Name recognition in autism: EEG evidence of altered patterns of brain activity and connectivity.
Anna Nowicka, Hanna B Cygan, Paweł Tacikowski and 2 others
PMID 27602201WHAT IT FOUND
Brain activity in high functioning young men with autism showed their own name was not treated as more special than a close person's name.
Long range front to back brain communication was weaker, while name recognition speed and accuracy were normal.
Key findings
01During visual name recognition, individuals with ASD showed the same late brain response to their own name and a close person's name, while controls showed a stronger response to their own name.
02After statistical correction, ASD participants had weaker synchronization between frontal and occipital brain areas in the beta rhythm.
03Behavioral performance did not differ between groups: accuracy and reaction times were similar across name categories.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Only 15 participants per group were analysed, so the findings are fragile. All participants were high-functioning adolescent and young adult males, so it says little about children, females, or more affected people. Names were presented visually, while everyday name response is usually auditory. Behavioural accuracy and reaction times were not different, so the brain differences did not match a measured task deficit. Several EEG activity differences did not survive correction for multiple comparisons. One ASD participant did not meet the ADOS criterion but was included because he had a psychiatric diagnosis and met other criteria.
Declared interests
The supplied text names the National Science Centre, Poland, and the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher as funders, but the statement is cut off. No author conflict of interest declaration is visible in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not treat these EEG differences as evidence that name recognition is impaired. Accuracy and reaction times were not significantly different between groups, and the study included only 15 participants per group.