Subgroups of autistic children based on social behavior display distinct patterns of brain activity.
Published
Journal Article
Two questions were addressed in the present study: (1) Do autistic and normally developing children exhibit regionally specific differences in electroencephalographic (EEG) activity? (2) Do subgroups of autistic children classified according to Wing and Gould's (1979) system which emphasizes degree of social impairment exhibit distinct patterns of EEG activity? Twenty-eight children with autism (5 to 18 years of age) and two groups of normally developing children (one matched on chronological age and the other on receptive language level) participated. EEG was recorded from left and right frontal, temporal, and parietal regions during an alert baseline condition. Compared to normally developing children, autistic children exhibited reduced EEG power in the frontal and temporal regions, but not in the parietal region. Differences were more prominent in the left than the right hemisphere. Furthermore, subgroups of autistic children based on Wing and Gould's system displayed distinct patterns of brain activity. Compared to autistic children classified as "active-but-odd," "passive" autistic children displayed reduced alpha EEG power in the frontal region.
Full Text
Duke Authors
Cited Authors
- Dawson, G; Klinger, LG; Panagiotides, H; Lewy, A; Castelloe, P
Published Date
- October 1995
Published In
Volume / Issue
- 23 / 5
Start / End Page
- 569 - 583
PubMed ID
- 8568080
Pubmed Central ID
- 8568080
International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)
- 0091-0627
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
- 10.1007/BF01447662
Language
- eng
Conference Location
- United States