title: Electroencephalogram Coherence Patterns in Autism: An Updated Review.
abstract: Electrophysiologic studies suggest that autism spectrum disorder is characterized by aberrant anatomic and functional neural circuitry. During normal brain development, pruning and synaptogenesis facilitate ongoing changes in both short- and long-range neural wiring. In developmental disorders such as autism, this process may be perturbed and lead to abnormal neural connectivity. Careful analysis of electrophysiologic connectivity patterns using EEG coherence may provide a way to probe the resulting differences in neurological function between people with and without autism. There is general consensus that electroencephalogram coherence patterns differ between individuals with and without autism spectrum disorders; however, the exact nature of the differences and their clinical significance remain unclear. Here we review recent literature comparing electroencephalogram coherence patterns between patients with autism spectrum disorders or at high risk for autism and their nonautistic or low-risk for autism peers.
authors.affiliation: Graduate Program for Neuroscience, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Sophie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Schwartz
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics and Developmental Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Riley
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kessler
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics and Developmental Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Gaughan
authors.affiliation: Pediatrics and Developmental Neuroscience Branch, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland. Electronic address: Shu.Buckley@nih.gov.
authors.forename: Ashura W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Buckley
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D006801:Humans; D009434:Neural Pathways / Q000254:growth & development / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: EEG; autism; coherence; electroencephalography; synchrony