Reduced beta band connectivity during number estimation in autism.
Recent evidence suggests that disruption of integrative processes in sensation and perception may play a critical role in cognitive and behavioural atypicalities characteristic of ASD. In line with this, ASD is associated with altered structural and functional brain connectivity and atypical patterns of inter-regional communication which have been proposed to contribute to cognitive difficulties prevalent in this group. The present MEG study used atlas-guided source space analysis of inter-regional phase synchronization in ASD participants, as well as matched typically developing controls, during a dot number estimation task. This task included stimuli with globally integrated forms (animal shapes) as well as randomly-shaped stimuli which lacked a coherent global pattern. Early task-dependent increases in inter-regional phase synchrony in theta, alpha and beta frequency bands were observed. Reduced long-range beta-band phase synchronization was found in participants with ASD at 70-145 ms during presentation of globally coherent dot patterns. This early reduction in task-dependent inter-regional connectivity encompassed numerous areas including occipital, parietal, temporal, and frontal lobe regions. These results provide the first evidence for inter-regional phase synchronization during numerosity estimation, as well as its alteration in ASD, and suggest that problems with communication among brain areas may contribute to difficulties with integrative processes relevant to extraction of meaningful 'Gestalt' features in this population.
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada ; Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada ; Department of Psychiatry, Academic Medical Center, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Katrin A
KA
Bangel
INSERM, UMR U930 Imagerie et Cerveau, Université François de Tours, Tours, France.
Magali
M
Batty
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada ; Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada ; Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Annette X
AX
Ye
Laboratory for Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Neurosciences and Clinical Neurology, University Medical Center, Geneva, Switzerland.
Emilie
E
Meaux
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada ; Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada ; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada ; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Margot J
MJ
Taylor
Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada ; Neurosciences & Mental Health, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, Toronto, Canada ; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada ; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
Sam M
SM
Doesburg
D000328:Adult; D001321:Autistic Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001611:Beta Rhythm; D001921:Brain / Q000503:physiopathology*; D058407:Electroencephalography Phase Synchronization; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015225:Magnetoencephalography; D008297:Male; D055641:Mathematical Concepts; D055815:Young Adult
Autism spectrum disorder; Beta band; Feature integration; Neural oscillations; Neural synchrony; Numerosity