A new approach to the study of detail perception in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): investigating visual feedforward, horizontal and feedback processing.
Enhanced detail processing is a characteristic of ASD. However, previous studies could not yet provide a neural explanation of this trait. Since the balance between visual feedforward and feedback processing is probably essential for the character of visual perception, we conjectured that this balance is disturbed in ASD. Using a new texture discrimination task, where surface segregation was varied independently from orientation boundaries, we showed that subjects with ASD scored lower than controls, probably caused by enhanced feedback. Interestingly, performance improved in the ASD group when repeating the task two additional times, indicating a compensation for the imbalance between feedforward and feedback processing.
Vandenbroucke
Myriam W G
MW
Rudolf Magnus Institute of Neuroscience, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University Medical Centre Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Scholte
H Steven
HS
van Engeland
Herman
H
Lamme
Victor A F
VA
Kemner
Chantal
C
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000523:psychology*; D004192:Discrimination, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D005246:Feedback / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009949:Orientation; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011601:Psychophysics; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D017603:Signal Detection, Psychological / Q000502:physiology; D055815:Young Adult