Autism Research最新文献

{"title":"Adaptive and Behavioral Profiles in Down Syndrome and Co-Occurring Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Case–Control Study","authors":"Elisa Fucà,&nbsp;Stefano Vicari,&nbsp;Floriana Costanzo","doi":"10.1002/aur.3294","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.3294","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Down syndrome (DS) is the most frequent genetic cause of intellectual disability (ID). Individuals with DS exhibit an elevated risk of other neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The primary objective of this study was to explore the clinical characteristics of co-occurring ASD in children and adolescents with DS using a case–control approach. We compared the adaptive and behavioral profiles of a group of participants with both DS and ASD (ASD group) with a group of participants with DS-only matched by age, sex, and IQ (CON group). Participants in the ASD group exhibited significantly lower adaptive skills than the CON group, despite the IQ-matching in the moderate/severe ID range. No group differences emerged on internalizing or externalizing behavioral symptoms, but participants in the ASD group exhibited significantly higher social withdrawal, stereotyped behavior, and restricted interests. These findings indicate that, although children with DS—with or without ASD—who have similar low cognitive functioning often exhibit common behavioral traits, paying close attention to the elevation of stereotyped behaviors or restricted interests can improve the detection of co-occurring ASD in this population, enabling more personalized interventions. Conversely, the presence of ritualistic behaviors or behaviors related to insistence on sameness may not be a strong indicator of underlying ASD in children with DS. Additionally, acknowledging that the presence of ASD contributes to adaptive behavior deficits beyond the impact of moderate-to-severe ID alone highlights the critical need for early interventions to enhance daily living skills in this population.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 2","pages":"362-369"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142857173","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Toward improved understanding and treatment of self-injurious behaviors in autistic individuals with profound intellectual disability","authors":"Emily F. Ferguson,&nbsp;Kaylin M. Russell,&nbsp;Sarely J. Licona,&nbsp;Ru Ying Cai,&nbsp;Thomas W. Frazier,&nbsp;Giacomo Vivanti,&nbsp;Grace W. Gengoux,&nbsp;Antonio Y. Hardan,&nbsp;Mirko Uljarević","doi":"10.1002/aur.3289","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.3289","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Self-injurious behaviors (SIB) commonly occur in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and span diverse topographies of self-inflicted behaviors ranging from head banging to hitting oneself against hard objects. Despite the high rates of SIB in autistic individuals, relatively little research has focused on psychological factors associated with the development and maintenance of SIB in individuals with autism and moderate-profound intellectual disability (ID). This commentary synthesizes existing literature on SIB and highlights the need for more research focused on psychological correlates and mechanisms in autistic individuals with moderate-profound ID. We highlight the key role of difficulties in emotion regulation (ER) and co-occurring internalizing symptoms in the manifestation of self-harm behaviors in clinical samples and autism. Furthermore, this commentary proposes a framework for understanding the interplay between poor ER and internalizing symptoms in the development and maintenance of SIB in autistic individuals with moderate-profound ID. Specifically, we explore the emergence of SIB in the context of precipitating cues that trigger strong emotions, ER processes and strategy deployment, and co-occurring internalizing symptoms. Future directions and implications for longitudinal research, measurement development, and clinical treatments are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 2","pages":"261-272"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142839749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency in autism spectrum disorder patients with irritable bowel syndrome symptoms: A prospective SI gene sequencing study","authors":"Tanyel Zubarioglu,&nbsp;Dilara Ulgen,&nbsp;Sedanur Akca-Yesil,&nbsp;Selin Akbulut,&nbsp;Huseyin Onay,&nbsp;Gozde Uzunyayla-Inci,&nbsp;Omer Faruk Beser,&nbsp;Ali İbrahim Hatemi,&nbsp;Çiğdem Aktuğlu-Zeybek,&nbsp;Ertuğrul Kiykim","doi":"10.1002/aur.3293","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.3293","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Congenital sucrase-isomaltase deficiency (CSID) is an inherited metabolic disorder causing chronic gastrointestinal symptoms and malnutrition when untreated. Most CSID patients are likely to remain under- or misdiagnosed. This study aimed to investigate prevalence of CSID among patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presenting with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) symptoms via prospective <i>SI</i> gene sequencing. A prospective cross-sectional study was conducted on 98 ASD patients exhibiting gastrointestinal symptoms consistent with IBS. Participants were assessed according to Rome IV criteria and underwent <i>SI</i> gene sequencing. Demographic, clinical, and dietary data were collected and analyzed. Sucrose content in various fruits and vegetables was evaluated using three-day food record, and gastrointestinal symptoms were rated on Likert scale. Seven patients (7%) were diagnosed with CSID based on <i>SI</i> gene analysis, revealing six different variants, including four novel mutations. One patient was homozygous for one variant, and six patients were heterozygous. Clinical presentations predominantly included diarrhea, abdominal pain, and bloating, with two patients showing growth retardation. One patient was diagnosed in adulthood. Food allergy and lactose intolerance were the misdiagnoses prior to CSID diagnosis in two patients. Real prevalence of CSID is likely underestimated. Clinical heterogeneity and non-specific symptoms contribute to diagnostic challenges. Gastrointestinal symptoms consistent with IBS in ASD patients should include CSID in differential diagnosis. Early genetic screening for <i>SI</i> variants in ASD patients with IBS symptoms can facilitate timely diagnosis and management, improving outcomes. Heterozygous variants of the <i>SI</i> gene should also be considered, as heterozygous patients can exhibit typical CSID symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 1","pages":"44-55"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142830992","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Altered category learning and reduced generalization in autistic adults","authors":"Jaana Van Overwalle,&nbsp;Stephanie Van der Donck,&nbsp;Birte Geusens,&nbsp;Bart Boets,&nbsp;Johan Wagemans","doi":"10.1002/aur.3286","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.3286","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Individuals with autism spectrum condition (ASC) are suggested to experience difficulties with categorization and generalization. However, empirical studies have mainly focused on one process at a time, and neglected underlying neural mechanisms. Here, we investigated categorization and generalization at a behavioral and neural level in 38 autistic and 38 neurotypical (NT) adults. By presenting shapes sampled from an artificial multidimensional stimulus space, we investigated (1) behavioral and neural underpinnings of category learning and (2) behavioral generalization of trained categorization to both an extended version of the stimulus space and a novel stimulus space. Our previous findings showed that individuals with autism were slower in category learning. In this study, we demonstrate that this slower learning in autism was not related to differences in applied categorization strategy. In contrast, electroencephalography recordings during training did reveal a reduced amplitude of the N1 component in the right occipital temporal cortex after stimulus presentation in autistic participants, which suggests atypical categorical proficiency. In addition, we observed delayed and higher activation in the frontal regions after receiving (negative) feedback in the autistic group, potentially suggesting more explicit feedback processing or a higher salience of prediction errors in autism. Finally, autistic and NT individuals were able to generalize their learned categorization after training. However, when generalizing to a novel set of shapes, autistic individuals were significantly less accurate. Reduced generalization significantly correlated with increased intolerance to uncertainty scores. This multi-level approach reveals behavioral and neural differences in learning and generalization that could be related to clinical symptoms in autism.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 2","pages":"295-311"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142830980","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Disentangling the perceptual underpinnings of autism: Evidence from a face aftereffects experiment","authors":"Julius Hennig,&nbsp;Arne Doose,&nbsp;Clara Marie Breier,&nbsp;Alexander Soutschek,&nbsp;Nicole Beyer,&nbsp;Stefan Schweinberger,&nbsp;Ingeborg Kamp-Becker,&nbsp;Luise Poustka,&nbsp;Katja Albertowski,&nbsp;Veit Roessner,&nbsp;Stefan Ehrlich","doi":"10.1002/aur.3283","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.3283","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Existing literature has documented diminished norm-based adaptation (aftereffects) across several perceptual domains in autism. However, the exact underlying mechanisms, such as sensory dominance possibly caused by imprecise priors and/or increased sensory precision, remain elusive. The “Bayesian brain” framework offers refined methods to investigate these mechanisms. This study utilized both model-free (frequentist statistics) and model-based (hierarchical Drift Diffusion Modeling) analytical approaches to compare gender face aftereffects in male adolescents with autism (<i>n</i> = 29) to neurotypical controls (<i>n</i> = 39) using a behavioral choice experiment. Contrary to our initial hypotheses, our analyses did not find support for imprecise priors or increased sensory precision within the autistic group. Instead, we observed generally decreased drift rates towards male but not female stimuli in the autistic group. Thus, our findings suggest a lack of own-gender bias in face processing among the autistic participants. These findings align with more recent behavioral and neurophysiological research observing intact priors in individuals with autism, suggesting that other mechanisms may better explain the perceptual challenges in autism. Our study contributes to the ongoing discourse on perceptual processing in autism, emphasizing the necessity for more nuanced analytical approaches in order to unravel the complexity of this condition.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 2","pages":"349-361"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.3283","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142830984","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Action execution and observation in autistic adults: A systematic review of fMRI studies","authors":"Sara Stillesjö,&nbsp;Hanna Hjärtström,&nbsp;Anna-Maria Johansson,&nbsp;Thomas Rudolfsson,&nbsp;Daniel Säfström,&nbsp;Erik Domellöf","doi":"10.1002/aur.3291","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.3291","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Motor impairments are common in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) although less is known about the neural mechanisms related to such difficulties. This review provides an outline of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) findings associated with execution and observation of naturalistic actions in autistic adults. Summarized outcomes revealed that adults with ASD recruit similar brain regions as neurotypical adults during action execution and during action observation, although with a difference in direction and/or magnitude. For action execution, this included higher and lower activity bilaterally in the precentral cortex, the parietal cortex, the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), the middle temporal gyrus (MTG), the occipital cortex, and the cerebellum. For action observation, differences mainly concerned both higher and lower activity in bilateral IFG and right precentral gyrus, and lower activity in MTG. Activity overlaps between action execution and observation highlight atypical recruitment of IFG, MTG, precentral, and parieto-occipital regions in ASD. The results show atypical recruitment of brain regions subserving motor planning and/or predictive control in ASD. Atypical brain activations during action observation, and the pattern of activity overlaps, indicate an association with difficulties in understanding others' actions and intentions.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 2","pages":"238-260"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.3291","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142824960","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Associations of maternal peripregnancy cannabis use with behavioral and developmental outcomes in children with and without symptoms of autism spectrum disorder: Study to Explore Early Development","authors":"Carolyn DiGuiseppi,&nbsp;Tessa Crume,&nbsp;Brady Holst,&nbsp;Kaylynn Aiona,&nbsp;Julia Van Dyke,&nbsp;Lisa A. Croen,&nbsp;Julie L. Daniels,&nbsp;Sandra Friedman,&nbsp;Katherine R. Sabourin,&nbsp;Laura A. Schieve,&nbsp;Lisa Wiggins,&nbsp;Gayle C. Windham,&nbsp;Cordelia Robinson Rosenberg","doi":"10.1002/aur.3284","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.3284","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Some studies report increased prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and associated symptoms with prenatal cannabis exposure. We examined whether associations of maternal cannabis use from 3 months preconception through delivery (“peripregnancy”) with behavior and development in the offspring varied with the presence of ASD symptoms. Children ages 30–68 months with ASD symptoms (i.e., met study criteria for ASD or had ASD symptoms on standardized assessments or community ASD diagnosis, <i>N</i> = 2734) and without ASD symptoms (other developmental delay/disorders or general population sample, <i>N</i> = 3454) were evaluated with the Child Behavior Checklist and Mullen Scales of Early Learning. We examined cannabis use during three time periods: peripregnancy, pregnancy, and only preconception. Peripregnancy cannabis exposure was reported for 6.0% of children with and 4.6% of children without ASD symptoms. Preconception-only cannabis use (versus no use) was associated with more aggressive behavior, emotional reactivity, and sleep problems in children with ASD symptoms, but not in children without ASD symptoms. Cannabis use during pregnancy was associated with increased attention and sleep problems in children with ASD symptoms; these associations did not differ significantly by ASD symptoms. Peripregnancy cannabis use was not associated with child developmental abilities regardless of ASD symptoms. In summary, associations of peripregnancy cannabis use with some behavioral outcomes differed in children with and without ASD symptoms. With rising cannabis use among pregnant women, future studies that examine a range of developmental risks associated with timing and patterns of cannabis use prior to conception as well as during pregnancy could inform clinical guidance.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 1","pages":"202-216"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142808679","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Remote monitoring of social attention in neurogenetic syndromes and idiopathic neurodevelopmental disability","authors":"Thomas W. Frazier,&nbsp;Robyn M. Busch,&nbsp;Patricia Klaas,&nbsp;Katherine Lachlan,&nbsp;Shafali Jeste,&nbsp;Alexander Kolevzon,&nbsp;Eva Loth,&nbsp;Jacqueline Harris,&nbsp;Tom Pepper,&nbsp;Kristin Anthony,&nbsp;J. Michael Graglia,&nbsp;Kathryn Helde,&nbsp;Christal Delagrammatikas,&nbsp;Sandra Bedrosian-Sermone,&nbsp;Constance Smith-Hicks,&nbsp;Mustafa Sahin,&nbsp;Eric A. Youngstrom,&nbsp;Charis Eng,&nbsp;Lacey Chetcuti,&nbsp;Antonio Y. Hardan,&nbsp;Mirko Uljarevic","doi":"10.1002/aur.3290","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.3290","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Social attention is a key aspect of neurodevelopment and is significantly altered in neurodevelopmental genetic syndromes and many individuals with idiopathic autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The primary aim of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of webcam-collected social attention measurements, including four new specific aspects of social attention, in three genetic syndromes (PTEN Hamartoma Tumor Syndrome—PHTS; Malan Syndrome—NFIX; and SYNGAP1-related disorder—SYNGAP1), a mixed group of other neurodevelopmental genetic syndromes (Other NDGS), and individuals with a range of idiopathic neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD). The secondary aim was to evaluate the construct validity of these social attention measurements, including evaluating known-groups validity across study groups and concurrent validity for separating ASD and non-ASD cases. Participants (<i>N</i> = 467, age 3–45; PHTS <i>n</i> = 102, NFIX <i>n</i> = 23, SYNGAP1 <i>n</i> = 42, other NDGS <i>n</i> = 63, idiopathic NDD <i>n</i> = 53, neurotypical siblings <i>n</i> = 71, and unrelated neurotypical controls <i>n</i> = 113) completed a 4-min online-administered social attention paradigm that includes a variety of distinct stimuli at three timepoints (baseline, 1-month, and 4-month follow-up). Social attention measures had good scale and test–retest reliability, with the exception of measures of non-social preference and face-specific processing. Unique patterns of social attention emerged across study groups, with near neurotypical levels in PHTS and weaker social attention in NFIX and SYNGAP1 relative to controls. Global social attention had good accuracy in detecting ASD within NDGS participants. Remote monitoring social attention, including distinct aspects of social attention, may be useful for characterizing phenotypic profiles and tracking the natural history of distinct NDGS and idiopathic NDD as well as identifying ASD within NDGS. Given their reproducibility and stability, global social attention and several distinct social attention measures may be useful outcomes for future clinical trials.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 2","pages":"334-348"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.3290","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142792738","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Subregion-specific thalamocortical functional connectivity, executive function, and social behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders","authors":"Jasmine Si Min Chuah,&nbsp;Aisleen M. A. Manahan,&nbsp;Shi Yu Chan,&nbsp;Zhen Ming Ngoh,&nbsp;Pei Huang,&nbsp;Ai Peng Tan","doi":"10.1002/aur.3280","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.3280","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The thalamus has extensive cortical connections and is an integrative hub for cognitive functions governing social behavior. This study examined (1) associations between thalamocortical resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) and social behavior in children and (2) how various executive function (EF) subdomains mediate the association between thalamocortical RSFC and social behavior. Children from the autism brain imaging data exchange (ABIDE) initiative with neuroimaging, behavioral, and demographic data were included in our study (age &lt; 14, ASD; <i>n</i> = 207, typically developing; <i>n</i> = 259). Thalamocortical RSFC was examined for associations with social communication and interaction (SCI) scores (SRS; social responsiveness scale) using Spearman's rank-order correlation, first in ASD children and then in typically developing children. This was followed by a more granular analysis at the thalamic subregion level. We then examined the mediating roles of eight EF subdomains in ASD children (<i>n</i> = 139). Right thalamus-default mode network (DMN) RSFC was significantly associated with SCI scores in ASD children (<i>ρ</i> = 0.23, <i>p</i>_FDR = 0.012), primarily driven by the medial (<i>ρ</i> = 0.22, <i>p</i>_FDR = 0.013), ventral (<i>ρ</i> = 0.17, <i>p</i>_FDR = 0.036), and intralaminar (<i>ρ</i> = 0.17, <i>p</i>_FDR = 0.036) thalamic subregions. Cognitive flexibility (ACME = 0.13, <i>p</i>_unc = 0.016) and emotional control (ACME = 0.08, <i>p</i>_unc = 0.020) significantly mediated the association between right thalamus-DMN RSFC and SCI scores. This study provided novel insights into the association between thalamocortical RSFC and social behavior in ASD children at the thalamic subregion level, providing higher levels of precision in brain-behavior mapping. Cognitive flexibility and emotion regulation were highlighted as potential targets to ameliorate the downstream effects of altered thalamocortical connectivity to improve social outcomes in ASD children.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 1","pages":"70-82"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142782002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cognitive flexibility in autism: How task predictability and sex influence performances","authors":"Adeline Lacroix,&nbsp;Emma Torija,&nbsp;Alexander Logemann,&nbsp;Monica Baciu,&nbsp;Renata Cserjesi,&nbsp;Frédéric Dutheil,&nbsp;Marie Gomot,&nbsp;Martial Mermillod","doi":"10.1002/aur.3281","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.3281","url":null,"abstract":"<p>While cognitive flexibility challenges are frequently reported in autistic individuals, inconsistencies in the findings prompt further investigation into the factors influencing this flexibility. We suggest that unique aspects of the predictive brain in autistic individuals might contribute to these challenges, potentially varying by sex. Our study aimed to test these hypotheses by examining cognitive flexibility under different predictability conditions in a sample including a similar number of males and females. We conducted an online study with 263 adults (127 with an autism diagnosis), where participants completed a flexibility task under varying levels of predictability (unpredictable, moderately predictable, and predictable). Our results indicate that as task predictability increases, performance improves; however, the response time gap between autistic and non-autistic individuals also widens. Moreover, we observe significant differences between autistic males and females, which differ from non-autistic individuals, highlighting the need to consider sex differences in research related to the cognition of autistic individuals. Overall, our findings contribute to a better understanding of cognitive flexibility and sex differences in autism in light of predictive brain theories and suggest avenues for further research.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"18 2","pages":"281-294"},"PeriodicalIF":5.3,"publicationDate":"2024-12-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.3281","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142787906","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}