Disrupted Top-Down Modulation as a Mechanism of Impaired Multisensory Processing in Children with an Autism Spectrum Diagnosis.

ABSTRACT: Atypical sensory processing is a core feature of autism, particularly when integration across sensory modalities is required. The neural mechanisms underlying these multisensory differences remain unclear. We recorded high-density EEG while autistic children aged 8-13 (AU; n=40), unaffected siblings of autistic children (SIB; n=26), and non-autistic controls (NA; n=36) performed a simple reaction-time task to auditory (A), visual (V), and audiovisual (AV) stimuli. Analyses targeted event-related potentials (ERPs; P1/N1/P2), alpha-band event-related desynchronization (α-ERD), and long-range theta-band functional connectivity (weighted phase-lag index, wPLI). Across all unisensory measures (ERPs, α-ERD, and connectivity), groups did not differ, indicating broadly comparable unisensory proces

SUBMITTER: Vanneau T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12642324 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature