The cognitive profile of middle-aged and older adults with high vs. low autistic traits.
Gavin R Stewart, Anne Corbett, Clive Ballard and 6 others
PMID 36454212WHAT IT FOUND
Middle-aged and older adults with high autistic traits performed worse on working memory and complex attention tasks than matched peers.
They reported more cognitive decline, but this self-report difference disappeared when depression symptoms were controlled. Informant reports showed no group differences.
Key findings
01Participants with high autistic traits had significantly lower scores on visual, verbal, and spatial working memory tasks, as well as lower accuracy and slower reaction times on complex attention and information processing tasks, compared to the low-trait group.
02The high-trait group self-reported significantly more cognitive difficulty and decline than the comparison group, but this difference was no longer significant when current symptoms of depression were controlled for.
03No significant differences were found between the groups in simple reaction time, visual episodic memory reaction time, or verbal reasoning scores.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The study is cross-sectional, so it cannot determine if the observed cognitive differences are longstanding or due to age-related change. The sample was recruited online, excluding older adults without internet access or computer literacy, which may bias results toward more physically and mentally able participants. The high autistic traits group was identified using a bespoke screener focused on socio-communication, not a standardized diagnostic tool or assessment of restrictive/repetitive behaviors. The sample was predominantly white (98%) and female (68%), limiting generalizability to other ethnic and gender groups. Only a subset of participants had informant reports, and the self-report measure for cognitive decline has not been validated in autistic populations.
Declared interests
The study was funded by the Economic and Social Research Council. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that high autistic traits cause dementia or global cognitive decline. The differences in cognitive performance were small to moderate, and the increased self-reported decline was explained by depression symptoms rather than the traits themselves. Informant reports showed no difference between the groups.