Atypical Mediofrontal Theta Oscillations Underlying Cognitive Control in Kindergarteners With Autism Spectrum Disorder

George A Buzzell; Hannah R Thomas; Yeo Bi Choi; So Hyun Kim

doi:10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.03.016

Atypical Mediofrontal Theta Oscillations Underlying Cognitive Control in Kindergarteners With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Biol Psychiatry Cogn Neurosci Neuroimaging. 2022 Jun;7(6):566-575. doi: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.03.016. Epub 2021 Apr 15.

Authors

George A Buzzell¹, Hannah R Thomas², Yeo Bi Choi³, So Hyun Kim⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, Florida; Center for Children and Families, Miami, Florida.
² Department of Psychological Sciences, University of Connecticut, Storrs, Connecticut.
³ Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire.
⁴ Department of Psychiatry, Weill Cornell Medicine, White Plains, New York. Electronic address: asddevelopmentlab@med.cornell.edu.

PMID: 33866025
DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2021.03.016

Abstract

Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often exhibit deficits in cognitive control. Neuroimaging approaches have implicated disruptions to mediofrontal cortex structure and function. However, previous work is limited in testing whether young children with ASD exhibit disruptions to task-related theta oscillations thought to arise from the mediofrontal cortex.

Methods: Children with ASD (n = 43) and age- and sex-matched typically developing peers (n = 24) at kindergarten entry performed a child-friendly Go/NoGo task while 64-channel electroencephalography was recorded. Time-frequency approaches were employed to assess the magnitude of mediofrontal theta oscillations immediately after error (vs. correct) responses (early theta) as well as later emerging theta oscillations (late theta). We tested whether error-related mediofrontal theta oscillations differed as a function of diagnosis (ASD/typical) and timing (early/late theta). In addition, links to social and academic outcomes were tested.

Results: Overall, children showed increased theta power after error versus correct responses. Compared with typically developing children, children with ASD exhibited a selective reduction in error-related mediofrontal theta power during the late time window. There were no significant group differences for early theta power. Moreover, reduced error-related theta power during the late, but not early, time window significantly predicted poorer academic and social skills.

Conclusions: Kindergarteners with ASD demonstrated a selective reduction in error-related mediofrontal theta power during a relatively late time window, which is consistent with impairments in specific cognitive processes that recruit top-down control. Targeting these particular cognitive control processes via intervention prior to school entry may promote more successful functional outcomes for children with ASD.

Keywords: Academic outcomes; Autism spectrum disorder; Cognitive control; EEG; Theta; Time-frequency.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

MeSH terms

Autism Spectrum Disorder*
Child, Preschool
Cognition
Electroencephalography / methods
Humans

Grants and funding

T32 DC017703/DC/NIDCD NIH HHS/United States