title: Specificity of autonomic arousal to anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder.
abstract: Anxiety is one of the most concerning comorbidities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to its high prevalence, negative impact on physical and psychological well-being, and interaction with core deficits of ASD. Current assessment and treatment of anxiety, which rely on the observation of behavior and self-reports, are often ineffective as ASD is associated with deficits in communication and diminished introspective ability. In this light, autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity has been suggested as a marker of physiological arousal associated with anxiety. However, physiological arousal measured by ANS indices also occurs with other cognitive and emotional processes, and it is unclear whether anxiety-related arousal can be differentiated from that related to other cognitive processes. To address this gap, we investigated the use of linear and nonlinear classification techniques for differentiating anxiety-related arousal from arousal due to three cognitive processes (attention, inhibitory control, and social cognition) and physical activity based on electrocardiography signal features. Our results indicate that over 80% classification accuracy can be achieved, suggesting that ANS response can be used as a specific marker of anxiety-related arousal in a subgroup of children with ASD who demonstrate an increase in heart rate in response to anxiogenic stimuli.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3G9.
authors.forename: Tabitha A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Chiu
authors.affiliation: Bloorview Research Institute, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4G 1R8.
authors.forename: Evdokia
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Anagnostou
authors.affiliation: Bloorview Research Institute, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4G 1R8.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Brian
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3G9.|Bloorview Research Institute, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4G 1R8.
authors.forename: Tom
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chau
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, 164 College Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M5S 3G9.|Bloorview Research Institute, 150 Kilgour Road, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, M4G 1R8.
authors.forename: Azadeh
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kushki
mesh_terms: D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology*; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012919:Social Behavior
keywords: anxiety; arousal; autism spectrum disorders; autonomic nervous system; cardiac activity; physiology; psychophysiology