Abstract
Several studies have found that P3 amplitude of the auditory event-related potential is smaller in autistic than in normal children. The present study investigated whether this characteristic bears any relationship to the degree of language impairment and/or level of intellectual ability of autistic persons. Seventeen autistic children, ranging from 8–19 years of age, and 17 age- and gender-matched normal children participated. Event-related potentials to phonetic (“Da”) and chord (piano) stimuli were recorded from three scalp locations: vertex (Cz), right hemisphere (RH), and left hemisphere (LH), during a discrimination task. A battery of language tests was given to autistic children. Compared to normal subjects, autistic subjects showed a significantly smaller P3 amplitude to phonetic stimuli for Cz and LH recording sites. However, no group difference in P3 amplitude to the phonetic stimulus was found for the RH. Furthermore, no group differences in P3 amplitude were found for the chord stimulus at any recording site. Impaired language ability was related to greater RH P3 amplitude, particularly to the chord stimulus. The possibility of differential hemispheric involvement in the attentional deficits of autistic children is raised.
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The present study was supported by National Institute of Mental Health Grant No. MH33612 awarded to Geraldine Dawson. The authors thank the autistic children and their families, and the staff at Division TEACCH for their many hours of cooperation. Drs. Harold Pillsbury and Grady Thomas, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, UNC-CH, generously made available the auditory evoked-response equipment and laboratory. Teresa Frei, Mary Evers, Karen Cotten, Mary Hyde, and Joan Keyser assisted in data collection and scoring. Faulder Colby and Chris Gullion helped with data analyses. Clarrisa Brame, Sallie McCarthy, and Kathrinn Fitzpatrick provided secretarial support.
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Dawson, G., Finley, C., Phillips, S. et al. Reduced P3 amplitude of the event-related brain potential: Its relationship to language ability in austism. J Autism Dev Disord 18, 493–504 (1988). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02211869
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02211869