Cluster Analysis of Short Sensory Profile Data Reveals Sensory-Based Subgroups in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Genetics
• Developmental Disorders

Background:

• Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition with varied presentations.
• Current treatments for ASD lack specificity, highlighting the need for subgroup identification.
• Sensory processing differences are common in ASD but not fully utilized for clinical stratification.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate if detailed sensory features can define clinically relevant subgroups within autism spectrum disorder.
• To explore the genetic underpinnings of these potential sensory-based subgroups.
• To determine if distinct genetic variants are associated with specific sensory profiles in ASD.

Main Methods:

• Utilized Short Sensory Profile data from 378 individuals with ASD from the MSSNG database.
• Applied two independent cluster analyses to identify distinct sensory-based subgroups.
• Analyzed whole genome sequencing data to identify gene variants (CADD score ≥ 15) within each subgroup.

Main Results:

• Identified six distinct sensory-based subgroups, with 10 sensory patterns characterizing 43% of participants.
• Each identified subgroup displayed a unique pattern of frequently occurring gene variants.
• Significant genetic differences were observed between the distinct sensory-based autism subgroups.

Conclusions:

• Sensory features are valuable for stratifying individuals with autism spectrum disorder into biologically meaningful subgroups.
• These sensory-defined subgroups are associated with distinct genetic variant profiles.
• This approach supports the development of targeted therapies for specific autism spectrum disorder populations.