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Auditory Language Comprehension among Children and Adolescents with ASD: An ALE fMRI Meta-Analysis

Poster No:

339

Submission Type:

Abstract Submission

Authors:

Jun Hu¹, Hua Zihui¹, Zeng Huanke¹, Li Jiahui¹, Cao Yibo¹, Yiqun Gan¹

Institutions:

¹Peking University, Beijing, Beijing

First Author:

Jun Hu
Peking University
Beijing, Beijing

Co-Author(s):

Hua Zihui
Peking University
Beijing, Beijing

Zeng Huanke
Peking University
Beijing, Beijing

Li Jiahui
Peking University
Beijing, Beijing

Cao Yibo
Peking University
Beijing, Beijing

Yiqun Gan
Peking University
Beijing, Beijing

Introduction:

Autistic children and adolescents commonly manifest difficulties in auditory language comprehension. Some fMRI studies have indicated potential neural bases of such difficulties in autism. However, the findings remain mixed, and few studies have systematically examined their overall patterns. Previous relevant meta-analyses have included tasks outside the scope of auditory language comprehension (e.g., visual language processing tasks), with no studies specifically focusing on this process. Furthermore, no meta-analytic studies thus far have specifically examined this process in autistic children and adolescents, despite the crucial role played by the early stages in language development.
The current study aims to complement previous work by conducting an activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta-analysis of fMRI studies using tasks involving auditory language comprehension in autistic children and adolescents. Specifically, we aim to identify (a) commonly activated brain regions involved in auditory language comprehension in autistic and non-autistic children and adolescents and (b) the differences in brain activation patterns during auditory language comprehension between autistic and non-autistic children and adolescents.

Methods:

This study was pre-registered (PROSPERO: CRD42023413187) and conducted in accordance with the PRISMA 2020 statement. Literature search was conducted through PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO. Studies using fMRI tasks that involved auditory language comprehension in autistic children and adolescents were included. A total of nine articles met inclusion criteria, with eight (participant number: 121 autistic, 131 non-autistic) included in the within-group analyses and seven (116 autistic, 124 non-autistic) included in the between-group analysis (see Figure 1 for literature search process). ALE meta-analyses were conducted to compare task versus baseline conditions in the two groups respectively, and then examined group differences in activation patterns.

Results:

The within-group analyses revealed that the bilateral superior temporal gyrus (STG) was activated during auditory language comprehension in both groups, whereas the left superior frontal gyrus and dorsal medial prefrontal cortex were activated only in the non-autistic group. Furthermore, the between-group analysis showed that autistic children and adolescents, compared to non-autistic counterparts, showed reduced activation in the right superior temporal gyrus (STG), left middle temporal gyrus (MTG), and insula, whereas the autistic group did not show increased activation in any of the regions relative to the non-autistic group.

Conclusions:

The overlap in activation across groups in the bilateral STG implied a shared neurobiological basis for auditory language comprehension. A less distributed pattern of brain activation during auditory language comprehension in the autistic group suggested that the development of the neural network responsible for auditory language processing might be delayed. The reduced activation in the right STG, left MTG/insula in the autistic group suggested potential difficulties in processing acoustic properties of speech and understanding prosody, as well as coordinating and integrating the substages required to reach comprehension (see Table 1 for a summary of main findings and theoretical implications). Our findings contribute to a better understanding of the potential neural mechanisms underlying difficulties in auditory language comprehension in autistic children and adolescents and provide practical implications for early screening and interventions.

Disorders of the Nervous System:

Neurodevelopmental/ Early Life (eg. ADHD, autism) ¹

Language:

Language Comprehension and Semantics

Modeling and Analysis Methods:

Activation (eg. BOLD task-fMRI) ²

Novel Imaging Acquisition Methods:

BOLD fMRI

Keywords:

Autism

FUNCTIONAL MRI

Language

Meta- Analysis

^1|2Indicates the priority used for review

·Significant ALE Results Under Auditory Language Comprehension Task vs. Baseline for Autistic and Non-Autistic Groups Respectively

·Significant Non-Autistic > Autistic ALE Results Under Auditory Language Comprehension Task vs. Baseline

Provide references using author date format

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