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Could Sensory Differences Be a Sex-Indifferent Biomarker of Autism? Early Investigation Comparing Tactile Sensitivity Between Autistic Males and Females.

ABSTRACT: Sensory differences are highly prevalent in autistic individuals. However, few studies have compared their presentation between autistic males and autistic females. We used psychophysics to assess and compare tactile perceptual sensitivity between autistic and non-autistic boys and girls aged between 8 and 12 years of age. While there were sex-differences of amplitude discrimination, frequency discrimination and order judgement thresholds, these sex-differences were not autism-specific. Mean RTs and detection thresholds were elevated in autism but were comparable between the sexes. Tactile sensitivity measures that are elevated in autism but are otherwise comparable between autistic males and autistic females suggest the possibility that certain sensory features could be used as sex-indifferent markers of autism. Further investigation with larger and more representative samples should be conducted before any stronger conclusions are made.

SUBMITTER: Asaridou M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10791919 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Could Sensory Differences Be a Sex-Indifferent Biomarker of Autism? Early Investigation Comparing Tactile Sensitivity Between Autistic Males and Females.

Asaridou Magdalini M Wodka Ericka L EL Edden Richard A E RAE Mostofsky Stewart H SH Puts Nicolaas A J NAJ He Jason L JL

Journal of autism and developmental disorders 20221022 1

Sensory differences are highly prevalent in autistic individuals. However, few studies have compared their presentation between autistic males and autistic females. We used psychophysics to assess and compare tactile perceptual sensitivity between autistic and non-autistic boys and girls aged between 8 and 12 years of age. While there were sex-differences of amplitude discrimination, frequency discrimination and order judgement thresholds, these sex-differences were not autism-specific. Mean RTs ...[more]

PMID: 36272043

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Project description:BackgroundEmotion dysregulation is increasingly recognized as highly prevalent and impairing in autistic individuals. Yet, a large majority of studies have considered emotion dysregulation in youth only, and most of them did not consider sex differences in emotion dysregulation manifestation.ObjectivesIn the present study, we aim to investigate sex differences relative to emotion dysregulation in autistic adults without intellectual disability as well as its relationship with different factors potentially involved in emotion dysregulation (e.g. camouflaging, alexithymia, suicidality, quality of life). Self-reported emotion dysregulation will be assessed in autistic adults but also in females with borderline personality disorder, given that emotion dysregulation is particularly enhanced in this population.DesignCross-sectional, prospective, controlled.MethodsTwenty-eight autistic females, 22 autistic males and 24 females with borderline personality disorder were recruited from a dialectical behavior therapy program waiting list. They completed several self-report questionnaires measuring emotion dysregulation, alexithymia, suicidality, quality of life, camouflaging borderline symptoms and autism severity.ResultsMost emotion dysregulation subscale scores and alexithymia scores were heightened in autistic females compared to females with borderline personality disorder and, to a lesser extent, compared to autistic males. Independently of borderline personality disorder symptoms, emotion dysregulation was related to alexithymia and poorer psychological health in autistic females, whereas it was mostly related to autism severity, poorer physical health and living conditions in autistic males.ConclusionOur results suggest that emotion dysregulation is a major difficulty of autistic adults without intellectual disability eligible for dialectical behavior therapy, and this is especially the case for autistic females. There seem to be different sex-specific factors involved in emotion dysregulation found in autistic adults, which highlight the need to target-specific domains (e.g. alexithymia) in the treatment of emotion dysregulation in autistic females. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT04737707 https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04737707.

Project description:BackgroundRecent studies have shown that neural stimulation can be used to provide artificial sensory feedback to amputees eliciting sensations referred on the amputated hand. The temporal properties of the neural stimulation modulate aspects of evoked sensations that can be exploited in a bidirectional hand prosthesis.MethodsWe previously collected evidence that the derivative of the amplitude of the stimulation (intra-digit temporal dynamics) allows subjects to recognize object compliance and that the time delay among stimuli injected through electrodes implanted in different nerves (inter-digit temporal distance) allows to recognize object shapes. Nevertheless, a detailed characterization of the subjects' sensitivity to variations of intra-digit temporal dynamic and inter-digit temporal distance of the intraneural tactile feedback has not been executed. An exhaustive understanding of the overall potentials and limits of intraneural stimulation to deliver sensory feedback is of paramount importance to bring this approach closer and closer to the natural situation. To this aim, here we asked two trans-radial amputees to identify stimuli with different temporal characteristics delivered to the same active site (intra-digit temporal Dynamic Recognition (DR)) or between two active sites (inter-digit Temporal distance Recognition (TR)). Finally, we compared the results achieved for (simulated) TR with conceptually similar experiments with real objects with one subject.ResultsWe found that the subjects were able to identify stimuli with temporal differences (perceptual thresholds) larger than 0.25 s for DR and larger than 0.125 s for TR, respectively. Moreover, we also found no statistically significant differences when the subjects were asked to identify three objects during simulated 'open-loop' TR experiments or real 'closed-loop' tests while controlling robotic hand.ConclusionsThis study is a new step towards a more detailed analysis of the overall potentials and limits of intraneural sensory feedback. A full characterization is necessary to develop more advanced prostheses capable of restoring all lost functions and of being perceived more as a natural limb by users.

Dataset Information

Could Sensory Differences Be a Sex-Indifferent Biomarker of Autism? Early Investigation Comparing Tactile Sensitivity Between Autistic Males and Females.

Publications

Could Sensory Differences Be a Sex-Indifferent Biomarker of Autism? Early Investigation Comparing Tactile Sensitivity Between Autistic Males and Females.

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