Abnormal auditory forward masking pattern in the brainstem response of individuals with Asperger syndrome

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Authors: Johan Källstrand, Olle Olsson, Sara Fristedt Nehlstedt, et al

Published Date May 2010 Volume 2010:6(1) Pages 289 - 296

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.2147/NDT.S10593

Johan Källstrand¹, Olle Olsson², Sara Fristedt Nehlstedt¹, Mia Ling Sköld¹, Sören Nielzén²

¹SensoDetect AB, Lund, Sweden; ²Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Section of Psychiatry, Lund University, Lund, Sweden

Abstract: Abnormal auditory information processing has been reported in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In the present study auditory processing was investigated by recording auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) elicited by forward masking in adults diagnosed with Asperger syndrome (AS). Sixteen AS subjects were included in the forward masking experiment and compared to three control groups consisting of healthy individuals (n = 16), schizophrenic patients (n = 16) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder patients (n = 16), respectively, of matching age and gender. The results showed that the AS subjects exhibited abnormally low activity in the early part of their ABRs that distinctly separated them from the three control groups. Specifically, wave III amplitudes were significantly lower in the AS group than for all the control groups in the forward masking condition (P < 0.005), which was not the case in the baseline condition. Thus, electrophysiological measurements of ABRs to complex sound stimuli (eg, forward masking) may lead to a better understanding of the underlying neurophysiology of AS. Future studies may further point to specific ABR characteristics in AS individuals that separate them from individuals diagnosed with other neurodevelopmental diseases.

Keywords: asperger syndrome, auditory brainstem response, forward masking, psychoacoustics