The neural underpinnings of prosody in autism (original) (raw)
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Neurobiological Underpinnings of Language in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Annual Review of Applied Linguistics, 2008
As a neurodevelopmental disorder, autism is characterized by impairments and differences at the levels of both brain and behavior. Communicative impairments in autism are a core feature of the disorder, and a rapidly expanding literature is exploring language in autism using the tools of cognitive neuroscience, particularly electroencephalography and brain imaging. Recent research indicates consistent differences in the degree to which language-specific processes are lateralized in the brain, and it also suggests that language impairments are linked to differences in brain structure that may lead to inefficient coordination of activity between different neural assemblies to achieve a complex cognitive task, defined as functional connectivity. We review findings from current work and suggest that neurobiological data are critical in our ability to understand the mechanisms underlying behavioral differences in communicative skills. Going beyond simple dichotomies between delayed versu...
American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology
Purpose Neurodevelopmental processes that begin during gestation and continue throughout childhood typically support language development. Understanding these processes can help us to understand the disruptions to language that occur in neurodevelopmental conditions, such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Method For this tutorial, we conducted a focused literature review on typical postnatal brain development and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging, diffusion tensor imaging, magnetoencephalography, and electroencephalography studies of the neurodevelopmental differences that occur in ASD. We then integrated this knowledge with the literature on evidence-based speech-language intervention practices for autistic children. Results In ASD, structural differences include altered patterns of cortical growth and myelination. Functional differences occur at all brain levels, from lateralization of cortical functions to the rhythmic activations of single neurons. Neuronal o...
Neural Structure and Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Autism Spectrum Disorders - Recent Advances and New Perspectives [Working Title]
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by changes in communication, social interaction, and repetitive behavior, recognized as a public health problem with a sharp increase in its prevalence in the world population. It is known that brain functioning in individuals with ASD presents important deficits. It is essential to understand these deficits to identify and promote new management strategies for the development of this population with ASD. In this sense, the objective of this chapter is to present, through a literature review, the main risk factors that make up ASD, by showing classic and current findings based on neurophysiological changes and treatments.
The Neural Basis of Autism: A Review
International Journal of School and Cognitive Psychology, 2014
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong neurodevelopmental condition for which there is no known cause or cure. Autism is a highly variable disorder, the most prominent difficulties of which include aberrant behavior, poor social skills and disrupted communication skills. Evidence suggests that the prevalence of ASD is steadily rising and this has led to widespread speculation and research concerning the causes of the disorder. Following about 50 years of intensive study, researchers now believe that autism is a complex disorder whose core aspects have distinct causes that often co-occur. Some of these distinct neurological causes are the focus of this review. We focus on findings that suggest that children with ASD have larger overall brain volumes and differences in brain growth trajectory. By adulthood those with ASD have anatomical and functional abnormalities in prefrontal cortex, basal ganglia, temporal lobe, and the limbic system. Impairments in these areas, as well as under-connectivity between and within these brain regions, can lead to range of interrelated deficits in interpersonal interaction such as problems remembering and identifying people, the inability to perceive social cues, and misunderstanding nonverbal communicative cues such as gestures, facial expressions, and emotional prosody. A mechanistic understanding of the underlying neurology of ASD is a prerequisite before new therapeutic tools can drive functionally atypical brains in corrective directions. Recent studies investigating the neural response to treatment in autism are briefly reviewed. These highlight the need to study the neural basis of and response to treatment in ASD.
Speech and Language Impairments in Autism: Insights from Behavior and Neuroimaging
American Chinese Journal of Medicine and Science, 2012
A failure to develop language is one of the earliest signs of autism. The ability to identify the neural signature of this deficit in very young children has become increasingly important, given that the presence of speech before five years of age is the strongest predictor for better outcomes in autism. This review consolidates what is known about verbal and preverbal precursors of language development as a framework for examining behavioral and brain anomalies related to speech and language in autism spectrum disorders. Relating the disruptions in the speech network to the social deficits observed will provide promising targets for behavioral and pharmacological interventions in ASD.
Recent advances in understanding the neural bases of autism spectrum disorder
Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 2011
Purpose of review This article reviews current work investigating the neural bases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) within the discipline of electrophysiological brain research. The manuscript focuses primarily on advances in understanding related to social information processing and interconnectivity among brain systems in ASD. Recent findings Recent research indicates anomalous function of social brain regions in ASD and highlights the specificity of processing problems to these systems. Atypical activity in this circuitry may reflect genetic susceptibility for ASD, with increased activity in compensatory areas marking the distinction between developing and not developing the disorder. Advances in understanding connectivity in ASD are highlighted by novel work providing initial evidence of atypical interconnectivity in infancy. Summary Emerging understanding of neural dysfunction in ASD indicates consistent but heterogeneous dysfunction across brain systems in ASD. Key objectives for the immediate future include the use of multimethod approaches that encompass temporal and spatial imaging; behavioral phenotyping carried out in developmental context to reveal subgroups defined uniquely by trajectories; and individual-specific profiles of behavioral performance and brain function.
Theranostics of Brain, Spine & Neural Disorders
The identification and diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has become an international educational and medical priority over the last two to three decades, resulting in a surge of research from a variety of perspectives. This brief, selective review of extant literature attempts to identify some major themes in the neurological study of ASD in order to help organize further research endeavors as well as inform educational and interventional decision making. The main areas addressed in this paper are sensory processing, social-emotional processing, and connectivity.
Defining the broader phenotype of autism: Genetic, brain, and behavioral perspectives
Development and Psychopathology, 2002
Achieving progress in understanding the cause, nature, and treatment of autism requires an integration of concepts, approaches, and empirical findings from genetic, cognitive neuroscience, animal, and clinical studies. The need for such integration has been a fundamental tenet of the discipline of developmental psychopathology from its inception. It is likely that the discovery of autism susceptibility genes will depend on the development of dimensional measures of broader phenotype autism traits. It is argued that knowledge of the cognitive neuroscience of social and language behavior will provide a useful framework for defining such measures. In this article, the current state of knowledge of the cognitive neuroscience of social and language impairments in autism is reviewed. Following from this, six candidate broader phenotype autism traits are proposed: (a) face processing, including structural encoding of facial features and face movements, such as eye gaze; (b) social affiliation or sensitivity to social reward, pertaining to the social motivational impairments found in autism; (c) motor imitation ability, particularly imitation of body actions; (d) memory, specifically those aspects of memory mediated by the medial temporal lobe-prefrontal circuits; (e) executive function, especially planning and flexibility; and (f) Language ability, particularly those aspects of language that overlap with specific language impairment, namely, phonological processing.
Neuropsychiatry, 2013
Numerous studies have examined the brain bases of autism; few, however, have specifically examined the neurobiology of speech and language impairments in children and adults on the spectrum, especially those characterized as low functioning or minimally verbal, due to compliance issues. With exciting new advances in the development of paradigms and tools, and the ability to image children at risk for autism as young as 6 months of age, functional neuroimaging (EEG, magnetoencephalography and functional MRI) holds tremendous promise. Findings of reduced activation and structural and functional connectivity in the language network, together with deficits in social reciprocity and motivation, and a preference for visual over verbal information, appear to be carving out a neurobiological profile for the impaired social-communication brain in autism.