Abnormalities in both stimulus-induced and baseline MEG alpha oscillations in the auditory cortex of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Vardan Arutiunian; Giorgio Arcara; Irina Buyanova; Makar Fedorov; Elizaveta Davydova; Darya Pereverzeva; Alexander Sorokin; Svetlana Tyushkevich; Uliana Mamokhina; Kamilla Danilina; Olga Dragoy

doi:10.1007/s00429-024-02802-7

Abnormalities in both stimulus-induced and baseline MEG alpha oscillations in the auditory cortex of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Brain Struct Funct. 2024 Apr 29. doi: 10.1007/s00429-024-02802-7. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Vardan Arutiunian¹, Giorgio Arcara², Irina Buyanova^{3

4}, Makar Fedorov⁵, Elizaveta Davydova^{6

7}, Darya Pereverzeva⁶, Alexander Sorokin^{6

8}, Svetlana Tyushkevich⁶, Uliana Mamokhina⁶, Kamilla Danilina^{6

9}, Olga Dragoy^{3

10}

Affiliations

¹ Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Ave, Seattle, WA, 98101, United States of America. vardan.arutyunyan89@gmail.com.
² IRCCS San Camillo Hospital, Venice, Italy.
³ Center for Language and Brain, HSE University, Moscow, Russia.
⁴ University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.
⁵ Center for Language and Brain, HSE University, Nizhny Novgorod, Russia.
⁶ Federal Resource Center for ASD, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Moscow, Russia.
⁷ Chair of Differential Psychology and Psychophysiology, Moscow State University of Psychology and Education, Moscow, Russia.
⁸ Haskins Laboratories, New Haven, CT, United States of America.
⁹ Scientific Research and Practical Center of Pediatric Psychoneurology, Moscow, Russia.
¹⁰ Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow, Russia.

PMID: 38683212
DOI: 10.1007/s00429-024-02802-7

Abstract

The neurobiology of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is hypothetically related to the imbalance between neural excitation (E) and inhibition (I). Different studies have revealed that alpha-band (8-12 Hz) activity in magneto- and electroencephalography (MEG and EEG) may reflect E and I processes and, thus, can be of particular interest in ASD research. Previous findings indicated alterations in event-related and baseline alpha activity in different cortical systems in individuals with ASD, and these abnormalities were associated with core and co-occurring conditions of ASD. However, the knowledge on auditory alpha oscillations in this population is limited. This MEG study investigated stimulus-induced (Event-Related Desynchronization, ERD) and baseline alpha-band activity (both periodic and aperiodic) in the auditory cortex and also the relationships between these neural activities and behavioral measures of children with ASD. Ninety amplitude-modulated tones were presented to two groups of children: 20 children with ASD (5 girls, M_age = 10.03, SD = 1.7) and 20 typically developing controls (9 girls, M_age = 9.11, SD = 1.3). Children with ASD had a bilateral reduction of alpha-band ERD, reduced baseline aperiodic-adjusted alpha power, and flattened aperiodic exponent in comparison to TD children. Moreover, lower raw baseline alpha power and aperiodic offset in the language-dominant left auditory cortex were associated with better language skills of children with ASD measured in formal assessment. The findings highlighted the alterations of E / I balance metrics in response to basic auditory stimuli in children with ASD and also provided evidence for the contribution of low-level processing to language difficulties in ASD.

Keywords: Auditory cortex; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Event-related desynchronization (ERD); Excitation (E) / inhibition (I) balance; Language abilities; Periodic and aperiodic activity.