Autism Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Autism, including details on symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, causes, effects. | ||||||||
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Post-error adaptation in adults with high functioning autism.Bogte H, Flamma B, van der Meere J, van Engeland H Adhesie, GGz (Mental Health Care) Midden-Overijssel, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Deventer, the Netherlands. hans.bogte@planet.nl Deficits in executive function (EF), i.e. function of the prefrontal cortex, may be central in the etiology of autism. One of the various aspects of EF is error detection and adjusting behavior after an error. In cognitive tests, adults normally slow down their responding on the next trial after making an error, a compensatory mechanism geared toward improving performance on subsequent trials, and a faculty critically associated with activity in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). The current study evaluated post-error slowing in people with high functioning autism (HFA) (n=36), taking symptom severity into account, compared to the performance of a normal control group (n=32). Symptom severity in the HFA group was defined in terms of level of adaptation: living independently (outpatients; n=12) and living residentially (inpatients; n=24). Half the group of inpatients was on medication; the results of their performance were analyzed separately. A computerized version of a memory search task was used with two response probability conditions. The subjects in the control group adjusted their reaction time (RT) substantially after an error, while the group of participants with HFA appeared to be overall slow, with no significant adjustment of RT after an error. This finding remained significant if the medication factor was taken into account, and was independent of the degree of severity of the autistic disorder, as defined by the dichotomy 'inpatient versus outpatient'. Possible causes and implications of the finding are discussed. Published 16 March 2007 in Neuropsychologia, 45(8): 1707-14.
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