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Enhanced parietal cortex activation during location detection in children with autism
Thomas P DeRamus1, Briley S Black2, Mark R Pennick3
1Behavioral Neuroscience Graduate Program, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-1170 USA.
Journal of Neurodevelopmental Disorders
|October 11, 2014
Summary
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show greater parietal brain activation for visuospatial location detection. This suggests a more localized processing style in ASD individuals, with weaker long-range brain connectivity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Visuospatial processing involves distinct dorsal ('where') and ventral ('what') cortical pathways.
- Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may exhibit unique visuospatial processing advantages.
- Understanding these pathways is crucial for comprehending neurodevelopmental differences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate functional connectivity within the dorsal and ventral visuospatial pathways in high-functioning children with autism.
- To compare brain activation patterns during object recognition and location detection tasks between children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children.
Main Methods:
- Functional MRI (fMRI) was used to examine brain activity in 17 high-functioning children with ASD and 19 TD children.
- Participants performed visual tasks involving object recognition and spatial location detection.
- Task-based fMRI measured differential activation and functional connectivity in response to visual stimuli.
Main Results:
- Children with ASD showed significantly greater activation in the left inferior parietal lobule (angular gyrus) during location detection compared to TD children.
- No significant group differences in brain activity were observed during object recognition.
- ASD participants exhibited decreased functional connectivity between the inferior temporal area and parietal/occipital regions during location detection.
Conclusions:
- Findings support an increased reliance on visuospatial processing, particularly parietal activation, in individuals with ASD.
- Visuospatial processing in ASD may be more localized and detailed, indicated by weaker long-range functional connectivity.
- These results contribute to understanding the neural underpinnings of visuospatial processing in autism spectrum disorder.
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