Sensory and sensorimotor gating in children with multiple complex developmental disorders (MCDD) and autism

• Published in: Psychiatry research Vol. 206; no. 2-3; pp. 287 - 292
• Main Authors: Oranje, Bob, Lahuis, Bertine, van Engeland, Herman, Jan van der Gaag, Rutger, Kemner, Chantal
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ireland Ltd 30.04.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acoustic Stimulation; Adolescent; Auditory evoked responses; Autistic Disorder - classification; Autistic Disorder - physiopathology; Autistic Disorder - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Child; Child clinical studies; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - classification; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - physiopathology; Child Development Disorders, Pervasive - psychology; Developmental disorders; Evoked Potentials, Auditory - physiology; Female; Humans; Infantile autism; Inhibition (Psychology); Male; Medical sciences; P50 suppression; Prepulse inhibition (PPI); Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Reflex, Startle - physiology; Schizophrenia - physiopathology; Sensory Gating - physiology; Startle reflex; Auditory evoked responses; P50 suppression; Startle reflex; Prepulse inhibition (PPI); Human; Central nervous system; Electrophysiology; Cognition; Developmental disorder; Encephalon; Electrodiagnosis; Autism; Auditory evoked potential; Perception; Child; Gating; Event evoked potential; Prepulse inhibition; Multiple complex developmental disorder
• ISSN: 0165-1781; 1872-7123; 1872-7123
• DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2012.10.014

Multiple Complex Developmental Disorder (MCDD) is a well-defined and validated behavioral subtype of autism with a proposed elevated risk of developing a schizophrenic spectrum disorder. The current study investigated whether children with MCDD show the same deficits in sensory gating that are commonly reported in schizophrenia, or whether they are indistinguishable from children with autism in this respect. P50 suppression and prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the startle reflex were assessed in children with MCDD (n=14) or autism (n=13), and healthy controls (n=12), matched on age and IQ. All subjects showed high levels of PPI and P50 suppression. However, no group differences were found. No abnormalities in sensory filtering could be detected in children with autism or MCDD. Since sensory gating deficits are commonly regarded as possible endophenotypic markers for schizophrenia, the current results do not support a high level of similarity between schizophrenia and MCDD.