Abstract
Prolonged dysregulation of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) may increase propensity for physical or psychiatric illness. The current study examined differences in respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) regulation in 215 adolescents with or without autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at Time 1 (T1; 10–13 years old) and 1 year later (Time 2; T2). Linear mixed effects models demonstrated lower RSA regulation in ASD, and a small interaction effect, showing blunted change in RSA from T1 to T2. Developmental differences in RSA regulation were particularly notable in females with ASD and those taking psychotropic medications. Results expand previous findings of reduced parasympathetic regulation in ASD by revealing a blunted developmental slope, indicating diagnostic differences may persist or worsen over time, particularly in females.
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Funding
This study was funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (MH111599 PI: Corbett). Core support was provided by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (U54 HD083211, PI: Neul) and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (CTSA UL1 TR000445). None of the funding sources were involved in the study design, collection, analysis and interpretation of the data, writing of the report, or the decision to submit the article for publication. We are grateful to the children and families who participated and continue to support our research.
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RAM contributed to the design of the study, led data acquisition, analyzed physiological data, analyzed and interpreted the data, and wrote the initial draft of the manuscript. AP contributed to data acquisition, scheduling of protocols, physiological data analysis, and editing of the final manuscript. AR and IS contributed to collection and analysis of physiological data and editing of the final manuscript. BAC designed the study, oversaw data acquisition, analysis, and interpretation, and contributed to writing the initial draft of the manuscript. All authors participated in the preparation and editing of the manuscript and approved the final manuscript.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical stands of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Informed written consent and assent was obtained from all parents and study participants, respectively, prior to inclusion in the study.
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Muscatello, R.A., Pachol, A., Romines, A. et al. Development and Parasympathetic Regulation in Male and Female Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Two-Timepoint Longitudinal Study. J Autism Dev Disord 53, 3613–3626 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05664-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05664-2