Abstract
Purpose
The dorsal stream vulnerability hypothesis posits that the dorsal stream, responsible for visual motion and visuo-motor processing, may be particularly vulnerable during neurodevelopment. Consistent with this, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been associated with deficits in global motion integration, though deficits in ventral stream tasks, such as form identification, have also been reported. In the current study, we examined whether a similar pattern of results is found in a cohort of 381 children born with neurodevelopmental risk factors and exhibiting a wide spectrum of caregiver-reported autistic traits. Methods: We examined the associations between global motion perception, global form perception, fine motor function, visual-motor integration, and autistic traits (autism spectrum quotient, AQ) using linear regression, accounting for possible interactions with sex and other factors relevant to neurodevelopment. Results: All assessments of dorsal stream function were significantly associated with AQ such that worse performance predicted higher AQ scores. We also observed a significant sex interaction, with worse global form perception associated with higher AQ in boys (n = 202) but not girls (n = 179). Conclusion: We found widespread associations between dorsal stream functions and autistic traits. These associations were observed in a large group of children with a range of AQ scores, demonstrating a range of visual function across the full spectrum of autistic traits. In addition, ventral function was associated with AQ in boys but not girls. Sex differences in the associations between visual processing and neurodevelopment should be considered in the designs of future studies.
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Acknowledgements
This work was funded by the Health Research Council of New Zealand (17/240) and the Maurice and Phyllis Paykel Trust. AES is supported by a Transformative Quantum Technologies postdoctoral fellowship. BT is supported by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and InnoHK. We are grateful to the children and families who participated in this study. We would like to thank the CHYLD steering group for their input. [Members of the CHYLD Study Team: Steering group: Jane Harding, DPhil, Christopher McKinlay, PhD, Jane Alsweiler, PhD, Deborah Harris, PhD, Gavin Brown, PhD, J. Geoffrey Chase, PhD, Gregory Gamble, MSc, Trecia Wouldes, PhD, Peter Keegan, PhD, and Benjamin Thompson, DPhil; International advisory committee: Heidi Feldman, PhD, William Hay, MD, Robert Hess, PhD, and Darrell Wilson, MD; Other members of the CHYLD Mid-childhood Outcome Study team: Jason Turuwhenua, PhD, Jenny Rogers, MHSc, Steven Miller, MD, Eleanor Kennedy, PhD, Arijit Chakraborty, PhD, Jennifer Knopp, PhD, Rajesh Shah, PhD, Darren Dai, MSSc, Samson Nivins, MSc, Tony Zhou, PhD, Jocelyn Ledger, Stephanie Macdonald, BSc, Alecia McNeill BSc, Coila Bevan, BA, Nataliia Burakevych, PhD, Robin May, MPhil, Safayet Hossin, MSc, Grace McKnight, Rashedul Hasan, MSc, Jessica Wilson, MSc.]
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Silva, A.E., Harding, J.E., Chakraborty, A. et al. Associations Between Autism Spectrum Quotient and Integration of Visual Stimuli in 9-year-old Children: Preliminary Evidence of Sex Differences. J Autism Dev Disord (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06035-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-023-06035-1