Early differences in auditory processing relate to Autism Spectrum Disorder traits in infants with Neurofibromatosis Type I

• Published in: Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 22 - 19
• Main Authors: Begum-Ali, Jannath, Kolesnik-Taylor, Anna, Quiroz, Isabel, Mason, Luke, Garg, Shruti, Green, Jonathan, Johnson, Mark H, Jones, Emily J H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 28.05.2021; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Age; Age differences; Animal cognition; Auditory Perception; Auditory processing; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder; Brain; Change detection; Cognitive ability; EEG; Electroencephalography; Frequency; Genetic disorders; Habituation; Hearing; Humans; Infant; Infants; Information processing; Longitudinal Studies; Neurofibromatosis; Neurofibromatosis 1; Neurofibromatosis type 1; Neurological disorders; Phonology; Pitch; Prospective Studies; Recklinghausen's disease; Repetition; Sensory evaluation; Sensory integration; Sensory perception; Tumors; Vowels; Neurofibromatosis type 1; Change detection; Auditory processing; EEG; Autism spectrum disorder; Habituation
• ISSN: 1866-1947; 1866-1955; 1866-1955
• DOI: 10.1186/s11689-021-09364-3

Sensory modulation difficulties are common in children with conditions such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and could contribute to other social and non-social symptoms. Positing a causal role for sensory processing differences requires observing atypical sensory reactivity prior to the emergence of other symptoms, which can be achieved through prospective studies. In this longitudinal study, we examined auditory repetition suppression and change detection at 5 and 10 months in infants with and without Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), a condition associated with higher likelihood of developing ASD. In typically developing infants, suppression to vowel repetition and enhanced responses to vowel/pitch change decreased with age over posterior regions, becoming more frontally specific; age-related change was diminished in the NF1 group. Whilst both groups detected changes in vowel and pitch, the NF1 group were largely slower to show a differentiated neural response. Auditory responses did not relate to later language, but were related to later ASD traits. These findings represent the first demonstration of atypical brain responses to sounds in infants with NF1 and suggest they may relate to the likelihood of later ASD.