Attentional and electrophysiological associations with executive function ability in young autistic children
Abstract Difficulties in executive functioning (EF) have been consistently reported in autistic individuals, but less is known about the attentional and neural mechanisms driving these difficulties. We explored the associations between EF abilities and sustained attention, measured with eye-tracking...
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Nature Portfolio
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06006-9 |
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| author | Caroline Leahy Samantha Major Jill Howard Kimberly L.H. Carpenter Elena Tenenbaum Lauren Franz Saritha Vermeer Jordan Grapel Scott Compton Marina Spanos Geraldine Dawson |
| author_facet | Caroline Leahy Samantha Major Jill Howard Kimberly L.H. Carpenter Elena Tenenbaum Lauren Franz Saritha Vermeer Jordan Grapel Scott Compton Marina Spanos Geraldine Dawson |
| author_sort | Caroline Leahy |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Difficulties in executive functioning (EF) have been consistently reported in autistic individuals, but less is known about the attentional and neural mechanisms driving these difficulties. We explored the associations between EF abilities and sustained attention, measured with eye-tracking, and spontaneous measures of EEG spectral power density in 176 2–8 year-old autistic children with a wide range of cognitive abilities. EF was measured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). We found that EF abilities were positively associated with look durations while watching complex, audiovisual stimuli involving social content and dyadic speech. We also found that EF was negatively associated with scalp-wide theta power and positively associated with frontal beta and gamma power. These results shed light on attentional and neural associations with EF abilities and underscore the role of frontal brain activity for EF in autism. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-e5e5e5c2fcfd447daf821f7350b27aed |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj-art-e5e5e5c2fcfd447daf821f7350b27aed2025-08-20T03:42:52ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-07-011511910.1038/s41598-025-06006-9Attentional and electrophysiological associations with executive function ability in young autistic childrenCaroline Leahy0Samantha Major1Jill Howard2Kimberly L.H. Carpenter3Elena Tenenbaum4Lauren Franz5Saritha Vermeer6Jordan Grapel7Scott Compton8Marina Spanos9Geraldine Dawson10The Children’s Hospital of PhiladelphiaDuke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of MedicineDuke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of MedicineDuke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of MedicineDuke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of MedicineDuke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of MedicineDuke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of MedicineDuke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of MedicineLurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, Northwestern UniversityDuke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of MedicineDuke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of MedicineAbstract Difficulties in executive functioning (EF) have been consistently reported in autistic individuals, but less is known about the attentional and neural mechanisms driving these difficulties. We explored the associations between EF abilities and sustained attention, measured with eye-tracking, and spontaneous measures of EEG spectral power density in 176 2–8 year-old autistic children with a wide range of cognitive abilities. EF was measured using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF). We found that EF abilities were positively associated with look durations while watching complex, audiovisual stimuli involving social content and dyadic speech. We also found that EF was negatively associated with scalp-wide theta power and positively associated with frontal beta and gamma power. These results shed light on attentional and neural associations with EF abilities and underscore the role of frontal brain activity for EF in autism.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06006-9Executive functionFrontal thetaASDElectroencephalographyEye-tracking |
| spellingShingle | Caroline Leahy Samantha Major Jill Howard Kimberly L.H. Carpenter Elena Tenenbaum Lauren Franz Saritha Vermeer Jordan Grapel Scott Compton Marina Spanos Geraldine Dawson Attentional and electrophysiological associations with executive function ability in young autistic children Scientific Reports Executive function Frontal theta ASD Electroencephalography Eye-tracking |
| title | Attentional and electrophysiological associations with executive function ability in young autistic children |
| title_full | Attentional and electrophysiological associations with executive function ability in young autistic children |
| title_fullStr | Attentional and electrophysiological associations with executive function ability in young autistic children |
| title_full_unstemmed | Attentional and electrophysiological associations with executive function ability in young autistic children |
| title_short | Attentional and electrophysiological associations with executive function ability in young autistic children |
| title_sort | attentional and electrophysiological associations with executive function ability in young autistic children |
| topic | Executive function Frontal theta ASD Electroencephalography Eye-tracking |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-06006-9 |
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