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Autism and EEG Phase Reset: Deficient GABA Mediated Inhibition in Thalamo-Cortical Circuits

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Check out this Knowledge Base article from StressTherapy Solutions: Autism and EEG Phase Reset: Deficient GABA Mediated Inhibition in Thalamo-Cortical Circuits.

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Study at a glance

Area
Autism
Study type
Observational study
Authors
Thatcher RW, North DM, Neubrander J, Biver CJ, Cutler S, DeFina P
Journal
Developmental Neuropsychology
Year
2009
Participants
295 children (54 with ASD, 241 controls; ages 2.6-11)
Population
Children
Protocol
19-channel EEG phase reset analysis

Key findings

  • Phase shift duration was significantly shorter in ASD in all bands, especially alpha-1 (8-10 Hz, p < .0001)
  • Phase lock duration was significantly longer in ASD in alpha-2 (10-12 Hz, p < .0001)
  • Differences were strongest over occipital-parietal regions
  • Results are consistent with deficient GABA-mediated inhibition and fewer or weaker thalamo-cortical connections

DOI 10.1080/87565640903265178 → PubMed 20183733 →

This study compared EEG phase reset, a measure of how brain regions briefly shift and then lock their timing, in 54 children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and 241 age-matched controls aged 2.6 to 11 years. EEG was recorded from 19 scalp sites and analyzed with complex demodulation. Children with ASD had shorter phase shifts across bands, most strongly in alpha-1, and longer phase locking in alpha-2, especially over occipital-parietal areas. The authors conclude the pattern fits a GABA inhibitory deficit that weakens thalamo-cortical connections.