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. 2009 Sep;39(9):1559-66.
doi: 10.1017/S0033291708004984. Epub 2009 Jan 21.

Impaired inhibitory control is associated with higher-order repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders

M W Mosconi  1 , M Kay, A-M D'Cruz, A Seidenfeld, S Guter, L D Stanford, J A Sweeney
Affiliations

Impaired inhibitory control is associated with higher-order repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders

M W Mosconi et al. Psychol Med. 2009 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Impairments in executive cognitive control, including a reduced ability to inhibit prepotent responses, have been reported in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). These deficits may underlie patterns of repetitive behaviors associated with the disorder.

Method: Eighteen individuals with ASD and 15 age- and IQ-matched healthy individuals performed an antisaccade task and a visually guided saccade control task, each with gap and overlap conditions. Measures of repetitive behaviors were obtained using the Autism Diagnostic Inventory-Revised (ADI-R) and examined in relation to neurocognitive task performance.

Results: Individuals with an ASD showed increased rates of prosaccade errors (failures to inhibit prepotent responses) on the antisaccade task regardless of task condition (gap/overlap). Prosaccade error rates were associated with the level of higher-order (e.g. compulsions, preoccupations) but not sensorimotor repetitive behaviors in ASD.

Conclusions: Neurocognitive disturbances in voluntary behavioral control suggest that alterations in frontostriatal systems contribute to higher-order repetitive behaviors in ASD.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Interest: None.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mean rate of prosaccade errors for autism spectrum disorder (ASD, ●) and healthy participants (○) across various target step amplitudes from center fixation in degrees of visual angle on an antisaccade task. ASD participants made more prosaccade errors than healthy participants, and the magnitude of this effect was greater when targets were presented closer to center fixation. Error bars show standard error.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Relationship between prosaccade error rates and scores on algorithm items C1 and C2 on the restricted, repetitive behavior domain of the Autism Diagnostic Inventory – Revised (ADI-R) for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) participants. This relationship was significant both before and after controlling for age and IQ (r=0.65, p=0.01).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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