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. 2008 Jan 15;46(1):49-62.
doi: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2007.08.017. Epub 2007 Aug 31.

Fronto-limbic functioning in children and adolescents with and without autism

Katherine A Loveland  1 , Jocelyne Bachevalier, Deborah A Pearson, David M Lane
Affiliations

Fronto-limbic functioning in children and adolescents with and without autism

Katherine A Loveland et al. Neuropsychologia. .

Abstract

We used neuropsychological tasks to investigate integrity of brain circuits linking orbitofrontal cortex and amygdala (orbitofrontal-amygdala), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and hippocampus (dorsolateral prefrontal-hippocampus), in 138 individuals aged 7-18 years, with and without autism. We predicted that performance on orbitofrontal-amygdala tasks would be poorer in the Autism group compared to the Non-Autism group regardless of intellectual level (verbal mental age, VMA) and that performance on dorsolateral prefrontal-hippocampus tasks would be associated primarily with intellectual level. Predicted differences between Autism and Non-Autism groups on orbitofrontal-amygdala tasks were present but greater in individuals with higher VMA. On dorsolateral prefrontal-hippocampus tasks, poorer performance by the Autism compared to the Non-Autism group was found at all VMA levels. Group differences suggest both brain circuits are impaired in autism, but performance on all tasks is also associated with intellectual level.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Neuropsychological Tasks Given to Test Integrity of the Orbitofrontal-Amygdala Circuit and the Dorsolateral Prefrontal-Hippocampus Circuit.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mean errors to criterion for the first discrimination and the subsequent 6 reversals of the Object Discrimination Reversal tasks for the Non-Autism and Autism groups.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Mean errors to criterion for the first discrimination and the subsequent 6 reversals of the 5-pair Object Discrimination Reversal task in the Non-Autism and Autism groups.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Scores are square root of errors for each participant in the Non-Autism and Autism group as a function of VMA level.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Mean errors to criterion for the pre-training phase using 3-D objects and in the Object Pictures, Facial Identity and Facial Expression conditions for the Non-Autism and Autism groups.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Mean Span Scores for the Object Memory Span and the Spatial Memory Span tasks for Non-autism and Autism groups.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Mean Spatial Memory Span scores by Group.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Mean errors to criterion in the Spatial Delayed Alternation task in the Non-Autism and Autism groups.
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