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Thursday, May 7, 2009: 11:30 AM
Northwest Hall Room 2 (Chicago Hilton)
Background: Attention regulation and cognitive control are core components of self-regulation and are required for effective social interactions among both typically developing children and children with autism. Studies of the neurophysiological (ERP) correlates of cognitive (N2) and attention control (P3) demonstrate both developmental change and individual differences across childhood and adolescence.
Objectives: The goal of the current study was to examine N2 and P3 responses during a cognitive control task in a sample of children with higher functioning autism (HFA) and a matched sample of typically developing children. We were particularly interested in the associations between N2 and P3 amplitudes and measures of symptom severity, emotional wellbeing, and social competence and whether these associations differed across diagnostic groups.
Methods: Data are reported on a preliminary sample of 55 children (28 HFA, 27 comparison) between 8- and 16-years of age. EEG was collected continuously as children completed a modified version of the Eriksen Flanker Task. N2 amplitude was measured as the most negative peak at frontal sites (Fz, FCz) between 250-400 ms after incompatible stimulus onset and P3 amplitude was measured at the most positive peak at frontal sites located 300-600 ms after incompatible stimulus onset. Dependent variables included the total score from the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), Internalizing Problems, assessed using the parent report of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Personal Adjustment, assessed using the child self-report version of the BASC-2, and Reciprocal Social Interactions, assessed in the laboratory as each child interacted with an unfamiliar peer. In contrast, for children in the comparison sample, smaller N2 amplitudes were associated with fewer Internalizing Problems and more Reciprocal Interactions, whereas P3 amplitude was less strongly associated.
Results: Preliminary results indicate that children with HFA did not differ from comparison children in N2, t (1, 53) = -.44, ns, or P3, t (1, 53) = 1.70, ns, amplitude. A series of regression analyses were conducted with each of the dependent measures regressed on (1) Diagnostic Group, (2) N2 and P3 amplitude, (3) the interaction of N2 and P3 amplitude with Diagnostic Group. In summary, the ERP measures differentially predicted symptom severity and social outcomes depending on diagnostic group. Specifically, for children with HFA, larger amplitude N2 and P3 responses predicted less severe symptomatology, fewer Internalizing Problems, and more Reciprocal Social Interactions, and larger P3 responses predicted better Personal Adjustment.
Conclusions: Individual differences in ERP responses within each diagnostic group predicted variation in symptom severity, emotional wellbeing, and social competence. Smaller N2s were associated with better outcomes for children in the comparison sample, which is consistent with prior work suggesting that by late childhood smaller N2 responses index better cognitive control. However for HFA children larger N2 and P3 responses predicted better functioning suggesting that more effortful cognitive and attention control may benefit children who by definition have impaired social and communicative functioning. These results will be discussed in the context of potential differences in the developmental neurophysiology of self-regulation between typically developing children and children with autism.
Objectives: The goal of the current study was to examine N2 and P3 responses during a cognitive control task in a sample of children with higher functioning autism (HFA) and a matched sample of typically developing children. We were particularly interested in the associations between N2 and P3 amplitudes and measures of symptom severity, emotional wellbeing, and social competence and whether these associations differed across diagnostic groups.
Methods: Data are reported on a preliminary sample of 55 children (28 HFA, 27 comparison) between 8- and 16-years of age. EEG was collected continuously as children completed a modified version of the Eriksen Flanker Task. N2 amplitude was measured as the most negative peak at frontal sites (Fz, FCz) between 250-400 ms after incompatible stimulus onset and P3 amplitude was measured at the most positive peak at frontal sites located 300-600 ms after incompatible stimulus onset. Dependent variables included the total score from the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), Internalizing Problems, assessed using the parent report of the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Personal Adjustment, assessed using the child self-report version of the BASC-2, and Reciprocal Social Interactions, assessed in the laboratory as each child interacted with an unfamiliar peer. In contrast, for children in the comparison sample, smaller N2 amplitudes were associated with fewer Internalizing Problems and more Reciprocal Interactions, whereas P3 amplitude was less strongly associated.
Results: Preliminary results indicate that children with HFA did not differ from comparison children in N2, t (1, 53) = -.44, ns, or P3, t (1, 53) = 1.70, ns, amplitude. A series of regression analyses were conducted with each of the dependent measures regressed on (1) Diagnostic Group, (2) N2 and P3 amplitude, (3) the interaction of N2 and P3 amplitude with Diagnostic Group. In summary, the ERP measures differentially predicted symptom severity and social outcomes depending on diagnostic group. Specifically, for children with HFA, larger amplitude N2 and P3 responses predicted less severe symptomatology, fewer Internalizing Problems, and more Reciprocal Social Interactions, and larger P3 responses predicted better Personal Adjustment.
Conclusions: Individual differences in ERP responses within each diagnostic group predicted variation in symptom severity, emotional wellbeing, and social competence. Smaller N2s were associated with better outcomes for children in the comparison sample, which is consistent with prior work suggesting that by late childhood smaller N2 responses index better cognitive control. However for HFA children larger N2 and P3 responses predicted better functioning suggesting that more effortful cognitive and attention control may benefit children who by definition have impaired social and communicative functioning. These results will be discussed in the context of potential differences in the developmental neurophysiology of self-regulation between typically developing children and children with autism.