title: Neuropsychological investigation of motor impairments in autism.
abstract: It is unclear how standardized neuropsychological measures of motor function relate to brain volumes of motor regions in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). An all-male sample composed of 59 ASD and 30 controls (ages 5-33 years) completed three measures of motor function: strength of grip (SOG), finger tapping test (FTT), and grooved pegboard test (GPT). Likewise, all participants underwent magnetic resonance imaging with region of interest (ROI) volumes obtained to include the following regions: motor cortex (precentral gyrus), somatosensory cortex (postcentral gyrus), thalamus, basal ganglia, cerebellum, and caudal middle frontal gyrus. These traditional neuropsychological measures of motor function are assumed to differ in motor complexity, with GPT requiring the most followed by FTT and SOG. Performance by ASD participants on the GPT and FTT differed significantly from that of controls, with the largest effect size differences observed on the more complex GPT task. Differences on the SOG task between the two groups were nonsignificant. Since more complex motor tasks tap more complex networks, poorer GPT performance by those with ASD may reflect less efficient motor networks. There was no gross pathology observed in classic motor areas of the brain in ASD, as ROI volumes did not differ, but FTT was negatively related to motor cortex volume in ASD. The results suggest a hierarchical motor disruption in ASD, with difficulties evident only in more complex tasks as well as a potential anomalous size-function relation in motor cortex in ASD.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Psychology , Brigham Young University , Provo , UT , USA.
authors.forename: Tyler C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Duffield
authors.forename: Haley G
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Trontel
authors.forename: Erin D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Bigler
authors.forename: Alyson
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Froehlich
authors.forename: Molly B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Prigge
authors.forename: Brittany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Travers
authors.forename: Ryan R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Annahir N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Cariello
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cooperrider
authors.forename: Jared
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alexander
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: P Thomas
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: Nicholas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lange
authors.forename: Brandon
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zielinski
authors.forename: Janet
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lainhart
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D006801:Humans; D007091:Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000502:physiology*; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D009929:Organ Size; D011597:Psychomotor Performance / Q000502:physiology*