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A Semantic Priming Event-related Potential ERP Task to Study Lexico-semantic and Visuo-semantic Processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 12, 2018
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ERP evidence of semantic processing in children with ASD
Charlotte DiStefano1, Damla Senturk2, Shafali Spurling Jeste3
1Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, United States.
Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience
|April 12, 2019
Summary
Electroencephalography revealed distinct semantic processing patterns in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Even minimally verbal (MV) children with ASD showed EEG evidence of language processing, but with delays.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Clinical Linguistics
Background:
- A significant portion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit minimal verbal (MV) abilities despite interventions.
- Electroencephalography (EEG) offers a window into neural mechanisms of language impairment in ASD, aiding outcome prediction and intervention targeting.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate neural mechanisms of semantic processing in verbally fluent (V) and minimally verbal (MV) children with ASD using EEG.
- To compare EEG responses between ASD subgroups and typically developing (TD) children during a semantic congruence task.
Main Methods:
- Employed an event-related potential (ERP) paradigm involving picture-word semantic congruence in TD, V-ASD, and MV-ASD groups.
- Analyzed N400 and late negative component (LNC) effects across different conditions and brain regions.
- Utilized cluster analysis to identify distinct processing patterns within the ASD cohort.
Main Results:
- All groups exhibited an N400 effect, but with significantly shorter latency in the TD group, indicating delayed semantic processing in ASD.
- A late negative component (LNC) showed differential patterns: present broadly in TD, restricted to mid-frontal regions in MV-ASD, and absent in V-ASD.
- Cluster analysis revealed atypical processing subgroups within ASD, including reversed and mixed condition differentiation.
Conclusions:
- Children with ASD, including MV individuals, demonstrate EEG evidence of semantic processing.
- This processing is characterized by delayed speed and impaired integration with mental representations compared to TD peers.
- EEG findings highlight neural heterogeneity within ASD and potential for targeted intervention strategies.
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