Deficient visuospatial working memory functions and neural correlates of the default-mode network in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder.
Autistic teens’ visuospatial working memory is weak because their default-mode network and white-matter cables are less connected—so give them visual scaffolds.
01Research in Context
What this study did
The team asked teens with and without autism to do a visuospatial working-memory task.
While the kids worked, the researchers took brain scans to check how the default-mode network talked to itself.
They also measured white-matter health to see if brain cables were weaker in the autism group.
What they found
Teens with autism were slower and made more errors on the memory task.
Their default-mode network showed weaker connections, and the white-matter cables were less intact.
Poor memory scores lined up with weak network and cable measures.
How this fits with other research
Bast et al. (2022) saw the same memory dip in adults with autism using pupil size instead of brain scans.
Together, the two studies show memory trouble spans age groups and can be caught with different tools.
Evans et al. (1994) mapped how visuospatial skills grow in typical kids aged 8–15.
That growth curve is the baseline that shows why autism teens fall behind.
Boudreau et al. (2015) gave younger kids with autism a sketch pad to boost recall.
Their positive result hints that visual supports might also help the working-memory problems found here.
Why it matters
You now have a clear brain reason why some learners with autism struggle to hold and move visual info.
Add extra visual scaffolds: shorter arrays, graphic organizers, or let them sketch the layout.
Quick screeners like a simple grid recall task plus eye-tracker or timed pupil check can flag who needs these aids.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
In addition to the essential features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), namely social communication deficits and repetitive behaviors, individuals with ASD may suffer from working memory deficits and an altered default-mode network (DMN). We hypothesized that an altered DMN is related to working memory deficits in those with ASD. A total of 37 adolescents with ASD and 36 age- and IQ-matched typically developing (TD) controls were analyzed. Visuospatial working memory performance was assessed using pattern recognition memory (PRM), spatial recognition memory (SRM), and paired-associates learning (PAL) tasks. The intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) of the DMN was indexed by the temporal correlations between the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging signals of pairs of DMN regions, including those between the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and between the PCC and parahippocampi (PHG). The corresponding structural connectivity of the DMN was indexed by the generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA) of the dorsal and ventral cingulum bundles on the basis of diffusion spectrum imaging data. The results showed that ASD adolescents exhibited delayed correct responses in PRM and SRM tasks and committed more errors in the PAL task than the TD controls did. The delayed responses during the PRM and SRM tasks were negatively correlated with bilateral PCC-mPFC iFCs, and PAL performance was negatively correlated with right PCC-PHG iFC in ASD adolescents. Furthermore, ASD adolescents showed significant lower GFA in the right cingulum bundles than the TD group did; the GFA value was negatively correlated with SRM performance in ASD. Our results provide empirical evidence for deficient visuospatial working memory and corresponding neural correlates within the DMN in adolescents with ASD. Autism Res 2016, 9: 1058-1072. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2016 · doi:10.1002/aur.1607