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Updated: Aug 11, 2026
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P50 Sensory Gating in Infants
Published on: December 26, 2013
Sensorimotor gating deficits in adults with autism
William Perry1, Arpi Minassian, Brian Lopez
1Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, California, USA. wperry@ucsd.edu
Biological Psychiatry
|February 8, 2006
Summary
Adults with autistic disorder (AD) show impaired prepulse inhibition (PPI), a measure of sensorimotor gating. These deficits correlate with repetitive behaviors, suggesting inhibitory dysfunction in AD.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychiatry
- Developmental Disorders
Background:
- Prepulse inhibition (PPI) measures sensorimotor gating and is impaired in neuropsychiatric disorders.
- Autistic disorder (AD) involves inhibitory deficits, potentially linked to sensorimotor gating impairments.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate sensorimotor gating deficits in adults with autistic disorder (AD).
- To explore the relationship between PPI, restricted/repetitive behaviors, and frontal-executive functioning in AD.
Main Methods:
- Assessed acoustic startle reactivity, habituation, and PPI at various interstimulus intervals in 14 adult men with AD and 16 controls.
- Administered intelligence and frontal-executive functioning measures to all participants.
Main Results:
- Adults with AD demonstrated significantly reduced PPI at a 60-msec interval compared to controls.
- Lower PPI in AD was associated with increased restricted and repetitive behaviors.
- PPI was not related to intelligence but showed a moderate association with frontal-executive functioning.
Conclusions:
- Adults with AD exhibit sensorimotor gating deficits, similar to other neurodevelopmental disorders.
- These deficits suggest a failure in inhibitory regulation of sensory, motor, and attentional processes.
- PPI deficits may be indirectly linked to hallmark features of autistic disorder.
Related Concept Videos
01:19Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition marked by persistent deficits in social communication and interaction alongside restrictive and repetitive behaviors or interests. ASD is sometimes accompanied by intellectual impairment.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
These core symptoms manifest differently among individuals, ranging from mild to severe. The disorder's complexity extends beyond its clinical presentation, encompassing a diverse range of biological, cognitive, and sociocultural influences.
01:14Piaget's Stage 1 of Cognitive Development
The sensorimotor stage, the initial phase of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, spans the first two years of a child's life. During this period, infants actively engage with their surroundings, building cognitive awareness through direct interaction with the world. This interaction is primarily based on sensory perception and motor actions, allowing infants to gradually understand basic physical properties and predict how objects interact within their environment.
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