3.43 More Severe Executive Function Impairments Are Associated With Increases in Frontal Theta and Decreases in Beta and Gamma EEG Power in Young Children With ASD

ObjectivesASD has been associated with challenges in executive functioning (EF) abilities. Other studies have shown that children with ASD show shorter look durations when viewing complex stimuli and atypical patterns of EEG spectral power. We explored whether individual differences in degree of impairment in various domains of EF are related to differences in eye-tracking (ET) measures of sustained attention and patterns of EEG spectral power in 2- to 8-year-old children with ASD.MethodsWe analyzed data from the baseline visit (prior to treatment) of a phase II randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of umbilical cord blood infusion for improving social communication skills in young children with ASD. Participants were 180 children (143 males and 37 females), age range 2 years, 0 months old to 8 years, 1 month old (M = 64.9 months; SD = 19.5) who met the DSM-5 criteria for ASD. Linear regression was utilized to test for associations between scores on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) completed by parents, the average look duration to complex dynamic stimuli during an ET task, and relative EEG spectral power (delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma) in the temporal, parietal, occipital, and central brain regions. EEG was recorded while children viewed brief movies showing social, nonsocial, and neutral stimuli. Age and nonverbal IQ were included as covariates.ResultsChildren with more impaired EF in the domain of planning and organizing exhibited shorter look duration while watching complex, socially oriented audiovisual stimuli. Additionally, more impaired inhibition, working memory, and planning/organizing were associated with increased frontal theta power, and more impaired inhibition and working memory were associated with reduced frontal beta and gamma power.ConclusionsThis study offers preliminary evidence that impairments in EF are associated with shorter sustained attention to complex socially oriented audiovisual stimuli in children with ASD. Further, children with greater EF impairments showed differences in their patterns of frontal brain activity, reflected in differences in relative EEG frontal spectral power in theta, beta, and gamma band frequencies.ASD, EC, ND ObjectivesASD has been associated with challenges in executive functioning (EF) abilities. Other studies have shown that children with ASD show shorter look durations when viewing complex stimuli and atypical patterns of EEG spectral power. We explored whether individual differences in degree of impairment in various domains of EF are related to differences in eye-tracking (ET) measures of sustained attention and patterns of EEG spectral power in 2- to 8-year-old children with ASD. ASD has been associated with challenges in executive functioning (EF) abilities. Other studies have shown that children with ASD show shorter look durations when viewing complex stimuli and atypical patterns of EEG spectral power. We explored whether individual differences in degree of impairment in various domains of EF are related to differences in eye-tracking (ET) measures of sustained attention and patterns of EEG spectral power in 2- to 8-year-old children with ASD. MethodsWe analyzed data from the baseline visit (prior to treatment) of a phase II randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of umbilical cord blood infusion for improving social communication skills in young children with ASD. Participants were 180 children (143 males and 37 females), age range 2 years, 0 months old to 8 years, 1 month old (M = 64.9 months; SD = 19.5) who met the DSM-5 criteria for ASD. Linear regression was utilized to test for associations between scores on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) completed by parents, the average look duration to complex dynamic stimuli during an ET task, and relative EEG spectral power (delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma) in the temporal, parietal, occipital, and central brain regions. EEG was recorded while children viewed brief movies showing social, nonsocial, and neutral stimuli. Age and nonverbal IQ were included as covariates. We analyzed data from the baseline visit (prior to treatment) of a phase II randomized, placebo-controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of umbilical cord blood infusion for improving social communication skills in young children with ASD. Participants were 180 children (143 males and 37 females), age range 2 years, 0 months old to 8 years, 1 month old (M = 64.9 months; SD = 19.5) who met the DSM-5 criteria for ASD. Linear regression was utilized to test for associations between scores on the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) completed by parents, the average look duration to complex dynamic stimuli during an ET task, and relative EEG spectral power (delta, theta, alpha, beta, gamma) in the temporal, parietal, occipital, and central brain regions. EEG was recorded while children viewed brief movies showing social, nonsocial, and neutral stimuli. Age and nonverbal IQ were included as covariates. ResultsChildren with more impaired EF in the domain of planning and organizing exhibited shorter look duration while watching complex, socially oriented audiovisual stimuli. Additionally, more impaired inhibition, working memory, and planning/organizing were associated with increased frontal theta power, and more impaired inhibition and working memory were associated with reduced frontal beta and gamma power. Children with more impaired EF in the domain of planning and organizing exhibited shorter look duration while watching complex, socially oriented audiovisual stimuli. Additionally, more impaired inhibition, working memory, and planning/organizing were associated with increased frontal theta power, and more impaired inhibition and working memory were associated with reduced frontal beta and gamma power. ConclusionsThis study offers preliminary evidence that impairments in EF are associated with shorter sustained attention to complex socially oriented audiovisual stimuli in children with ASD. Further, children with greater EF impairments showed differences in their patterns of frontal brain activity, reflected in differences in relative EEG frontal spectral power in theta, beta, and gamma band frequencies.ASD, EC, ND This study offers preliminary evidence that impairments in EF are associated with shorter sustained attention to complex socially oriented audiovisual stimuli in children with ASD. Further, children with greater EF impairments showed differences in their patterns of frontal brain activity, reflected in differences in relative EEG frontal spectral power in theta, beta, and gamma band frequencies.