An Exploratory Pilot Study of Brain Functional Connectivity and Heart Rate Variability in Male Children With Autism...

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Autonomic Nervous System Research
• Child Psychiatry

Background:

• The brain and autonomic nervous system are interconnected and implicated in psychiatric conditions.
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) involves complex neurodevelopmental differences.
• Understanding brain-body interactions is crucial for ASD research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate differences in electroencephalographic (EEG) coherence and vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) between male children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children.
• To explore the association between these neurophysiological measures and the clinical characteristics of ASD.

Main Methods:

• Resting-state EEG and vmHRV were recorded in 14 male children with ASD and 14 TD children.
• The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) assessed ASD clinical features.
• Statistical analyses included comparisons between groups and correlation/moderation analyses.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in vmHRV measures (RMSSD, pNN50, HF power) were found between ASD and TD groups.
• Lower beta1 EEG coherence (T5-T6) was observed in the ASD group compared to the TD group.
• Beta1 coherence (T5-T6) positively correlated with RMSSD and negatively with SRS-Motivation; pNN50 moderated this association.

Conclusions:

• Resting-state EEG coherence may be linked to ASD clinical characteristics.
• vmHRV might moderate the relationship between EEG coherence and ASD social motivation.
• Concurrent assessment of brain and autonomic functions offers insights into ASD pathophysiology.