Locus coeruleus tonic upregulation increases selectivity to inconspicuous auditory information in autistic compared to non-autistic individuals: a combined pupillometry and electroencephalography study.
Nico Bast, Jumana Ahmad, Luke Mason and 10 others
PMID 40841687WHAT IT FOUND
In autistic individuals, pupil size rose more early in a passive listening task and was linked to stronger responses to background tones.
This may reflect arousal-linked sensitivity to inconspicuous sounds, not a tested treatment.
Key findings
01Baseline pupil size increased more during the first half of the task and decreased more during the second half in autistic individuals than in non-autistic individuals.
02Higher baseline pupil size was associated with a larger pupil response to frequent tones only in autistic individuals.
03Stimulus-evoked pupil responses did not differ between groups across the task.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
This was an observational lab study, not a treatment trial, so it cannot show that any therapy works. Pupil baseline was used as an indirect marker of locus coeruleus tonic activity, but other pathways can change pupil size. The autistic group was matched on non-verbal IQ, so it had higher mean perceptual IQ than the wider autistic population. This limits generalizability. Trial duration was short for slow pupil responses, so the researchers filtered and concatenated trials. The mean pupil size group difference was moderated by age and gaze quality. EEG was available at baseline only, while eye-tracking had two time points. The task used non-speech tones, not speech or communication outcomes.
Declared interests
The supplied text names funding from the Seventh Framework Programme and Horizon Europe Framework Programme. It does not state author conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read this as proof that a locus coeruleus mechanism causes sensory overload or that pupil measures can diagnose autism. The study is observational, tested no intervention, and pupil baseline is only an indirect marker of locus coeruleus activity.