title: Deficient auditory processing in children with Asperger Syndrome, as indexed by event-related potentials.
abstract: Asperger Syndrome (AS) is characterized by normal language development but deficient understanding and use of the intonation and prosody of speech. While individuals with AS report difficulties in auditory perception, there are no studies addressing auditory processing at the sensory level. In this study, event-related potentials (ERP) were recorded for syllables and tones in children with AS and in their control counterparts. Children with AS displayed abnormalities in transient sound-feature encoding, as indexed by the obligatory ERPs, and in sound discrimination, as indexed by the mismatch negativity. These deficits were more severe for the tone stimuli than for the syllables. These results indicate that auditory sensory processing is deficient in children with AS, and that these deficits might be implicated in the perceptual problems encountered by children with AS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Finnish, Saami and Logopedics, University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland. eiro.jansson-verkasalo@oulu.fi
authors.forename: Eira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Jansson-Verkasalo
authors.forename: Rita
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ceponiene
authors.forename: Marko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kielinen
authors.forename: Kalervo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Suominen
authors.forename: Ville
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Jäntti
authors.forename: Sirkka Liisa
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Linna
authors.forename: Irma
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Moilanen
authors.forename: Risto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Näätänen
mesh_terms: D000161:Acoustic Stimulation; D020817:Asperger Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology*; D001308:Auditory Perceptual Disorders / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male