Abstract：
Attenuated social attention is a key marker of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Recent neuroimaging findings also emphasize an altered processing of sensory salience in ASD. The locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system (LC-NE) has been established as a modulator of this sensory salience processing (SSP). We tested the hypothesis that altered LC-NE functioning contributes to different SSP and results in diverging social attention in ASD.
We analyzed the baseline eye-tracking data of the EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP) for subgroups of autistic participants (n = 166, age = 6-30 years, IQ = 61-138, gender [female/male] = 41/125) or neurotypical development (TD; n = 166, age = 6-30 years, IQ = 63-138, gender [female/male] = 49/117) that were matched for demographic variables and data quality. Participants watched brief movie scenes (k = 85) depicting humans in social situations (human) or without humans (non-human). SSP was estimated by gazes on physical and motion salience and a corresponding pupillary response that indexes phasic activity of the LC-NE. Social attention is estimated by gazes on faces via manual areas of interest definition. SSP is compared between groups and related to social attention by linear mixed models that consider temporal dynamics within scenes. Models are controlled for comorbid psychopathology, gaze behavior, and luminance.
We found no group differences in gazes on salience, whereas pupillary responses were associated with altered gazes on physical and motion salience. In ASD compared to TD, we observed pupillary responses that were higher for non-human scenes and lower for human scenes. In ASD, we observed lower gazes on faces across the duration of the scenes. Crucially, this different social attention was influenced by gazes on physical salience and moderated by pupillary responses.
The naturalistic study design precluded experimental manipulations and stimulus control, while effect sizes were small to moderate. Covariate effects of age and IQ indicate that the findings differ between age and developmental subgroups.
Pupillary responses as a proxy of LC-NE phasic activity during visual attention are suggested to modulate sensory salience processing and contribute to attenuated social attention in ASD.
We analyzed the baseline eye-tracking data of the EU-AIMS Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP) for subgroups of autistic participants (n = 166, age = 6-30 years, IQ = 61-138, gender [female/male] = 41/125) or neurotypical development (TD; n = 166, age = 6-30 years, IQ = 63-138, gender [female/male] = 49/117) that were matched for demographic variables and data quality. Participants watched brief movie scenes (k = 85) depicting humans in social situations (human) or without humans (non-human). SSP was estimated by gazes on physical and motion salience and a corresponding pupillary response that indexes phasic activity of the LC-NE. Social attention is estimated by gazes on faces via manual areas of interest definition. SSP is compared between groups and related to social attention by linear mixed models that consider temporal dynamics within scenes. Models are controlled for comorbid psychopathology, gaze behavior, and luminance.
We found no group differences in gazes on salience, whereas pupillary responses were associated with altered gazes on physical and motion salience. In ASD compared to TD, we observed pupillary responses that were higher for non-human scenes and lower for human scenes. In ASD, we observed lower gazes on faces across the duration of the scenes. Crucially, this different social attention was influenced by gazes on physical salience and moderated by pupillary responses.
The naturalistic study design precluded experimental manipulations and stimulus control, while effect sizes were small to moderate. Covariate effects of age and IQ indicate that the findings differ between age and developmental subgroups.
Pupillary responses as a proxy of LC-NE phasic activity during visual attention are suggested to modulate sensory salience processing and contribute to attenuated social attention in ASD.
摘要：
背景：减弱的社会注意力是自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）的关键标志。最近的神经影像学发现也强调了ASD中感觉显著性的改变。蓝斑-去甲肾上腺素系统（LC-NE）已被建立为这种感觉显着性处理（SSP）的调节剂。我们检验了以下假设：LC-NE功能的改变会导致不同的SSP，并导致ASD中社会关注的差异。
方法：我们分析了EU-AIMS纵向欧洲自闭症项目（LEAP）的基线眼动追踪数据（n=166，年龄=6-30岁，IQ=61-138，性别[女性/男性]=41/125）或神经典型发育（TD；n=166，年龄=6-30岁，IQ=63-138，性别[女性/男性]=49/117），人口统计学变量和数据质量相匹配。参与者观看了简短的电影场景（k=85），描绘了社交场合（人类）或没有人类（非人类）的人类。SSP是通过对身体和运动显著性的凝视以及相应的瞳孔反应来估计的，该瞳孔反应指示了LC-NE的阶段性活动。社会注意力是通过手动定义感兴趣的领域对面部的凝视来估计的。SSP通过考虑场景内时间动态的线性混合模型在组之间进行比较，并与社会关注相关。模型是针对共病精神病理学控制的，凝视行为，和亮度。
结果：我们没有发现在显著性上的凝视的群体差异，而瞳孔反应与身体和运动显著性的视线改变有关。在ASD与TD相比，我们观察到非人类场景的瞳孔反应较高，而人类场景的瞳孔反应较低。在ASD,我们在整个场景的持续时间内观察到面部较低的视线。至关重要的是，这种不同的社会注意力受到对身体显着性的注视的影响，并受到瞳孔反应的调节。
结论：自然研究设计排除了实验操作和刺激控制，而效应大小为小到中等。年龄和智商的协变量效应表明，年龄和发育亚组之间的发现不同。
结论：瞳孔反应作为视觉注意过程中LC-NE阶段性活动的代表被认为可以调节感觉显着性加工，并有助于减轻ASD中的社会注意力。
方法：我们分析了EU-AIMS纵向欧洲自闭症项目（LEAP）的基线眼动追踪数据（n=166，年龄=6-30岁，IQ=61-138，性别[女性/男性]=41/125）或神经典型发育（TD；n=166，年龄=6-30岁，IQ=63-138，性别[女性/男性]=49/117），人口统计学变量和数据质量相匹配。参与者观看了简短的电影场景（k=85），描绘了社交场合（人类）或没有人类（非人类）的人类。SSP是通过对身体和运动显著性的凝视以及相应的瞳孔反应来估计的，该瞳孔反应指示了LC-NE的阶段性活动。社会注意力是通过手动定义感兴趣的领域对面部的凝视来估计的。SSP通过考虑场景内时间动态的线性混合模型在组之间进行比较，并与社会关注相关。模型是针对共病精神病理学控制的，凝视行为，和亮度。
结果：我们没有发现在显著性上的凝视的群体差异，而瞳孔反应与身体和运动显著性的视线改变有关。在ASD与TD相比，我们观察到非人类场景的瞳孔反应较高，而人类场景的瞳孔反应较低。在ASD,我们在整个场景的持续时间内观察到面部较低的视线。至关重要的是，这种不同的社会注意力受到对身体显着性的注视的影响，并受到瞳孔反应的调节。
结论：自然研究设计排除了实验操作和刺激控制，而效应大小为小到中等。年龄和智商的协变量效应表明，年龄和发育亚组之间的发现不同。
结论：瞳孔反应作为视觉注意过程中LC-NE阶段性活动的代表被认为可以调节感觉显着性加工，并有助于减轻ASD中的社会注意力。
