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Neuromagnetic Oscillations Predict Evoked-Response Latency Delays and Core Language Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders

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Abstract

Previous studies have observed evoked response latency as well as gamma band superior temporal gyrus (STG) auditory abnormalities in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A limitation of these studies is that associations between these two abnormalities, as well as the full extent of oscillatory phenomena in ASD in terms of frequency and time, have not been examined. Subjects were presented pure tones at 200, 300, 500, and 1,000 Hz while magnetoencephalography assessed activity in STG auditory areas in a sample of 105 children with ASD and 36 typically developing controls (TD). Findings revealed a profile such that auditory STG processes in ASD were characterized by pre-stimulus abnormalities across multiple frequencies, then early high-frequency abnormalities followed by low-frequency abnormalities. Increased pre-stimulus activity was a ‘core’ abnormality, with pre-stimulus activity predicting post-stimulus neural abnormalities, group membership, and clinical symptoms (CELF-4 Core Language Index). Deficits in synaptic integration in the auditory cortex are associated with oscillatory abnormalities in ASD as well as patient symptoms. Increased pre-stimulus activity in ASD likely demonstrates a fundamental signal-to-noise deficit in individuals with ASD, with elevations in oscillatory activity suggesting an inability to maintain an appropriate ‘neural tone’ and an inability to rapidly return to a resting state prior to the next stimulus.

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Notes

  1. Complex demodulation uses a finite impulse response (FIR) low-pass filter with a Gaussian wave shape in the time domain. Complex demodulation is equivalent to a wavelet transformation using Morlet-type wavelets with a fixed time–frequency resolution across frequencies.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported in part by NIH grant R01DC008871 (TR), NIH grant R01DC008871-02S1, a NIH grant K08 MH085100 (JCE), Award number P30HD026979 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the NIH, and grants from the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation (NLMFF) and Autism Speaks. This research has been funded (in part) by a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health. The Pennsylvania Department of Health specifically disclaims responsibility for any analyses, interpretations or conclusions. Dr. Roberts gratefully acknowledges the Oberkircher Family for the Oberkircher Family Chair in Pediatric Radiology at CHOP.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Radiology, Lurie Family Foundations MEG Imaging Center, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Wood Bldg, Suite 2115, 34th St. and Civic Center Blvd, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    J. Christopher Edgar, Sarah Y. Khan, Lisa Blaskey, Vivian Y. Chow, Michael Rey, William Gaetz, Katelyn M. Cannon, Justin F. Monroe, Lauren Cornew, Song Liu & Timothy P. L. Roberts

  2. Department of Pediatrics, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Lisa Blaskey, Saba Qasmieh & Susan E. Levy

  3. Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children’s Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA

    John P. Welsh

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  1. J. Christopher Edgar
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Correspondence to J. Christopher Edgar.

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Edgar, J.C., Khan, S.Y., Blaskey, L. et al. Neuromagnetic Oscillations Predict Evoked-Response Latency Delays and Core Language Deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 45, 395–405 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1904-x

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