehension in autistic children compared to neurotypical peers. METHODS: Using the visual world paradigm, we compared 45 autistic children (3-8 years) with 52 age-, gender-, and verbal IQ-matched neurotypical children. Participants viewed arrays containing a target object and three semantically controlled distractors (agent-related, action-related, and unrelated) while listening to subject-verb-object structured sentences. Eye movements were recorded to analyze fixation proportions. We employed cluster-based permutation analysis to identify periods of sustained biased looking, growth curve analysis to compare fixation trajectories, and divergence point analysis to determine the onset timing of predictive looking. RESULTS: Both groups demonstrated predictions during spoken language comprehension and employed similar incremental processing strategies, showing increased fixations to both target objects and action-related distractors after verb onset despite the latter's incompatibility with the agent. However, autistic children exhibited reduced prediction efficiency compared to neurotypical peers, evidenced by significantly lower proportions of and slower growth rates in fixations to target objects relative to unrelated distractors, and delayed onset of predictive looking. Reduced prediction efficiency was associated with higher levels of autism symptom severity in the autistic group and increased autistic traits across both groups, with autism-related communication difficulties showing the most robust associations. LIMITATIONS: Our sample included only autistic children without language impairments, limiting generalizability to the broader autism spectrum. The task employed only simple sentence structures in controlled experimental settings, which may not fully capture language processing patterns in naturalistic communication contexts. CONCLUSIONS: While autistic children employ similar incremental processing strategies to neurotypical peers during language comprehension, they demonstrate reduced prediction efficiency. Autism symptom severity and autistic traits varied systematically with prediction efficiency, with autism-related communication difficulties showing the strongest associations. These findings enhance our understanding of language processing mechanisms in autism and suggest that interventions targeting language development might benefit from addressing prediction efficiency, such as providing additional processing time and gradually increasing the complexity of semantic integration tasks. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-025-00674-0 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=569 [article] Prediction efficiency and incremental processing strategy during spoken language comprehension in autistic children: an eye-tracking study [texte imprimé] / Zihui HUA, Auteur ; Tianbi LI, Auteur ; Ruoxi SHI, Auteur ; Ran WEI, Auteur ; Li YI, Auteur ; Zihui HUA, Auteur ; Tianbi LI, Auteur ; Ruoxi SHI, Auteur ; Ran WEI, Auteur ; Li YI, Auteur . - 39. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Molecular Autism > 16 (2025) . - 39 Mots-clés : Humans  Child  Male  Female  Comprehension/physiology  Child, Preschool  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Eye-Tracking Technology  Speech Perception  Language  Eye Movements  Autism  Children  Eye tracking  Incremental processing  Language comprehension  Language processing  Prediction  Predictive processing  by Peking University’s research ethics committee (approval number: 2024-02-11).  Written informed consent was obtained from the parents or legal guardians of all  participants prior to their participation. All procedures were conducted in  accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Consent for publication: Not  applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Language difficulties are common in autism, with several theoretical perspectives proposing that difficulties in forming and updating predictions may underlie the cognitive profile of autism. However, research examining prediction in the language domain among autistic children remains limited, with inconsistent findings regarding prediction efficiency and insufficient investigation of how autistic children incrementally integrate multiple semantic elements during language processing. This study addresses these gaps by investigating both prediction efficiency and incremental processing strategy during spoken language comprehension in autistic children compared to neurotypical peers. METHODS: Using the visual world paradigm, we compared 45 autistic children (3-8 years) with 52 age-, gender-, and verbal IQ-matched neurotypical children. Participants viewed arrays containing a target object and three semantically controlled distractors (agent-related, action-related, and unrelated) while listening to subject-verb-object structured sentences. Eye movements were recorded to analyze fixation proportions. We employed cluster-based permutation analysis to identify periods of sustained biased looking, growth curve analysis to compare fixation trajectories, and divergence point analysis to determine the onset timing of predictive looking. RESULTS: Both groups demonstrated predictions during spoken language comprehension and employed similar incremental processing strategies, showing increased fixations to both target objects and action-related distractors after verb onset despite the latter's incompatibility with the agent. However, autistic children exhibited reduced prediction efficiency compared to neurotypical peers, evidenced by significantly lower proportions of and slower growth rates in fixations to target objects relative to unrelated distractors, and delayed onset of predictive looking. Reduced prediction efficiency was associated with higher levels of autism symptom severity in the autistic group and increased autistic traits across both groups, with autism-related communication difficulties showing the most robust associations. LIMITATIONS: Our sample included only autistic children without language impairments, limiting generalizability to the broader autism spectrum. The task employed only simple sentence structures in controlled experimental settings, which may not fully capture language processing patterns in naturalistic communication contexts. CONCLUSIONS: While autistic children employ similar incremental processing strategies to neurotypical peers during language comprehension, they demonstrate reduced prediction efficiency. Autism symptom severity and autistic traits varied systematically with prediction efficiency, with autism-related communication difficulties showing the strongest associations. These findings enhance our understanding of language processing mechanisms in autism and suggest that interventions targeting language development might benefit from addressing prediction efficiency, such as providing additional processing time and gradually increasing the complexity of semantic integration tasks. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-025-00674-0 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=569

Social inference brain networks in autistic adults during movie-viewing: functional specialization and heterogeneity / Jasmin M. TURNER in Molecular Autism, 16 (2025)  

Public ISBD [article]  inMolecular Autism > 16 (2025) . - 42 Titre : Social inference brain networks in autistic adults during movie-viewing: functional specialization and heterogeneity Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Jasmin M. TURNER, Auteur ; Lisa BYRGE, Auteur ; Hilary RICHARDSON, Auteur ; Paola GALDI, Auteur ; Daniel P. KENNEDY, Auteur ; Dorit KLIEMANN, Auteur ; Jasmin M. TURNER, Auteur ; Lisa BYRGE, Auteur ; Hilary RICHARDSON, Auteur ; Paola GALDI, Auteur ; Daniel P. KENNEDY, Auteur ; Dorit KLIEMANN, Auteur Article en page(s) : 42 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Humans  Male  Female  Adult  Magnetic Resonance Imaging  Brain/physiopathology/diagnostic imaging  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Young Adult  Motion Pictures  Theory of Mind/physiology  Brain Mapping  Empathy  Social Behavior  Nerve Net/physiopathology  Autism Spectrum Disorder/physiopathology  Autism  Functional connectivity  Heterogeneity  Social cognition  Theory of mind  fMRI  informed consent in line with the Institutional Review Boards at the California  Institute of Technology and the Indiana University. Consent for publication: Not  applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Difficulty in social inferences is a core feature in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). On the behavioral level, it remains unclear whether reasoning about others' mental states (Theory of Mind, ToM) and empathic responses to others' physical states may be similarly or differentially affected in autism. On the neural level, these inferences typically engage distinct brain networks (ToM versus Pain networks), but their functional specialization remains not well understood in autism. This study aimed to investigate the functional specialization, heterogeneity, and brain-behavior relationships of the ToM and Pain networks in autistic compared to neurotypical (NT) participants. We hypothesized differential functional network specialization (i.e., functional connectivity), increased heterogeneity, and less typical network responses specifically in the ToM network, with relatively similar responses in the Pain network in ASD. METHODS: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated neural responses in 107 adults (autistic: 34 (female = 11), NT: 73 (female = 23); matched for age, intellectual functioning, sex, motion) while they passively watched a short, animated movie including events that evoke reasoning about characters' mental states and bodily sensations. Preregistered analyses included regression models to assess inter-region correlation of within- and across-network connectivity, inter-subject correlation to quantify similarity to the average neurotypical, as well as to within- and across-group timecourse responses, and brain-behavior relationships relevant for social inferences. RESULTS: Functional specialization of ToM and Pain networks were overall intact, with distinct network responses in both groups. The autistic group showed differential ToM network responses and reduced similarity to the average typical response for both networks. Network responses were more idiosyncratic and heterogenous in the autistic group. Brain-behavior relationships differed between groups for ToM behavior only. LIMITATIONS: Effects between groups were overall small. Samples were acquired across two sites, yet the sample size restricts subgroup analyses that may further inform autistic heterogeneity and limits generalizability. CONCLUSIONS: We found weak evidence for greater differential responses in brain networks underlying ToM inferences than those involved in empathic responses in autism, consistent with a prior empathy imbalance hypothesis. We outline suggestions for replicating, generalizing and extending these results in future research. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-025-00669-x Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=569 [article] Social inference brain networks in autistic adults during movie-viewing: functional specialization and heterogeneity [texte imprimé] / Jasmin M. TURNER, Auteur ; Lisa BYRGE, Auteur ; Hilary RICHARDSON, Auteur ; Paola GALDI, Auteur ; Daniel P. KENNEDY, Auteur ; Dorit KLIEMANN, Auteur ; Jasmin M. TURNER, Auteur ; Lisa BYRGE, Auteur ; Hilary RICHARDSON, Auteur ; Paola GALDI, Auteur ; Daniel P. KENNEDY, Auteur ; Dorit KLIEMANN, Auteur . - 42. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Molecular Autism > 16 (2025) . - 42 Mots-clés : Humans  Male  Female  Adult  Magnetic Resonance Imaging  Brain/physiopathology/diagnostic imaging  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Young Adult  Motion Pictures  Theory of Mind/physiology  Brain Mapping  Empathy  Social Behavior  Nerve Net/physiopathology  Autism Spectrum Disorder/physiopathology  Autism  Functional connectivity  Heterogeneity  Social cognition  Theory of mind  fMRI  informed consent in line with the Institutional Review Boards at the California  Institute of Technology and the Indiana University. Consent for publication: Not  applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Difficulty in social inferences is a core feature in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). On the behavioral level, it remains unclear whether reasoning about others' mental states (Theory of Mind, ToM) and empathic responses to others' physical states may be similarly or differentially affected in autism. On the neural level, these inferences typically engage distinct brain networks (ToM versus Pain networks), but their functional specialization remains not well understood in autism. This study aimed to investigate the functional specialization, heterogeneity, and brain-behavior relationships of the ToM and Pain networks in autistic compared to neurotypical (NT) participants. We hypothesized differential functional network specialization (i.e., functional connectivity), increased heterogeneity, and less typical network responses specifically in the ToM network, with relatively similar responses in the Pain network in ASD. METHODS: Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we investigated neural responses in 107 adults (autistic: 34 (female = 11), NT: 73 (female = 23); matched for age, intellectual functioning, sex, motion) while they passively watched a short, animated movie including events that evoke reasoning about characters' mental states and bodily sensations. Preregistered analyses included regression models to assess inter-region correlation of within- and across-network connectivity, inter-subject correlation to quantify similarity to the average neurotypical, as well as to within- and across-group timecourse responses, and brain-behavior relationships relevant for social inferences. RESULTS: Functional specialization of ToM and Pain networks were overall intact, with distinct network responses in both groups. The autistic group showed differential ToM network responses and reduced similarity to the average typical response for both networks. Network responses were more idiosyncratic and heterogenous in the autistic group. Brain-behavior relationships differed between groups for ToM behavior only. LIMITATIONS: Effects between groups were overall small. Samples were acquired across two sites, yet the sample size restricts subgroup analyses that may further inform autistic heterogeneity and limits generalizability. CONCLUSIONS: We found weak evidence for greater differential responses in brain networks underlying ToM inferences than those involved in empathic responses in autism, consistent with a prior empathy imbalance hypothesis. We outline suggestions for replicating, generalizing and extending these results in future research. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-025-00669-x Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=569

Suboptimal but intact integration of Bayesian components during perceptual decision-making in autism / Bat-Sheva HADAD ; Rachel N DENISON ; Amit YASHAR in Molecular Autism, 16 (2025)  

Public ISBD [article]  inMolecular Autism > 16 (2025) . - 2 Titre : Suboptimal but intact integration of Bayesian components during perceptual decision-making in autism Type de document : texte imprimé Auteurs : Bat-Sheva HADAD, Auteur ; Rachel N DENISON, Auteur ; Amit YASHAR, Auteur Article en page(s) : 2 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Humans  Bayes Theorem  Decision Making  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Male  Female  Adult  Young Adult  Perception  Adolescent  Autism spectrum disorder  Bayesian perception  Decision-making  Suboptimality  provided written informed consent and the two studies received ethical clearance  from the Institutional Review Board at the University of Haifa under the  reference number 046/20. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing  interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Alterations in sensory perception, a core phenotype of autism, are attributed to imbalanced integration of sensory information and prior knowledge during perceptual statistical (Bayesian) inference. This hypothesis has gained momentum in recent years, partly because it can be implemented both at the computational level, as in Bayesian perception, and at the level of canonical neural microcircuitry, as in predictive coding. However, empirical investigations have yielded conflicting results with evidence remaining limited. Critically, previous studies did not assess the independent contributions of priors and sensory uncertainty to the inference. METHOD: We addressed this gap by quantitatively assessing both the independent and interdependent contributions of priors and sensory uncertainty to perceptual decision-making in autistic and non-autistic individuals (N = 126) during an orientation categorization task. RESULTS: Contrary to common views, autistic individuals integrated the two Bayesian components into their decision behavior, and did so indistinguishably from non-autistic individuals. Both groups adjusted their decision criteria in a suboptimal manner. LIMITATIONS: This study focuses on explicit priors in a perceptual categorization task and high-functioning adults. Thus, although the findings provide strong evidence against a general and basic alteration in prior integration in autism, they cannot rule out more specific cases of reduced prior effect - such as due to implicit prior learning, particular level of decision making (e.g., social), and level of functioning of the autistic person. CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal intact inference for autistic individuals during perceptual decision-making, challenging the notion that Bayesian computations are fundamentally altered in autism. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-025-00639-3 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=555 [article] Suboptimal but intact integration of Bayesian components during perceptual decision-making in autism [texte imprimé] / Bat-Sheva HADAD, Auteur ; Rachel N DENISON, Auteur ; Amit YASHAR, Auteur . - 2. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Molecular Autism > 16 (2025) . - 2 Mots-clés : Humans  Bayes Theorem  Decision Making  Autistic Disorder/physiopathology/psychology  Male  Female  Adult  Young Adult  Perception  Adolescent  Autism spectrum disorder  Bayesian perception  Decision-making  Suboptimality  provided written informed consent and the two studies received ethical clearance  from the Institutional Review Board at the University of Haifa under the  reference number 046/20. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing  interests. Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : BACKGROUND: Alterations in sensory perception, a core phenotype of autism, are attributed to imbalanced integration of sensory information and prior knowledge during perceptual statistical (Bayesian) inference. This hypothesis has gained momentum in recent years, partly because it can be implemented both at the computational level, as in Bayesian perception, and at the level of canonical neural microcircuitry, as in predictive coding. However, empirical investigations have yielded conflicting results with evidence remaining limited. Critically, previous studies did not assess the independent contributions of priors and sensory uncertainty to the inference. METHOD: We addressed this gap by quantitatively assessing both the independent and interdependent contributions of priors and sensory uncertainty to perceptual decision-making in autistic and non-autistic individuals (N = 126) during an orientation categorization task. RESULTS: Contrary to common views, autistic individuals integrated the two Bayesian components into their decision behavior, and did so indistinguishably from non-autistic individuals. Both groups adjusted their decision criteria in a suboptimal manner. LIMITATIONS: This study focuses on explicit priors in a perceptual categorization task and high-functioning adults. Thus, although the findings provide strong evidence against a general and basic alteration in prior integration in autism, they cannot rule out more specific cases of reduced prior effect - such as due to implicit prior learning, particular level of decision making (e.g., social), and level of functioning of the autistic person. CONCLUSIONS: These results reveal intact inference for autistic individuals during perceptual decision-making, challenging the notion that Bayesian computations are fundamentally altered in autism. En ligne : https://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s13229-025-00639-3 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=555

Task-based functional neural correlates of social cognition across autism and schizophrenia spectrum disorders / Lindsay D. OLIVER in Molecular Autism, 15 (2024)  

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