Abnormal cortical responses elicited by audiovisual movies in patients with autism spectrum disorder with atypical sensory behavior: A magnetoencephalographic study.

Background: Atypical sensory behavior disrupts behavioral adaptation in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, neural correlates of sensory dysfunction using magnetoencephalography (MEG) remain unclear.

Method: We used MEG to measure the cortical activation elicited by visual (uni)/audiovisual (multisensory) movies in 46 children (7-14 years) were included in final analysis: 13 boys with atypical audiovisual behavior in ASD (AAV+), 10 without this condition, and 23 age-matched typically developing boys.

Results: The AAV+ group demonstrated an increase in the cortical activation in the bilateral insula in response to unisensory movies and in the left occipital, right superior temporal sulcus (rSTS), and temporal regions to multisensory movies.

Lesser suppression of response to bright visual stimuli and visual abnormality in children with autism spectrum disorder: a magnetoencephalographic study.

Background: Visual abnormality is a common sensory impairment in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which may cause behavioral problems. However, only a few studies exist on the neural features corresponding to the visual symptoms in ASD. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between cortical responses to visual stimuli and visual abnormality to examine the neurophysiological mechanisms of the visual abnormality in ASD.

Aberrant Cerebellar-Cerebral Functional Connectivity in Children and Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The cerebellum, which forms widespread functional networks with many areas in the cerebral cortices and subcortical structures, is one of the brain regions most consistently reported to exhibit neuropathological features in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, cerebellar functional connectivity (FC) studies in patients with ASD have been very sparse. Using resting state functional connectivity (rsFC) analysis, we investigated the FC of the hemispheric/vermal subregions and the dentate nucleus of the cerebellum with the cerebral regions in 36 children and adolescents [16 participants with ASD, 20 typically developing (TD) participants, age: 6-15 years].

Abnormal cortical activation during silent reading in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental disorder characterized by communication deficits and social difficulties, and individuals with ASD frequently exhibit varied levels of language abilities. However, the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying their language deficits remain unclear. To gain insight into the neurophysiological mechanisms of receptive language deficits, we assessed cortical activation patterns in adolescents with ASD during silent word-reading.

Abnormal cortical activation during an auditory word comprehension task in benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes: A magnetoencephalographic study.

Objective: Benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BECTS), also known as rolandic epilepsy, has recently been reported to be associated with variable degrees of cognitive dysfunction. Many studies reported poor language ability in children with BECTS compared with healthy control children. To elucidate the harmful effects of BECTS on language cognition, we studied the magnetoencephalographic activity elicited by an auditory language comprehension task.

Atypical auditory language processing in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.

Objective: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often show characteristic differences in auditory processing. To clarify the mechanisms underlying communication impairment in ASD, we examined auditory language processing with both anatomical and functional methods.

Methods: We assessed the language abilities of adolescents with ASD and typically developing (TD) adolescents, and analyzed the surface-based morphometric structure between the groups using magnetic resonance imaging.

Delayed Mismatch Field Latencies in Autism Spectrum Disorder with Abnormal Auditory Sensitivity: A Magnetoencephalographic Study.

Although abnormal auditory sensitivity is the most common sensory impairment associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the neurophysiological mechanisms remain unknown. In previous studies, we reported that this abnormal sensitivity in patients with ASD is associated with delayed and prolonged responses in the auditory cortex. In the present study, we investigated alterations in residual M100 and MMFs in children with ASD who experience abnormal auditory sensitivity.

White matter volume in the brainstem and inferior parietal lobule is related to motor performance in children with autism spectrum disorder: A voxel-based morphometry study.

Many studies have reported poor motor performance in autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, the underlying brain mechanisms remain unclear. Recent neuroimaging studies have suggested that abnormalities of the white matter (WM) are related to the features of ASD. In this study, we used voxel-based morphometry (VBM) to investigate which WM regions correlate with motor performance in children with ASD, and whether the WM volume in those brain regions differed between children with ASD and typically developing (TD) children.

Progressively increased M50 responses to repeated sounds in autism spectrum disorder with auditory hypersensitivity: a magnetoencephalographic study.

The aim of this study was to investigate the differential time-course responses of the auditory cortex to repeated auditory stimuli in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) showing auditory hypersensitivity. Auditory-evoked field values were obtained from 21 boys with ASD (12 with and 9 without auditory hypersensitivity) and 15 age-matched typically developing controls. M50 dipole moments were significantly increased during the time-course study only in the ASD with auditory hypersensitivity compared with those for the other two groups.

Abnormal corpus callosum connectivity, socio-communicative deficits, and motor deficits in children with autism spectrum disorder: a diffusion tensor imaging study.

In addition to social and communicative deficits, many studies have reported motor deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigated the macro and microstructural properties of the corpus callosum (CC) of 18 children with ASD and 12 typically developing controls using diffusion tensor imaging tractography. We aimed to explore whether abnormalities of the CC were related to motor deficits, as well as social and communication deficits in children with ASD.

Altered microstructural connectivity of the superior cerebellar peduncle is related to motor dysfunction in children with autistic spectrum disorders.

Many studies have reported motor impairments in autistic spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the brain mechanism underlying motor impairment in ASD remains unclear. Recent neuroimaging studies have suggested that underconnectivity between the cerebellum and other brain regions contributes to the features of ASD.