title: Rapid and Objective Assessment of Neural Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Transient Visual Evoked Potentials.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There is a critical need to identify biomarkers and objective outcome measures that can be used to understand underlying neural mechanisms in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Visual evoked potentials (VEPs) offer a noninvasive technique to evaluate the functional integrity of neural mechanisms, specifically visual pathways, while probing for disease pathophysiology.
  
  
  METHODS
  Transient VEPs (tVEPs) were obtained from 96 unmedicated children, including 37 children with ASD, 36 typically developing (TD) children, and 23 unaffected siblings (SIBS). A conventional contrast-reversing checkerboard condition was compared to a novel short-duration condition, which was developed to enable objective data collection from severely affected populations who are often excluded from electroencephalographic (EEG) studies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Children with ASD showed significantly smaller amplitudes compared to TD children at two of the earliest critical VEP components, P60-N75 and N75-P100. SIBS showed intermediate responses relative to ASD and TD groups. There were no group differences in response latency. Frequency band analyses indicated significantly weaker responses for the ASD group in bands encompassing gamma-wave activity. Ninety-two percent of children with ASD were able to complete the short-duration condition compared to 68% for the standard condition.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The current study establishes the utility of a short-duration tVEP test for use in children at varying levels of functioning and describes neural abnormalities in children with idiopathic ASD. Implications for excitatory/inhibitory balance as well as the potential application of VEP for use in clinical trials are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Paige M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Siper
authors.affiliation: Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, Bronx, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Vance
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zemon
authors.affiliation: Hunter College, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.affiliation: Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: George-Jones
authors.affiliation: Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, Bronx, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Stacey
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lurie
authors.affiliation: Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University, Bronx, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zweifach
authors.affiliation: Centre for Research in Autism and Education (CRAE), UCL Institute of Education, University College London, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tavassoli
authors.affiliation: Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: A Ting
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Jesslyn
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jamison
authors.affiliation: Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Department of Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Department of Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America,9 Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Joseph D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Buxbaum
authors.affiliation: Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Department of Psychiatry, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Friedman Brain Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America,9 Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.|Mindich Child Health and Development Institute, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America,9 Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York, United States of America.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kolevzon
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002648:Child; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000379:methods; D005074:Evoked Potentials, Visual / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010775:Photic Stimulation / Q000379:methods; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000502:physiology; D014795:Visual Pathways / Q000503:physiopathology*