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Abnormal Selective Attention Normalizes P3 Amplitudes in PDD

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Abstract

This paper studied whether abnormal P3 amplitudes in PDD are a corollary of abnormalities in ERP components related to selective attention in visual and auditory tasks. Furthermore, this study sought to clarify possible age differences in such abnormalities. Children with PDD showed smaller P3 amplitudes than controls, but no abnormalities in selective attention. Adolescents with PDD showed abnormal selective attention, as reflected by larger auditory Processing Negativity (PN) and visual N2b, but no P3 abnormalities. Dipole localizations revealed that the locations of PN generators in subjects with PDD differed from controls. It was concluded that the abnormalities in selective attention in adolescents with PDD have a normalizing effect on P3, and possibly act as a compensatory process.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Sorbonnelaan 16, 3584CA, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Marco R. Hoeksma

  2. Department of Child- and Adolescent Psychiatry, Utrecht University Medical Centre, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    Chantal Kemner & Herman van Engeland

  3. Department of Psychonomics, Faculty of Social Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands

    J. Leon Kenemans

Authors
  1. Marco R. Hoeksma
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  2. Chantal Kemner
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  3. J. Leon Kenemans
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  4. Herman van Engeland
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Correspondence to Marco R. Hoeksma.

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Hoeksma, M.R., Kemner, C., Kenemans, J.L. et al. Abnormal Selective Attention Normalizes P3 Amplitudes in PDD. J Autism Dev Disord 36, 643–654 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0102-5

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