Visual Perception in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of Neuroimaging Studies

Chung, Shu-Hsing; Son, Jung-woo

doi:10.5765/jkacap.200018

Cited by 42 publications

(32 citation statements)

References 142 publications

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“…Additionally, arguments of normal magnocellular function based on lack of difference in flicker contrast sensitivity between those with ASD and TD groups ( Pellicano et al, 2005 ) were based on experiments carried out at temporal frequencies (∼10 Hz) that are unlikely to challenge the temporal capability of the M neurons. In reviewing neuroimaging studies in autism, with multiple affected areas related to visual perception, Chung and Son (2020) concluded that abnormalities are not only present in early visual processing but are specifically atypical in the primary visual and extra-striate cortex including area MT.…”

Section: Update - Abnormal Dorsal Stream Development and Connectivity In Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural Mechanisms of Visual Motion Anomalies in Autism: A Two-Decade Update and Novel Aetiology

Spiteri

Crewther

2021

Front. Neurosci.

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The 21st century has seen dramatic changes in our understanding of the visual physio-perceptual anomalies of autism and also in the structure and development of the primate visual system. This review covers the past 20 years of research into motion perceptual/dorsal stream anomalies in autism, as well as new understanding of the development of primate vision. The convergence of this literature allows a novel developmental hypothesis to explain the physiological and perceptual differences of the broad autistic spectrum. Central to these observations is the development of motion areas MT+, the seat of the dorsal cortical stream, central area of pre-attentional processing as well as being an anchor of binocular vision for 3D action. Such development normally occurs via a transfer of thalamic drive from the inferior pulvinar → MT to the anatomically stronger but later-developing LGN → V1 → MT connection. We propose that autistic variation arises from a slowing in the normal developmental attenuation of the pulvinar → MT pathway. We suggest that this is caused by a hyperactive amygdala → thalamic reticular nucleus circuit increasing activity in the PIm → MT via response gain modulation of the pulvinar and hence altering synaptic competition in area MT. We explore the probable timing of transfer in dominance of human MT from pulvinar to LGN/V1 driving circuitry and discuss the implications of the main hypothesis.

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Section: Update - Abnormal Dorsal Stream Development and Connectivity In Autismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural Mechanisms of Visual Motion Anomalies in Autism: A Two-Decade Update and Novel Aetiology

Spiteri

Crewther

2021

Front. Neurosci.

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“…In contrast to our hypothesis, participants with ASD and ADHD continued to gaze at the VR teacher more than their typically developed counterparts, even in situations where they might have been upset by auditory stimuli. This behavioral difference may be related to the influence of higher-level cognition on atypical visual perception in people with ASD [ 30 ] or the weak central integration of children with ASD [ 9 ]. Moreover, it is known that people with ADHD and ASD have difficulty switching their attention because they concentrate too much on what they are interested in.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Preliminary Study of Assessing Gaze, Interoception and School Performance among Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: The Feasibility of VR Classroom

2022

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Children with developmental disabilities (DDs) have sensory modulation disorders that interrelate school performance. Virtual reality (VR) has demonstrated the potential to become a neuropsychological assessment modality. This study was conducted to explore the feasibility of the VR classroom for assessing their characteristics of gaze, school performance, and interoception. School-aged children were assigned to the DD group or control group. A VR classroom was designed to evaluate their gaze patterns to distracting events. Interoception was assessed using the Heart Rate Perception test and the Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness (MAIA). The DD group had a significantly longer gaze duration on the virtual teacher during 30–45 s of the VR classroom event (p < 0.05). The mean score of the quiz and the Heart Rate Perception test showed a significant tendency to be lower than the children of the control group. The DD group scored significantly lower in six of eight subscales of the MAIA. These results showed the potential of VR classroom to evaluate the difference of sensory modulation between school-aged children with DDs and typically developed children. Future research is necessary to investigate the validity of the VR environment used in this study.

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“…In addition to altered interoception in autism, several studies report perceptual variation in autism across different exteroceptive modalities [123][124][125][126][127]. For example, individuals with autism have altered visual perception, including superior performance in detail or pattern recognition tasks [128,129], and in visual search tasks [130], along with significant deficits in motion processing tasks [131,132].…”

Section: Individuals With Autism Show Atypical Perception and Motor Functionmentioning

confidence: 99%

What Is Social about Autism? The Role of Allostasis-Driven Learning

2021

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Scientific research on neuro-cognitive mechanisms of autism often focuses on circuits that support social functioning. However, autism is a heterogeneous developmental variation in multiple domains, including social communication, but also language, cognition, and sensory-motor control. This suggests that the underlying mechanisms of autism share a domain-general foundation that impacts all of these processes. In this Perspective Review, we propose that autism is not a social deficit that results from an atypical “social brain”. Instead, typical social development relies on learning. In social animals, infants depend on their caregivers for survival, which makes social information vitally salient. The infant must learn to socially interact in order to survive and develop, and the most prominent learning in early life is crafted by social interactions. Therefore, the most prominent outcome of a learning variation is atypical social development. To support the hypothesis that autism results from a variation in learning, we first review evidence from neuroscience and developmental science, demonstrating that typical social development depends on two domain-general processes that determine learning: (a) motivation, guided by allostatic regulation of the internal milieu; and (b) multi-modal associations, determined by the statistical regularities of the external milieu. These two processes are basic ingredients of typical development because they determine allostasis-driven learning of the social environment. We then review evidence showing that allostasis and learning are affected among individuals with autism, both neurally and behaviorally. We conclude by proposing a novel domain-general framework that emphasizes allostasis-driven learning as a key process underlying autism. Guided by allostasis, humans learn to become social, therefore, the atypical social profile seen in autism can reflect a domain-general variation in allostasis-driven learning. This domain-general view raises novel research questions in both basic and clinical research and points to targets for clinical intervention that can lower the age of diagnosis and improve the well-being of individuals with autism.

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Visual Perception in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Review of Neuroimaging Studies

Cited by 42 publications

References 142 publications

Neural Mechanisms of Visual Motion Anomalies in Autism: A Two-Decade Update and Novel Aetiology

Neural Mechanisms of Visual Motion Anomalies in Autism: A Two-Decade Update and Novel Aetiology

A Preliminary Study of Assessing Gaze, Interoception and School Performance among Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders: The Feasibility of VR Classroom

What Is Social about Autism? The Role of Allostasis-Driven Learning

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