Abstract
Purpose :
The dorsal stream vulnerability hypothesis posits that dorsal stream function is uniquely susceptible to damage during development. Consistent with this idea, an association between autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) and impaired global motion perception has been reported. We explored associations among dorsal stream functions (global motion perception, fine motor function), ventral stream functions (global form perception), and autism spectrum quotient (AQ), a measure of ASD traits, in 9-year-old children born with neurodevelopmental risk factors. We hypothesized that AQ would be associated with dorsal but not ventral stream functions.
Methods :
The Children with Hypoglycaemia and their Later Development (CHYLD) study is a prospective cohort study of children born at risk of neonatal hypoglycaemia. At age 9-10 years, 397 children from the cohort completed measures of AQ, global motion (random dot kinematogram) and global form (Glass pattern) perception, fine motor function (Movement ABC, v2), and visual-motor integration (Beery VMI, v6). We used linear regression to quantify the associations among these measures. All models contained an intercept, and interactions with sex, socio-economic status, academic performance at age 9-10, preterm birth, and hypoglycaemia were assessed.
Results :
Motion coherence thresholds (β = 0.10, R2 = 0.01, p= 0.045), Movement ABC score (β = -.30, R2 = 0.09, p< 0.001), and the Beery motor subtest score (β = -.23, R2 = 0.09, p< 0.001), were significantly associated with AQ, but the Beery VMI subtest score was not. Additionally, form coherence thresholds interacted with sex (β = 0.43, R2 = 0.07, p= 0.001), such that boys with higher thresholds (worse performance) exhibited higher AQ scores (more ASD traits; β = 0.28, R2 = 0.08, p< 0.001), but no association was observed for girls.
Conclusions :
Most measures of dorsal stream function were significantly associated with AQ, such that worse performance predicted higher AQ scores. Additionally, in boys, worse form perception was associated with higher AQ scores. Therefore, while the results support the presence of abnormal dorsal stream processing in children with high AQ, they also suggest that abnormal visual processing associated with high AQ extends beyond the dorsal stream. Further, the results implicate a sex difference in the association between AQ and visual function.
This abstract was presented at the 2022 ARVO Annual Meeting, held in Denver, CO, May 1-4, 2022, and virtually.