Dopaminergic hypo-activity and reduced theta-band power in autism spectrum disorder: A resting-state EEG study
Dopaminergic hypo-activity and reduced theta-band power in autism spectrum disorder: A resting-state EEG study
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DOI：
10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2019.08.012
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发表时间：
2019-12-01
影响因子：
3
通讯作者：
Keehn, Brandon
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Hornung, Taylor;Chan, Wen-Hsuan;Keehn, Brandon
背景：先前使用多种方法的研究报告了自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）患者多巴胺（DA）的不一致发现，范围从多巴胺能低到过度活跃。来自头皮记录的脑电图（EEG）的θ波段功率可能与额叶皮层的多巴胺水平有关，也被证明在ASD中是非典型的。本研究检测了自发性眨眼率（EBR），一种间接、无创的测量中枢多巴胺活性的方法，以及ASD儿童的θ波功率，以确定：1)ASD是否可能与非典型DA水平相关，2)多巴胺能功能障碍是否可能与异常θ波段激活相关。方法：参与者包括32名ASD儿童和32名年龄、智商和性别匹配的典型发育（TD）儿童。在参与者完成睁着眼睛的休息状态时，获得脑电图和眼球追踪数据。计算眨眼次数，用眨眼频率除以会话持续时间来确定EBR，并从中线导联提取θ波功率（4-7.5 Hz）。结果：ASD儿童的眨眼率和theta-band活动与TD儿童相比显著降低。对所有参与者来说，中线θ波功率越大，EBR越高（与较高的DA水平相关）。结论：这些结果提示ASD可能与多巴胺能活性低下有关，这可能导致非典型的theta-band功率。最后，EBR可能是一种有用的工具，可以无创地衡量自闭症患者多巴胺水平，并可能有许多临床应用，包括选择治疗方案和监测治疗反应。
Background: Prior studies using a variety of methodologies have reported inconsistent dopamine (DA) findings in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), ranging from dopaminergic hypo- to hyper-activity. Theta-band power derived from scalp-recorded electroencephalography (EEG), which may be associated with dopamine levels in frontal cortex, has also been shown to be atypical in ASD. The present study examined spontaneous eye-blink rate (EBR), an indirect, non-invasive measure of central dopaminergic activity, and theta power in children with ASD to determine: 1) whether ASD may be associated with atypical DA levels, and 2) whether dopaminergic dysfunction may be associated with aberrant theta-band activation.Method: Participants included thirty-two children with ASD and thirty-two age-, IQ-, and sex-matched typically developing (TD) children. Electroencephalography and eye-tracking data were acquired while participants completed an eyes-open resting-state session. Blinks were counted and EBR was determined by dividing blink frequency by session duration and theta power (4-7.5 Hz) was extracted from midline leads.Results: Eye-blink rate and theta-band activity were significantly reduced in children with ASD as compared to their TD peers. For all participants, greater midline theta power was associated with increased EBR (related to higher DA levels).Conclusions: These results suggest that ASD may be associated with dopaminergic hypo-activity, and that this may contribute to atypical theta-band power. Lastly, EBR may be a useful tool to non-invasively index dopamine levels in ASD and could potentially have many clinical applications, including selecting treatment options and monitoring treatment response.