title: Decreased Modulation of EEG Oscillations in High-Functioning Autism during a Motor Control Task.
abstract: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are thought to result in part from altered cortical excitatory-inhibitory balance; this pathophysiology may impact the generation of oscillations on electroencephalogram (EEG). We investigated premotor-parietal cortical physiology associated with praxis, which has strong theoretical and empirical associations with ASD symptomatology. Twenty five children with high-functioning ASD (HFA) and 33 controls performed a praxis task involving the pantomiming of tool use, while EEG was recorded. We assessed task-related modulation of signal power in alpha and beta frequency bands. Compared with controls, subjects with HFA showed 27% less left central (motor/premotor) beta (18-22 Hz) event-related desynchronization (ERD; p = 0.030), as well as 24% less left parietal alpha (7-13 Hz) ERD (p = 0.046). Within the HFA group, blunting of central ERD attenuation was associated with impairments in clinical measures of praxis imitation (r = -0.4; p = 0.04) and increased autism severity (r = 0.48; p = 0.016). The modulation of central beta activity is associated, among other things, with motor imagery, which may be necessary for imitation. Impaired imitation has been associated with core features of ASD. Altered modulation of oscillatory activity may be mechanistically involved in those aspects of motor network function that relate to the core symptoms of ASD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger InstituteBaltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins UniversityBaltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Joshua B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Ewen
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Balaji M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Lakshmanan
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger InstituteBaltimore, MD, USA; Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimore, MD, USA; Human Motor Control Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of HealthBethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Ajay S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pillai
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Danielle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McAuliffe
authors.affiliation: Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger Institute Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Carrie
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nettles
authors.affiliation: Human Motor Control Section, Medical Neurology Branch, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hallett
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Nathan E
authors.initials: NE
authors.lastname: Crone
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimore, MD, USA; Center for Neurodevelopmental and Imaging Research, Kennedy Krieger InstituteBaltimore, MD, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Johns Hopkins University School of MedicineBaltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Stewart H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Mostofsky
keywords: autism; dyspraxia; event-related desynchronization; motor planning; praxis