title: Autism spectrum disorders and the amplitude of auditory brainstem response wave I.
abstract: To determine whether children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have an increased number of wave I abnormal amplitudes in auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) than age- and sex-matched typically developing children. This analytical case-control study compared patients with ASDs between the ages of 2 and 6 years and children who had a language delay not associated with any other pathology. Amplitudes of ABR waves I and V; absolute latencies (ALs) of waves I, III, and V; and interpeak latencies (IPLs) I-III, III-IV, and I-V at 90 dB were compared between ASD patients and normally developing children. The study enrolled 40 children with documented ASDs and 40 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Analyses of the ABR showed that children with ASDs exhibited higher amplitudes of wave 1 than wave V (35%) more frequently than the control group (10%), and this difference between groups reached statistical significance by Chi-squared analysis. There were no significant differences in ALs and IPLs between ASD children and matched controls. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case-control study testing the amplitudes of ABR wave I in ASD children. The reported results suggest a potential for the use of ABR recordings in children, not only for the clinical assessment of hearing status, but also for the possibility of using amplitude of ABR wave I as an early marker of ASDs allowing earlier diagnosis and intervention. Autism Res 2017. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1300-1305. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Portugal, Largo do Prof. Albel Salazar, 4099-001, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Mariline
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7041-0994
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Portugal, Largo do Prof. Albel Salazar, 4099-001, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cristina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Marques
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Portugal, Largo do Prof. Albel Salazar, 4099-001, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Ana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nóbrega Pinto
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Portugal, Largo do Prof. Albel Salazar, 4099-001, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fernandes
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Portugal, Largo do Prof. Albel Salazar, 4099-001, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Miguel Bebiano
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Coutinho
authors.affiliation: Centro Hospitalar do Porto, Portugal, Largo do Prof. Albel Salazar, 4099-001, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Cecília
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Almeida E Sousa
mesh_terms: D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016057:Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007805:Language Development Disorders / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies
keywords: auditory brainstem response; autism spectrum disorders; hearing