1. Abrams DA, Uddin LQ, Menon V. {{Reply to Brock: Renewed focus on the voice and social reward in children with autism}}. {Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A};2013 (Oct 15);110(42):E3974.
2. Al-Eithan MH. {{Asperger`s syndrome}}. {Neurosciences (Riyadh)};2000 (Oct);5(4):243-245.
This study presents a 14-year-old Saudi child with poor school achievement, diagnosed by psychiatrists as mentally retardated with a significant social deficit. No neurological disorder was evident. She has high to very high intellectual abilities on testing her intelligence quotient. Her verbal learning ability was also very high. Her social skills and capacity were impaired. No evidence of poor language was detected. The patient is diagnosed as suffering from Asperger`s syndrome, and not mentally retarded. She has the criteria for Asperger`s syndrome according to Diagnositic and Statistical Manual, 4th edition, including the significant social deficit with normal intellectual functioning. The utility of such a diagnosis is briefly discussed.
3. Beal JC. {{Case Report: Neuronal Migration Disorder Associated With Chromosome 15q13.3 Duplication in a Boy With Autism and Seizures}}. {J Child Neurol};2013 (Nov 25)
Neuronal migration disorders are a group of disorders that cause structural brain abnormalities and varying degrees of neurocognitive impairment, resulting from abnormal neuronal migration during brain development. There are several mutations that have been associated with these disorders. Here the case of a 4-year-old autistic boy is presented, who was found to have evidence of a neuronal migration disorder on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) during a workup for seizures. Genetic testing did not reveal any of the gene mutations known to be associated with neuronal migration disorders but did reveal a microduplication at chromosome 15q13.3, a locus that has been previously associated with autism, cognitive impairment, and seizures. Although the concurrent presence of the genetic and structural abnormalities does not necessarily imply causality, the simultaneous independent occurrence of both conditions is certainly unusual. It is possible that there may be an association between this duplication syndrome and aberrant neuronal migration.
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4. Blatt GJ. {{The Neuropathology of Autism}}. {Scientifica (Cairo)};2012;2012:703675.
Autism is a behaviorally defined neurodevelopmental disorder that affects over 1% of new births in the United States and about 2% of boys. The etiologies are unknown and they are genetically complex. There may be epigenetic effects, environmental influences, and other factors that contribute to the mechanisms and affected neural pathway(s). The underlying neuropathology of the disorder has been evolving in the literature to include specific brain areas in the cerebellum, limbic system, and cortex. Part(s) of structures appear to be affected most rather than the entire structure, for example, select nuclei of the amygdala, the fusiform face area, and so forth. Altered cortical organization characterized by more frequent and narrower minicolumns and early overgrowth of the frontal portion of the brain, affects connectivity. Abnormalities include cytoarchitectonic laminar differences, excess white matter neurons, decreased numbers of GABAergic cerebellar Purkinje cells, and other events that can be traced developmentally and cause anomalies in circuitry. Problems with neurotransmission are evident by recent receptor and binding site studies especially in the inhibitory GABA system likely contributing to an imbalance of excitatory/inhibitory transmission. As postmortem findings are related to core behavior symptoms, and technology improves, researchers are gaining a much better perspective of contributing factors to the disorder.
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5. Bouvet L, Mottron L, Valdois S, Donnadieu S. {{Auditory Stream Segregation in Autism Spectrum Disorder: Benefits and Downsides of Superior Perceptual Processes}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2013 (Nov 27)
Auditory stream segregation allows us to organize our sound environment, by focusing on specific information and ignoring what is unimportant. One previous study reported difficulty in stream segregation ability in children with Asperger syndrome. In order to investigate this question further, we used an interleaved melody recognition task with children in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this task, a probe melody is followed by a mixed sequence, made up of a target melody interleaved with a distractor melody. These two melodies have either the same [0 semitone (ST)] or a different mean frequency (6, 12 or 24 ST separation conditions). Children have to identify if the probe melody is present in the mixed sequence. Children with ASD performed better than typical children when melodies were completely embedded. Conversely, they were impaired in the ST separation conditions. Our results confirm the difficulty of children with ASD in using a frequency cue to organize auditory perceptual information. However, superior performance in the completely embedded condition may result from superior perceptual processes in autism. We propose that this atypical pattern of results might reflect the expression of a single cognitive feature in autism.
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6. Duncan AW, Bishop SL. {{Understanding the gap between cognitive abilities and daily living skills in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders with average intelligence}}. {Autism};2013 (Nov 25)
Daily living skills standard scores on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales-2nd edition were examined in 417 adolescents from the Simons Simplex Collection. All participants had at least average intelligence and a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Descriptive statistics and binary logistic regressions were used to examine the prevalence and predictors of a « daily living skills deficit, » defined as below average daily living skills in the context of average intelligence quotient. Approximately half of the adolescents were identified as having a daily living skills deficit. Autism symptomatology, intelligence quotient, maternal education, age, and sex accounted for only 10% of the variance in predicting a daily living skills deficit. Identifying factors associated with better or worse daily living skills may help shed light on the variability in adult outcome in individuals with autism spectrum disorder with average intelligence.
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7. Enticott PG, Fitzgibbon BM, Kennedy HA, Arnold SL, Elliot D, Peachey A, Zangen A, Fitzgerald PB. {{A Double-blind, Randomized Trial of Deep Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Brain Stimul};2013 (Oct 27)
BACKGROUND: Biomedical treatment options for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are extremely limited. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is a safe and efficacious technique when targeting specific areas of cortical dysfunction in major depressive disorder, and a similar approach could yield therapeutic benefits in ASD, if applied to relevant cortical regions. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine whether deep rTMS to bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex improves social relating in ASD. METHODS: 28 adults diagnosed with either autistic disorder (high-functioning) or Asperger’s disorder completed a prospective, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled design with 2 weeks of daily weekday treatment. This involved deep rTMS to bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (5 Hz, 10-s train duration, 20-s inter-train interval) for 15 min (1500 pulses per session) using a HAUT-Coil. The sham rTMS coil was encased in the same helmet of the active deep rTMS coil, but no effective field was delivered into the brain. Assessments were conducted before, after, and one month following treatment. RESULTS: Participants in the active condition showed a near significant reduction in self-reported social relating symptoms from pre-treatment to one month follow-up, and a significant reduction in social relating symptoms (relative to sham participants) for both post-treatment assessments. Those in the active condition also showed a reduction in self-oriented anxiety during difficult and emotional social situations from pre-treatment to one month follow-up. There were no changes for those in the sham condition. CONCLUSION: Deep rTMS to bilateral dorsomedial prefrontal cortex yielded a reduction in social relating impairment and socially-related anxiety. Further research in this area should employ extended rTMS protocols that approximate those used in depression in an attempt to replicate and amplify the clinical response.
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8. Fitzgerald K, Hyman M, Swift K. {{Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {Glob Adv Health Med};2012 (Sep);1(4):62-74.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are collectively the most commonly diagnosed pediatric neurodevelopmental condition. ASDs include autism, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), Rett syndrome and Asperger disorder. ASD is characterized by impaired communication and social interaction and may involve developmental delays and seizure disorders. Recent parent-reported diagnosis of ASD in the United States put it at higher levels (1:91) than previously thought, with its diagnosis in boys occurring 4 to 5 times more frequently than in girls (1:58).1 CDC estimates are currently 1:110;1 up from 1:150 in 2007.2 Annual medical expenditures for those affected are generally four to six times greater than for those without ASD.1 While twin studies demonstrate that genetics play a significant role in ASD, the impact of environment should not be underestimated, given the approximate 20-fold increase in incidence over the last 20 years.3.
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9. Francis K. {{[The projection of Autism Spectrum Disorders in adult life]}}. {Psychiatrike};2012 (Jun);23 Suppl 1:66-73.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) consist a group of neurodevelopmental disorders that are usually diagnosed in early childhood but they persist throughout life, although significant changes can happen. The prevalence of the ASDs is estimated to be 1-1.2%. Subjects with the more severe form of the disorder that are usually characterised by the absence of a communicative language and learning difficulties of various severity, are often referred as persons with lower functioning. In the other end of the spectrum we can find subjects with less severe symptomatology, communicative language and at least of normal intelligence that are referred as high functioning autistic people or -in case of an absence of a language delay- as suffering from Asperger syndrome. The lower functioning adults can be referred to an adult psychiatrist mainly due to their behavioral problems and disruptive behaviors. Their inability to express their difficulties, due to their language restrictions and empathy deficits, can lead these people to behavioural deviances (often self- or hetero-destructive) that challenge their personal environment ending up in the pursuit of psychiatric help. In most cases, although not always justified, psychotropic medications will be prescribed in an attempt to control their maladaptive behaviors. Special attention should be paid to the catatonic exacerbation of ASD, which can be exhibited after adolescence. The catatonic features presented shouldn’t be perceived as a possible comorbidity with another disorder, such as schizophrenia, but rather as an extreme form anxiety within the context of an ASD. High Functioning adults with ASDs are more difficult to be detected, but they may also need psychiatric consultation. These subjects may have never been diagnosed with an ASD, but they could have in their history a variety of diagnostic categorizations. Their accurate diagnosis could be further hampered in cases where they are exhibiting remarkable abilities, professional success or even an adequate social adaptation, such as marriage and family. Very often their symptoms will be confused with those of other disorders and they will be also prescribed psychotropic medication with very few, if any, results. In the current paper, we will point out the symptoms and situations that should alert the psychiatrist for the presence of an ASD in an adult with a normal intelligence and adequate functioning that is referred to him for bizarre ideas or behaviors. The designated diagnostic procedure for the ascertainment of the ASD in this case is similar to the one followed for children and adolescents and comprises of a detailed developmental history and a relevant observation and interview. Finally, we will discuss the most common difficulties in the differential diagnosis of the high functioning adults with an ASD from those suffering from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Schizoid Personality Disorder, Schizophrenia and Psychosis, and we will provide key issues that can be of an assistance in the more accurate assessment and categorization of the presented symptoms.
10. Gangi DN, Ibanez LV, Messinger DS. {{Joint Attention Initiation With and Without Positive Affect: Risk Group Differences and Associations with ASD Symptoms}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2013 (Nov 27)
Infants at risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may have difficulty integrating smiles into initiating joint attention (IJA) bids. A specific IJA pattern, anticipatory smiling, may communicate preexisting positive affect when an infant smiles at an object and then turns the smile toward the social partner. We compared the development of anticipatory smiling at 8, 10, and 12 months in infant siblings of children with ASD (high-risk siblings) and without ASD (low-risk siblings). High-risk siblings produced less anticipatory smiling than low-risk siblings, suggesting early differences in communicating preexisting positive affect. While early anticipatory smiling distinguished the risk groups, IJA not accompanied by smiling best predicted later severity of ASD-related behavioral characteristics among high-risk siblings. High-risk infants appear to show lower levels of motivation to share positive affect with others. However, facility with initiating joint attention in the absence of a clear index of positive affective motivation appears to be central to the prediction of ASD symptoms.
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11. Gavidia-Payne S. {{Working With Parents of a Newly Diagnosed Child With an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Guide for Professionals Working With Parents of a Newly Diagnosed Child With an Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Guide for Professionals . D. Keen and S. Rodger . London, UK : Kingsley . 2012 . 256 pp. AUD $34.95 . ISBN: 978-1-84905-120-0 (paperback)}}. {J Intellect Dev Disabil};2013 (Dec);38(4):365-366.
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12. Grabrucker S, Jannetti L, Eckert M, Gaub S, Chhabra R, Pfaender S, Mangus K, Reddy PP, Rankovic V, Schmeisser MJ, Kreutz MR, Ehret G, Boeckers TM, Grabrucker AM. {{Zinc deficiency dysregulates the synaptic ProSAP/Shank scaffold and might contribute to autism spectrum disorders}}. {Brain};2013 (Nov 25)
Proteins of the ProSAP/Shank family act as major organizing scaffolding elements within the postsynaptic density of excitatory synapses. Deletions, mutations or the downregulation of these molecules has been linked to autism spectrum disorders, the related Phelan McDermid Syndrome or Alzheimer’s disease. ProSAP/Shank proteins are targeted to synapses depending on binding to zinc, which is a prerequisite for the assembly of the ProSAP/Shank scaffold. To gain insight into whether the previously reported assembly of ProSAP/Shank through zinc ions provides a crossing point between genetic forms of autism spectrum disorder and zinc deficiency as an environmental risk factor for autism spectrum disorder, we examined the interplay between zinc and ProSAP/Shank in vitro and in vivo using neurobiological approaches. Our data show that low postsynaptic zinc availability affects the activity dependent increase in ProSAP1/Shank2 and ProSAP2/Shank3 levels at the synapse in vitro and that a loss of synaptic ProSAP1/Shank2 and ProSAP2/Shank3 occurs in a mouse model for acute and prenatal zinc deficiency. Zinc-deficient animals displayed abnormalities in behaviour such as over-responsivity and hyperactivity-like behaviour (acute zinc deficiency) and autism spectrum disorder-related behaviour such as impairments in vocalization and social behaviour (prenatal zinc deficiency). Most importantly, a low zinc status seems to be associated with an increased incidence rate of seizures, hypotonia, and attention and hyperactivity issues in patients with Phelan-McDermid syndrome, which is caused by haploinsufficiency of ProSAP2/Shank3. We suggest that the molecular underpinning of prenatal zinc deficiency as a risk factor for autism spectrum disorder may unfold through the deregulation of zinc-binding ProSAP/Shank family members.
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13. Huke V, Turk J, Saeidi S, Kent A, Morgan JF. {{The Clinical Implications of High Levels of Autism Spectrum Disorder Features in Anorexia Nervosa: A Pilot Study}}. {Eur Eat Disord Rev};2013 (Nov 26)
OBJECTIVE: This study examined autism spectrum disorder (ASD) features in relation to treatment completion and eating disorder psychopathology in anorexia nervosa (AN). METHOD: Thirty-two adult women were recruited from specialist eating disorder services. Features of ASD and disordered eating were measured. Premature termination of treatment was recorded to explore whether ASD traits had impact on early discharge. A healthy control group was also recruited to investigate ASD traits between clinical and nonclinical samples. RESULTS: Significant differences were found between the AN group and the healthy control group in obsessive-compulsive disorder traits, depression and anxiety and ASD traits, with significant differences between groups in Social Skill and Attention Switching. The AN group reported no significant relationship between disordered eating severity and ASD traits. No significant effect was found between ASD features and treatment completion. DISCUSSION: Raw data on premature termination of treatment, despite no statistic impact, showed that seven out of the eight participants with high features of ASD completed treatment as planned compared with 50% of those with low ASD traits. Unexpectedly, this suggests enhanced treatment adherence in ASD. Copyright (c) 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.
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14. Jaschke AC. {{Music intervention as system: Reversing hyper systemising in autism spectrum disorders to the comprehension of music as intervention}}. {Med Hypotheses};2013 (Nov 11)
This paper seeks to combine the notion of the Empathising-Systemising (E-S) theory and the resulting twist from the executive dysfunction theory in autism spectrum conditions (ASC) in light of music intervention as system. To achieve these points it will be important to re-visit, nonetheless briefly, the above mentioned theories and re-define music intervention in the light of these. Furthermore there is the need to adjust the executive dysfunction theory to a theory of dysfunctioning executive functions. These notions will create a different understanding of music intervention in this context, allowing the development of future and existing music intervention programs applied clinically. These applications will evolve around a structuralised approach to music intervention as system, proposing five consecutive systems. It will therefore argue the aspects of expanding existing theories in ASC together with the call for generalised interventions to better assess autism from a theoretical point of view. Theories have to be updated in a time of fast and ever-changing development.
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15. Lord C, Jones RM. {{New strategies and findings for behavioral interventions in autism spectrum disorders}}. {Ann N Y Acad Sci};2013 (Nov);1304(1):70-76.
Behavioral interventions are the major source of change for children with autism spectrum disorders and a major cost to families and government. In the last 5 years, a number of carefully designed intervention studies have provided new information about the effects of caregiver training and direct instruction on behavior treatments. Outcomes of these interventions are neither easily assessed nor simple, but are dependent on child characteristics as well as caregiver skills and attitudes. Some interventions aimed at specific skills have similar results, yet there is growing evidence that child interventions may have different effects than caregiver training, although both may affect outcomes in the long term. New research strategies and findings are discussed, with a focus on how underlying behaviors and specific components may contribute to intervention outcomes.
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16. Parellada M, Penzol MJ, Pina L, Moreno C, Gonzalez-Vioque E, Zalsman G, Arango C. {{The neurobiology of autism spectrum disorders}}. {Eur Psychiatry};2013 (Nov 22)
Data is progressively and robustly accumulating regarding the biological basis of autism. Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are currently considered a group of neurodevelopmental disorders with onset very early in life and a complex, heterogeneous, multifactorial aetiology. A comprehensive search of the last five years of the Medline database was conducted in order to summarize recent evidence on the neurobiological bases of autism. The main findings on genetic influence, neuropathology, neurostructure and brain networks are summarized. In addition, findings from peripheral samples of subjects with autism and animal models, which show immune, oxidative, mitochondrial dysregulations, are reported. Then, other biomarkers from very different systems associated with autism are reported. Finally, an attempt is made to try and integrate the available evidence, which points to a oligogenetic, multifactorial aetiology that converges in an aberrant micro-organization of the cortex, with abnormal functioning of the synapses and abnormalities in very general physiological pathways (such as inflammatory, immune and redox systems).
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17. Seo TB, Cho HS, Shin MS, Kim CJ, Ji ES, Baek SS. {{Treadmill exercise improves behavioral outcomes and spatial learning memory through up-regulation of reelin signaling pathway in autistic rats}}. {J Exerc Rehabil};2013 (Apr);9(2):220-229.
Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disability with impairments of social interaction and communication, and repetitive behavior. Reelin is an extracellular glycoprotein that is essential for neuronal migration and brain development. Neuroprotective effects of exercise on various brain insults are well documented, however, the effects of exercise on autism in relation with reelin expression are not clarified. In the present study, we investigated the effects of treadmill exercise on the functional recovery and on the expressions of reelin and its downstream molecules, phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K), phosphorylated Akt (p-Akt), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated protein kinase 1 and 2 (p-ERK1/2), using autistic rats. For the induction of autism-like animal model, 400 mg/kg valproic acid was subcutaneously injected into the rats on the postnatal day 14. The rat in the treadmill exercise groups were forced to run on a treadmill for 30 min once a day, five times a week for 4 weeks, starting postnatal day 28. To investigate autism-like behaviors and memory deficit, open field, social interaction, and radial 8-arm maze were performed. Immunohistochemistry and western blotting were conducted. In the present results, treadmill exercise alleviated aggressive tendency and improved correct decision in the spatial learning memory in the autistic rats. Treadmill exercise increased neurogenesis and the expressions of reelin and its down-stream molecules, PI3K, p-Akt, and p-ERK1/2, in the hippocampus of the autistic rats. The present study showed that treadmill exercise ameliorated aggressive behavior and improved spatial learning memory through activation of reeling signaling pathway in the valproic acid-induced autistic rats.
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18. Thurm A, Manwaring SS, Luckenbaugh DA, Lord C, Swedo SE. {{Patterns of skill attainment and loss in young children with autism}}. {Dev Psychopathol};2013 (Nov 25):1-12.
The purpose of this study was to extend the literature on the ontogeny of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by examining early attainment and loss of specific sociocommunicative skills in children with autism (AUT; n = 125), pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS; n = 42), nonspectrum developmental delays (n = 46), and typical development (n = 31). The ages of skill attainment and loss were obtained from a caregiver interview. The findings indicated that children with AUT, PDD-NOS, and developmental delays diverged from typically developing children in attainment of sociocommunicative skills early in the first year of life. Loss of at least one skill was reported in a majority of children with AUT and PDD-NOS. Significant delays in attainment of skills were also reported in children who lost skills. The wide variation in skill attainment and loss reported across children indicates that symptom onset and regression may be best represented continuously, with at least some early delay and loss present for a great majority of children with ASD.
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19. Ward CS. {{Autism’s cancer connection: The anti-proliferation hypothesis and why it may matter}}. {Med Hypotheses};2013 (Nov 11)
Autism remains an idiopathic disorder in 90% of cases. Recent prevalence, heritability, and genetic studies are suggestive that epigenetic and, therefore, environmental factors are important in autism pathogenesis. Among the environmental factors, only some uncommon viral infections and certain drugs have been conclusively linked to autism causation. Thalidomide, valproate, terbutaline and, most recently, antidepressants are the main drugs reported to elevate autism risk. This article discusses a phenomenal relationship between the drugs reported to elevate autism risk and the antiproliferative effects of the same drugs and/or analogs of the drugs in cancer cells. Cancer treatment has entered a new era-epigenetic therapy. In cancer cell lines, thalidomide is antiangiogenic and antiproliferative via suppression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and downstream effects on the nuclear factor (NFkappaB) cascade. Valproate shares similar mechanisms with thalidomide, but is best known in cancer therapy for its epigenetic effects as a histone deacetylase inhibitor. Terbutaline, a beta-adrenergic agonist, acts via adenylyl cyclase and cAMP-PKA signal transduction. Current cancer therapy aims to exploit this epigenetic pathway by developing site-selective cAMP analogs. Last, it has long been noted in preclinical studies that some antidepressants are antiproliferative in cancer cells but the mechanisms remain unclear. Based on a systematic review of these drugs, it is hypothesized that all central nervous system-acting drugs, which show antiproliferative effects in cancer cell lines, share the potential to elevate autism risk when administered prenatally. It is further posited that, in autism, the drugs act as « triggers » that disturb the pro-proliferative fetal milieu using the same, mainly epigenetic, mechanisms that they demonstrate in rapidly proliferating cancer cells. In addition to their direct antiproliferative effects, evidence is suggestive that the drugs may lock in the pro-inflammatory bias of the prenatal immune system by preventing normal perinatal dendritic cell maturation. This unifying hypothesis for how structurally different drugs elevate autism risk could help focus research on other drugs, or other xenobiotics, that may elevate autism risk. For example, there is evidence that an old class of drugs, the phenothiazines, is antiproliferative in cancer cell lines via inhibition of calmodulin and/or histaminic pathways. Promethazine, one of the first heterocyclic phenothiazines synthesized, is commonly prescribed during pregnancy; however, its role in elevating the risk of autism has not been investigated. Based on the anti-proliferation hypothesis, more studies of promethazine and other similar drugs are suggested to evaluate their potential to elevate autism risk following prenatal exposures.
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20. Yoshimura Y, Kikuchi M, Ueno S, Okumura E, Hiraishi H, Hasegawa C, Remijn GB, Shitamichi K, Munesue T, Tsubokawa T, Higashida H, Minabe Y. {{The Brain’s Response to the Human Voice Depends on the Incidence of Autistic Traits in the General Population}}. {PLoS One};2013;8(11):e80126.
Optimal brain sensitivity to the fundamental frequency (F0) contour changes in the human voice is important for understanding a speaker’s intonation, and consequently, the speaker’s attitude. However, whether sensitivity in the brain’s response to a human voice F0 contour change varies with an interaction between an individual’s traits (i.e., autistic traits) and a human voice element (i.e., presence or absence of communicative action such as calling) has not been investigated. In the present study, we investigated the neural processes involved in the perception of F0 contour changes in the Japanese monosyllables « ne » and « nu. » « Ne » is an interjection that means « hi » or « hey » in English; pronunciation of « ne » with a high falling F0 contour is used when the speaker wants to attract a listener’s attention (i.e., social intonation). Meanwhile, the Japanese concrete noun « nu » has no communicative meaning. We applied an adaptive spatial filtering method to the neuromagnetic time course recorded by whole-head magnetoencephalography (MEG) and estimated the spatiotemporal frequency dynamics of event-related cerebral oscillatory changes in beta band during the oddball paradigm. During the perception of the F0 contour change when « ne » was presented, there was event-related de-synchronization (ERD) in the right temporal lobe. In contrast, during the perception of the F0 contour change when « nu » was presented, ERD occurred in the left temporal lobe and in the bilateral occipital lobes. ERD that occurred during the social stimulus « ne » in the right hemisphere was significantly correlated with a greater number of autistic traits measured according to the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ), suggesting that the differences in human voice processing are associated with higher autistic traits, even in non-clinical subjects.
