Document Detail


Enhanced visual processing contributes to matrix reasoning in autism.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  19530215     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Recent behavioral investigations have revealed that autistics perform more proficiently on Raven's Standard Progressive Matrices (RSPM) than would be predicted by their Wechsler intelligence scores. A widely-used test of fluid reasoning and intelligence, the RSPM assays abilities to flexibly infer rules, manage goal hierarchies, and perform high-level abstractions. The neural substrates for these abilities are known to encompass a large frontoparietal network, with different processing models placing variable emphasis on the specific roles of the prefrontal or posterior regions. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to explore the neural bases of autistics' RSPM problem solving. Fifteen autistic and eighteen non-autistic participants, matched on age, sex, manual preference and Wechsler IQ, completed 60 self-paced randomly-ordered RSPM items along with a visually similar 60-item pattern matching comparison task. Accuracy and response times did not differ between groups in the pattern matching task. In the RSPM task, autistics performed with similar accuracy, but with shorter response times, compared to their non-autistic controls. In both the entire sample and a subsample of participants additionally matched on RSPM performance to control for potential response time confounds, neural activity was similar in both groups for the pattern matching task. However, for the RSPM task, autistics displayed relatively increased task-related activity in extrastriate areas (BA18), and decreased activity in the lateral prefrontal cortex (BA9) and the medial posterior parietal cortex (BA7). Visual processing mechanisms may therefore play a more prominent role in reasoning in autistics.
Authors:
Isabelle Soulières; Michelle Dawson; Fabienne Samson; Elise B Barbeau; Chérif P Sahyoun; Gary E Strangman; Thomas A Zeffiro; Laurent Mottron
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Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Human brain mapping     Volume:  30     ISSN:  1097-0193     ISO Abbreviation:  Hum Brain Mapp     Publication Date:  2009 Dec 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2009-11-25     Completed Date:  2010-02-02     Revised Date:  2011-03-03    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9419065     Medline TA:  Hum Brain Mapp     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  4082-107     Citation Subset:  IM    
Copyright Information:
2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Affiliation:
Neural Systems Group, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. isabelle@nmr.mgh.harvard.edu
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Adolescent
Adult
Autistic Disorder / physiopathology*
Brain Mapping*
Female
Humans
Image Interpretation, Computer-Assisted
Intelligence / physiology*
Intelligence Tests
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Male
Reaction Time / physiology
Visual Perception / physiology*
Young Adult
Grant Support
ID/Acronym/Agency:
MOP-84243//Canadian Institutes of Health Research; P41 RR014075-10/RR/NCRR NIH HHS; P41 RR14075/RR/NCRR NIH HHS

From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine


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