Internal noise estimates correlate with autistic traits.
Even in neurotypical adults, more autistic traits come with slightly 'noisier' perceptual processing.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Vilidaite et al. (2017) asked neurotypical adults to do a visual task. The task measured how much 'internal noise' each person had in their brain.
They also gave everyone an autism-trait questionnaire. Then they checked if noisier brains went with higher trait scores.
What they found
People with more internal noise scored a bit higher on autistic traits. The link was small but real.
In plain words, even among typical adults, a 'fuzzy' brain signal tracks with more autism-like behaviors.
How this fits with other research
Rossow et al. (2021) extends this idea to diagnosed autistic preschoolers. They show that sensory reactivity predicts mental-health symptoms, but only in kids who talk little.
Sanz-Cervera et al. (2015) also extend the link. They find parent-rated sensory issues predict autism severity across home and school settings in children.
Burack et al. (2004) seems to clash. They found no autism-specific perceptual style. The difference: Greta used a lab noise task; A used visual illusions and word games. Tasks matter.
Why it matters
You now have a quick lab marker—internal noise—that covaries with autism traits even in non-autistic adults. When you assess older verbal clients who fall below diagnostic cutoffs, consider adding a brief perceptual noise task. It may flag subtle sensory-processing differences that caregiver reports miss.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Previous neuroimaging research has reported increased internal (neural) noise in sensory systems of autistic individuals. However, it is unclear if this difference has behavioural or perceptual consequences, as previous attempts at measuring internal noise in ASD psychophysically have been indirect. Here, we use a "gold standard" psychophysical double-pass paradigm to investigate the relationship between internal noise and autistic traits in the neurotypical population (n = 43). We measured internal noise in three tasks (contrast perception, facial expression intensity perception, and number summation) to estimate a global internal noise factor using principal components analysis. This global internal noise was positively correlated with autistic traits (rs = 0.32, P = 0.035). This suggests that increased internal noise is associated with the ASD phenotype even in subclinical populations. The finding is discussed in relation to the neural and genetic basis of internal noise in ASD. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1384-1391. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2017 · doi:10.1002/aur.1781