Skip to main content

EEG Analyses in the Assessment of Autistic Disorders

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Imaging the Brain in Autism

Abstract

Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are a heterogeneous group of pervasive developmental disorders including autistic disorder, Rett’s disorder, childhood disintegrative disorder, pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS), and Asperger’s disorder. Children with ASD demonstrate impairment in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and behaviors or interests (DSM-IV-TR; APA 2000). ASD may be comorbid with sensory integration difficulties, mental retardation, or seizure disorders. Children with ASD may have severe sensitivity to sounds, textures, tastes, and smells. Cognitive deficits are often associated with impaired communication skills (National Institute of Mental Health; NIMH 2006). Repetitive stereotyped behaviors, perseveration, and obsessionality, common in ASD, are associated with executive deficits. Executive dysfunction in inhibitory control and set shifting have been attributed to ASD (Schmitz et al. 2006). Seizure disorders may occur in one out of four children with ASD, frequently beginning in early childhood or adolescence (National Institute of Mental Health; NIMH 2006).

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 149.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 199.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

References

  • Ahmadlou M, Adeli H, Adeli A (2012) Fuzzy synchronization likelihood – wavelet methodology for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. J Neurosci Methods 211:203–209

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alper KR (1999) The EEG and cocaine sensitization: a hypothesis. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 11:209–221

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ameis SH et al (2011) Impaired structural connectivity of socio-emotional circuits in autism spectrum disorders: a diffusion tensor imaging study. PLoS One 6(11):e28044

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association (2000) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, 4th edn. Author, Washington, DC, text revision

    Google Scholar 

  • Attwood (1998) Tony. Asperger’s syndrome: A guide for parents and professionals. Jessica Kingsley Pub

    Google Scholar 

  • Babiloni C, Frisoni G, Steriade M, Bresciani L, Binetti G, Del Percio C et al (2006) Frontal white matter volume and delta EEG sources negatively correlate in awake subjects with mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. Clin Neurophysiol 117:1113–1129

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barnea-Goraly N, Kwon H, Menon V, Eliez S, Lotspeich L, Reiss AL (2004) White matter structure in autism: preliminary evidence from diffusion tensor imaging. Biol Psychiatry 55:323–326

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Barry RJ, Clarke AR, McCarthy R, Selikowitz M (2005) Adjusting EEG coherence for inter-electrode distance effects: an exploration in normal children. Int J Psychophysiol 55:313–321

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Binienda Z, Pereira F, Alper K, Slikker W, Ali SF (2002) Adaptation to repeated cocaine administration in rats. Ann NY Acad Sci 965:172–179

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Blaxill MF (2004) What’s going on? The question of time trends in autism. Public Health Rep 119:536–551

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Boddaert N, Chabane N, Gervais H, Good CD, Bourgeois M, Plumet MH et al (2004) Superior temporal sulcus anatomical abnormalities in childhood autism: a voxel-based morphometry MRI study. Neuroimage 23:364–369

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bosch-Bayard J, Valdes-Sosa P, Virues-Alba E, Aubert-Vazquez E, John ER, Harmony T et al (2001) 3D statistical parametric mapping of EEG source spectra by means of variable resolution electromagnetic tomography (VARETA). Clin Electroencephalogr 32:47–61

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Canitano R (2007) Epilepsy in autism spectrum disorders. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 16(1):61–66

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cantor DS, Thatcher RW, Hrybyk M (1986) Computerized EEG analyses of autistic children. J Autism Dev Disord 16:169–187

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Carper R, Courchesne E (2005) Localized enlargement of the frontal lobe in autism. Biol Psychiatry 57:126–133

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Casanova MF, Buxhoeveden DP, Switala AE, Roy E (2002) Minicolumnar pathology in autism. Neurology 58:428–432

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Catarino A, Churches O, Baron-Cohen S, Andrade A, Ring H (2011) Atypical EEG complexity in autism spectrum conditions: a multiscale entropy analysis. Clin Neurophysiol 122(12):2375–2383

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Center for Disease Control and Prevention (2009) Prevalence of the autism spectrum disorders – autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, United States, 2006. Morb Mortal Wkly Rep 58(SS10):1–20

    Google Scholar 

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2012) Prevalence of autism spectrum disorders – autism and developmental disabilities monitoring network, 14 sites, United States, 2008. Surveill Summ 61(SS03):1–19

    Google Scholar 

  • Chabot RJ, Orgill AA, Crawford G, Harris MJ, Serfontein G (1999) Behavioral and electrophysiological predictors of treatment response stimulants in children with attention disorders. J Child Neurol 14:343–351

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chabot RJ, di Michele F, Prichep LS (2005) The role of quantitative electroencephalography in child and adolescent psychiatric disorders. Child Adolesc Psychiatr Clin N Am 14:21–53

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chan AS, Leung W (2006) Differentiating autistic children with quantitative encephalography: a 3-month longitudinal study. J Child Neurol 21:399

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke AR, Barry RJ, McCarthy R, Seilkowitz M, Brown CR, Croft RJ (2003a) Effects of stimulant medications on the EEG of children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder predominantly inattentive type. Int J Psychophysiol 47:129–137

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clarke AR, Barry RJ, McCarthy R, Selikowitz M, Clarke DC, Croft RJ (2003b) Effects of stimulant medications on children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and excessive beta activity in their EEG. Clin Neurophysiol 114:1729–1737

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coben R, Myers T (2008a) Connectivity theory of autism: use of connectivity measure in assessing and treating autistic disorders. J Neurotherapy 12(2–3):161–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coben R, Myers T (2008b) The relative efficacy of connectivity guided and symptom based EEG biofeedback for Autistic disorders. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 35:13–23

    Google Scholar 

  • Coben R, Padolsky I (2007) Assessment-guided neurofeedback for autistic spectrum disorder. Journal of Neurotherapy 11:5–23

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Coben R, Clarke AR, Hudspeth W, Barry RJ (2008) EEG power and coherence in autistic spectrum disorder. Clin Neurophysiol 119:1002–1009

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Courchesne E, Pierce K (2005) Why the frontal cortex in autism might be talking only to itself: local over-connectivity but long-distance disconnection. Curr Opin Neurobiol 15: 225–230

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Courchesne E et al (2001) Unusual brain growth patterns in early life in patients with autistic disorder: an MRI study. Neurology 57:245–254

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Courchesne E, Carper R, Akshoomoff N (2003) Evidence of brain overgrowth in the first year of life in autism. JAMA 290:337–344

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Coutin-Churchman P, Anez Y, Uzctegui M, Alvarez L, Vergara F, Mendez L et al (2003) Quantitative spectral analysis of EEg in psychiatry revisited: drawing signs out of numbers in a clinical setting. Clin Neurophysiol 114:2294–2306

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Damasio AR (1989) The brain binds entities and events by multiregional activation from convergence zones. Neural Comput 1(1):123–132

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Danielsson S, Gillberg IC, Billstedt E, Gillberg C, Olsson I (2005) Epilepsy in young adults with autism: a prospective population-based follow-up study of 120 individuals diagnosed in childhood. Epilepsia 46(6):918–923

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Dawson G, Warrenburg S, Fuller P (1982) Cerebral lateralization in individuals diagnosed as autistic early childhood. Brain Lang 15:353–368

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • di Michele F, Prichep LS, John ER, Chabot RJ (2005) The neurophysiology of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Int J Psychophysiol 58:81–93

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Duffy FH, Als H (2012) A stable pattern of EEG spectral coherence distinguishes children with autism from neuro-typical controls – a large case control study. BMC Med 10:64

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Evans BM (2003) Sleep, consciousness and the spontaneous and evoked electrical activity of the brain. Is there a cortical integrating mechanism? Neurophysiol Clin 33:1–10

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gilliam JE (1995) Gilliam autism rating scale examiner’s manual. Pro-Ed, Austin, TX

    Google Scholar 

  • Gilliam JE (2001) Gilliam Asperger’s disorder scale examiner’s manual. Pro-Ed, Austin, TX

    Google Scholar 

  • Hamilton, Lynn M (2000) Facing autism: Giving parents reasons for hope and guidance for help. WaterBrook Press

    Google Scholar 

  • Hara H (2007) Autism and epilepsy: a retrospective follow-up study. Brain Dev 29(8):486–490

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Herbert MR, Ziegler DA, Makris N, Filipek PA, Kemper TL, Normandin JJ, Sanders HA, Kennedy DN, Caviness VS Jr (2004) Localization of white matter volume increase in autism and developmental language disorder. Ann Neurol 55:530–540

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hollander E, Soorya L, Wasserman S, Esposito K, Chaplin W, Anagnostou E (2005) Divalproex sodium vs. placebo in the treatment of repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorder. Int J Neuropsychopharmacol 8:1–5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hughes JR, Melyn M (2005) EEG and seizures in autistic children and adolescents: further findings with therapeutic implications. Clin EEG Neurosci 36(1):15–20

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Isler JR, Martien KM, Grieve PG, Stark RI, Herbert MR (2010) Reduced functional connectivity in visual evoked potentials in children with autism spectrum disorder. Clin Neurophysiol 121(12):2035–2043

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • John ER, Prichep LS (2006) The relevance of QEEG to the evaluation of behavioral disorders and pharmacological interventions. Clin EEG Neurosci 37:135–143

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • John ER, Karmel BZ, Corning WC, Easton P, Brown D, Ahn H et al (1977) Neurometrics: numerical taxonomy identifies different profiles of brain functions within groups of behaviorally similar people. Science 196:1383–1410

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • John ER, Prichep LS, Friedman J, Easton P (1988) Neurometrics: computer-assisted differential diagnosis of brain dysfunctions. Science 293:162–169

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kana RK, Keller TA, Cherkassky VL, Minshew NJ, Just MA (2006) Sentence comprehension in autism: thinking in pictures with decreased functional connectivity. Brain 129(9):2484–2493

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kitaoka K, Hattori A, Chikahisa S, Miyamoto K, Nakaya Y, Sei H (2007) Vitamin A deficiency induces a decrease in EEG delta power during sleep in mice. Brain Res 1150:121–130

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Kobayashi E, Bagshaw AP, Grova C, Dubeau F, Gotman J (2006) Negative BOLD responses to epileptic spikes. Hum Brain Mapp 27:488–497

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Kus R, Kaminski M, Blinowska KJ (2004) Determination of EEG activity propagation: pair-wise versus multichannel estimate. IEEE Trans Biomed Eng 51(9):1501–1510

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lazarev VV, Pontes A, Deazevedo I (2004) Right hemisphere deficit in EEG photic driving reactivity in childhood autism. Int J Psychophysiol 54:79

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Couteur A., Lord C, Rutter M (2003) Autism diagnostic interview-revised (ADI-R). Retrieved 5 Mar 2009, from Autism Genetic Resource Exchange, Los Angeles, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Li H, Xue Z, Ellmore TM, Frye RE, Wong ST (2012) Network-based analysis reveals stronger local diffusion-based connectivity and different correlations with oral language skills in brains of children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders. Hum Brain Mapp. 2012 Sep 24

    Google Scholar 

  • Lord C, Rutter M, DiLavore P, Risi S (2001) Autism diagnostic observation schedule (ADOS) manual. Western Psychological Services, Los Angeles, CA

    Google Scholar 

  • Mak-Fan KM, Morris D, Vidal J, Anagnostou E, Roberts W, Taylor MJ (2012) White matter development in children with an autism spectrum disorder. Autism. Epub ahead of print

    Google Scholar 

  • McAlonan GM, Cheung V, Cheung C, Suckling J, Lam GY, Tai KS et al. (2004). Mapping the brain in autism: A voxel- based MRI study of volumetric differences and intercorrelations in autism. Brain, 128, 268–276

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McAlonan GM, Cheung V, Cheung C, Suckling J, Lam GY, Tai KS et al (2005) Mapping the brain in autism. A voxel-based MRI study of volumetric differences and intercorrelations in autism. Brain 128:268–276

    Google Scholar 

  • McCandless, J (2005) Children with starving brains: A medical treatment guide for autism spectrum disorders. (2nd ed.). North Bergen, NJ: Bramble Books

    Google Scholar 

  • McGrath J et al (2012) Atypical visuospatial processing in autism: insights from functional connectivity analysis. Autism Res 5(5):314–330

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Minshew NJ (1991) Indices of neural function in autism: clinical and biologic implications. Pediatrics 87:774–780

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Minshew NJ, Williams DL (2007) The new neurobiology of autism: cortex, connectivity, and neuronal organization. Arch Neurol 64:945–950

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Monastra VJ, Lynn S, Linden M, Lubar JF, Gruzelier J, LaVaque TJ (2005) Electroencephalographic biofeedback in the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback 30:95–114

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Murias M, Webb SJ, Greenson J, Dawson G (2007) Resting state cortical connectivity reflected in EEG coherence in individuals with autism. Biol Psychiatry 62:270–273

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Niedermeyer E, Lopes da Silva F (2004) Electroencephalography: basic principles, clinical applications, and related fields. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, Philadelphia, PA

    Google Scholar 

  • Ogawa T, Sugiyama A, Ishiwa S, Sizuki M, Ishihara T, Sato K (1982) Ontogenic development of EEG-asymmetry in early infantile. Brain Dev 4:439–449

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Orekhova E, Stroganova T, Nygren G, Posikera I, Gillberg C, Elam M (2006) P21.5 high frequency activity in ongoing EEG from young children with autism: a two sample study. Clin Neurophysiol 117:218

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Page LA, Daly E, Schmitz N, Simmons A, Toal F, Deeley Q, Ambery F, McAlonan G, Murphy KC, Murphy DGM (2006) In vivo H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy study of amygdala-hippocampal and parietal regions in autism. Am J Psychiatry 163:2189–2192

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parmeggiani A, Posar A, Antolini C, Scaduto MC, Santucci M, Giovanardi-Rossi P (2007) Epilepsy in patients with pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified. J Child Neurol 22(10):1198–1203

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Parmeggiani A, Barcia G, Posar A, Raimondi E, Santucci M, Scaduto MC (2010) Epilepsy and EEG paroxysmal abnormalities in autism spectrum disorders. Brain Dev 32(9):783–789

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pollonini L, Patidar U, Situ N, Rezaie R, Papanicolaou AC, Zouridakis G (2010) Functional connectivity networks in the autistic and healthy brain assessed using granger causality. In: 32nd Annual international conference of the IEEE EMBS, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 31 Aug–4 Sept 2010

    Google Scholar 

  • Prichep LS, Mas F, Hollander E, Liebowitz M, John ER, Almas M et al (1993) Quantitative electroencephalographic (QEEG) subtyping of obsessive compulsive disorder. Psychiatry Res 50:25–32

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ray A, Tao JX, Hawes-Ebersole SM, Ebersole JS (2007) Localizing value of scalp EEG spikes: a simultaneous scalp and intracranial study. Clin Neurophysiol 118:69–79

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rinaldi T, Perrodin C, Markram H (2008) Hyper-connectivity and hyper-plasticity in the medial prefrontal cortex in the valproic acid animal model of autism. Front Neural Circuits 2:4

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rossi PG, Parmeggiani A, Bach V, Santucci M, Visconti P (1995) EEG features and epilepsy in patients with autism. Brain Dev 17:169–174

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rowe CC, Ng S, Ackermann U, Gong SJ, Pike K, Savage G et al (2007) Imaging {beta}-amyloid burden in aging and dementia. Neurology 68:1718–1725

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Saletu B, Anderer P, Saletu-Zyhlarz GM (2006) EEG topography and tomography (LORETA) in the classification and evaluation of the pharmacodynamics of psychotropic drugs. Clin EEG Neurosci 37:66–80

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schmitz N, Rubia K, Daly E, Smith A, Williams S, Murphy DG (2006) Neural correlates of executive function in autistic spectrum disorders. Biol Psychiatry. 2006 Jan 1;59(1):7–16

    Google Scholar 

  • Shelley BP, Trimble MR, Boutros NN (2008) Electroencephalographic cerebral dysrhythmic abnormalities in the trinity of nonepileptic general population, neuropsychiatric, and neurobehavioral disorders. J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 20:7–22

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sicile-Kira (2004) Chantal. Autism spectrum disorders: the complete guide to understanding autism, Asperger’s Syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder, and other ASDs. Perigee

    Google Scholar 

  • Small JH, Small IF, Milstein V, Moore DF (1975) Familial associations with EEG variants in manic-depressive disease. Arch Gen Psychiatry 32:43–48

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Stroganova TA, Nygren G, Tsetlin MM, Posikera IN, Gillberg C, Elam M et al (2007) Abnormal EEG lateralization in boys with autism. Clin Neurophysiol 118:1842–1854

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Supekar K, Mesin M, Menon V (2009) Development of large-scale functional brain networks in children. PLoS Biol 7(7):e1000157

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Tuchman RF, Rapin I (1997) Regression in pervasive developmental disorders: seizures and epileptiform electroencephalogram correlates. Pediatrics 99(4):560–566

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vargas DL, Nascimbene C, Krishnan C, Zimmerman AW, Pardo CA (2005) Neuroglial activation and neuroinflammation in the brain of patients with autism. Ann Neurol 57:67–81

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Volkmar FR, Nelson DS (1989) Seizure disorders is autism. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 29(1):127–129

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • vondem Hagen EA, Stoyanova RS, Baron-Cohen S, Calder AJ (2012) Reduced functional connectivity within and between “social” resting state networks in autism spectrum conditions. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci. Epub ahead of print

    Google Scholar 

  • Waiter GD, Williams JHG, Murray AD, Gilchrist A, Perrett DI, Whiten A (2004) A voxel-based investigation of brain structure in male adolescents with autistic spectrum disorder. Neuroimage 22:619–625

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wass S (2011) Distortions and disconnections: disrupted brain connectivity in autism. Brain Cogn 75(1):18–28

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert Coben Ph.D. .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Coben, R., Chabot, R.J., Hirshberg, L. (2013). EEG Analyses in the Assessment of Autistic Disorders. In: Casanova, M., El-Baz, A., Suri, J. (eds) Imaging the Brain in Autism. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6843-1_12

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics