Sensorimotor Behavior in Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Unaffected Biological Parents.
Erin K Bojanek, Shannon E Kelly, Lauren M Schmitt and 5 others
PMID 39957414WHAT IT FOUND
Autistic individuals and their non-autistic parents showed similar eye movement differences compared to controls, suggesting these traits run in families.
However, grip force variability patterns differed between parents and children, and none of these sensorimotor findings correlated with autism severity scores.
Key findings
01Autistic individuals and their non-autistic parents showed similar patterns of saccade velocity and duration compared to neurotypical controls, indicating these eye movement traits are familial.
02Grip force variability was increased in autistic probands with parents showing broad autism phenotype traits, but increased in parents without those traits, suggesting separate pathways for this motor control issue.
03Neither precision gripping nor oculomotor impairments were related to autism severity in the participants or to broad autism phenotype features in their parents.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The sample consisted of individuals with average-range IQ, so findings may not apply to autistic individuals with intellectual disability or profound autism. The study did not determine if familial similarities in eye movements are due to genetics or shared environment. Sensorimotor measures did not correlate with clinical autism severity, limiting their use as direct markers of symptom intensity. Dropout and incomplete testing reduced the number of participants for specific tasks, with 54 probands completing manual tests and 44 completing oculomotor tests.
Declared interests
Dr. Mosconi is a co-investigator on a separate study funded by Acadia, but the authors state this clinical trial is not related to the family study described in this manuscript. All other authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume these sensorimotor differences indicate autism severity. The study found no relationship between grip force or eye movement impairments and autism symptom scores, meaning these measures reflect familial traits rather than the intensity of the individual's autism.