Marching to the beat of your own drum?: A proof-of-concept study assessing physiological linkage in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Julie C Dunsmore; Richard A Ashley; Yu Zhou; Deanna M Swain; Reina S Factor; Alleyne P Broomell; Jonathan C Waldron; Martha Ann Bell; Angela Scarpa

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2019.03.001

Marching to the beat of your own drum?: A proof-of-concept study assessing physiological linkage in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Biol Psychol. 2019 May:144:37-45. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2019.03.001. Epub 2019 Mar 6.

Authors

Julie C Dunsmore¹, Richard A Ashley², Yu Zhou², Deanna M Swain³, Reina S Factor³, Alleyne P Broomell⁴, Jonathan C Waldron⁴, Martha Ann Bell⁴, Angela Scarpa³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States. Electronic address: jdunsmor@vt.edu.
² Department of Economics, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States.
³ Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States; Virginia Tech Center for Autism Research, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States.
⁴ Department of Psychology, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, United States.

PMID: 30851409
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2019.03.001

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by difficulty in dynamically adjusting behavior to interact effectively with others, or social reciprocity. Synchronization of physiological responses between interacting partners, or physiological linkage (PL), is thought to provide a foundation for social reciprocity. In previous work we developed a new technique to measure PL using dynamic linear time series modeling to assess cardiac interbeat interval (IBI) linkage in typically developing same-sex unacquainted dyads (Scarpa et al., 2017). The current article describes a proof-of-concept study with three dyads of young adults with ASD interacting with same-sex unacquainted typically developing (TD) partners. This pilot data is applied to propose potential benefits of using this technique to quantify and assess PL in individuals with ASD, both for basic research and for intervention science. Discussion focuses on applications of this measure to potentially advance knowledge of the biology-behavior link in ASD.

Keywords: Autism Spectrum Disorder; Bio-behavioral synchrony; Physiological linkage; Social reciprocity; Time series analysis.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Autism Spectrum Disorder / physiopathology*
Autism Spectrum Disorder / psychology*
Female
Humans
Interpersonal Relations*
Male
Periodicity*
Pilot Projects
Proof of Concept Study
Young Adult