Association between spectral electroencephalography power and autism risk and diagnosis in early development.
Scott Huberty, Virginia Carter Leno, Stefon J R van Noordt and 5 others
PMID 33955195WHAT IT FOUND
Infants with a sibling with autism showed lower absolute brain activity at 3 months, but this did not predict who would develop autism.
The groups converged by 36 months, meaning early EEG power alone cannot diagnose the condition.
Key findings
01Infants at high familial risk for autism showed lower absolute EEG power across all frequency bands at 3 months compared to low-risk infants.
02Neither the initial level nor the change in absolute EEG power over the first three years predicted which infants would go on to receive an autism diagnosis.
03Female infants showed lower absolute power in high-alpha, beta, and gamma bands at 3 months but had steeper increases over time compared to males.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study relied on pooling data from three different sites that used different EEG collection protocols (e.g., videos vs. bubbles), which may introduce variability despite statistical adjustments. The analysis focused on frontal EEG power, so it does not account for potential differences in other brain regions. The sample size of infants who actually developed autism (67 total) is relatively small compared to the total cohort, which may limit the power to detect subtle diagnostic markers. The study did not test for interactions between diagnosis and sex, so it is unclear if the predictive value of EEG power differs for boys and girls who develop autism.
Declared interests
The authors declared no competing interests or financial conflicts. The work was supported by various foundations and government institutes including the Autism Science Foundation, Autism Speaks, Autistica, Fondation Brain Canada, Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, National Institute of Health, and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
The easy way to misread this
Do not interpret the lower EEG power in high-risk infants as a diagnostic marker for autism. The study found that while high-risk infants had lower brain activity early on, this difference did not predict which infants would actually receive an autism diagnosis, and the groups converged by age three.