Atypical neural substrates of Embedded Figures Task performance in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Philip S. Lee
  • , Jennifer Foss-Feig
  • , Joshua G. Henderson
  • , Lauren E. Kenworthy
  • , Lisa Gilotty
  • , William D. Gaillard
  • , Chandan J. Vaidya

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

75 Scopus citations

Abstract

Superior performance on the Embedded Figures Task (EFT) has been attributed to weak central coherence in perceptual processing in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The present study used functional magnetic resonance imaging to examine the neural basis of EFT performance in 7- to 12-year-old ASD children and age- and IQ-matched controls. ASD children activated only a subset of the distributed network of regions activated in controls. In frontal cortex, control children activated left dorsolateral, medial and dorsal premotor regions whereas ASD children only activated the dorsal premotor region. In parietal and occipital cortices, activation was bilateral in control children but unilateral (left superior parietal and right occipital) in ASD children. Further, extensive bilateral ventral temporal activation was observed in control, but not ASD children. ASD children performed the EFT at the same level as controls but with reduced cortical involvement, suggesting that disembedded visual processing is accomplished parsimoniously by ASD relative to typically developing brains.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)184-193
Number of pages10
JournalNeuroImage
Volume38
Issue number1
DOIs
StatePublished - 15 Oct 2007
Externally publishedYes

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