Speech Perception for Autism and Fragile X Syndrome
Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)
Overseen byElizabeth Smith, PhD
Age: < 65
Sex: Any
Travel: May Be Covered
Time Reimbursement: Varies
Trial Phase: Academic
Recruiting
Sponsor: Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati
Must not be taking: EEG-affecting medications
Disqualifiers: Hearing loss, Uncorrected vision, others
No Placebo Group
Trial Summary
What is the purpose of this trial?The goal of this study is to identify which brain regions are active during speech-in-noise perception, as well as how those regions interact. The investigators are studying brain activation during speech-in-noise in autism and controls as well as individuals with Fragile X Syndrome. The main question\[s\] it aims to answer are: 1) How does the brain's response to background noise affect a person's ability to understand speech? 2) Can visual cues improve hearing in background noise?
Participants will complete the following:
* hearing tests
* cognitive and behavioral measures
* questionnaires about their symptoms
* both passive and active hearing tasks while brain activity is recorded with a neuroimaging cap Results will be compared between individuals with autism with and without Fragile X Syndrome as well as individuals without autism.
Will I have to stop taking my current medications?
The trial requires that participants do not take medications known to affect EEG signal (a test that measures brain activity). If your current medications affect EEG, you may need to stop taking them.
What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment Mismatch negativity for speech perception in autism and Fragile X Syndrome?
The research suggests that mismatch negativity (MMN) can reflect how the brain processes sound changes, which is important for understanding speech. In autistic children, larger and faster MMN responses were linked to more autistic traits and sensory features, indicating that MMN might help in understanding auditory processing in autism.
12345Is the mismatch negativity (MMN) treatment safe for humans?
The research on mismatch negativity (MMN) primarily focuses on its use as a tool to study auditory processing in conditions like autism, rather than as a treatment. There is no specific safety data provided for MMN as a treatment, but it is generally used in non-invasive studies, suggesting it is safe for human participants.
34567How does this treatment for speech perception in autism and Fragile X Syndrome differ from other treatments?
This treatment is unique because it focuses on understanding and improving auditory processing and speech perception through the use of mismatch negativity (MMN), a brain response that helps evaluate how the brain detects changes in sounds. Unlike other treatments that might focus on behavioral or pharmaceutical approaches, this method uses neurophysiological measures to target the specific auditory processing challenges faced by individuals with autism and Fragile X Syndrome.
13468Eligibility Criteria
This trial is for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder or Fragile X Syndrome who have normal hearing and vision, no neurological or psychiatric diagnoses besides autism, were not born prematurely, are not on medications affecting EEG signals, and speak English as their first language. Relatives with these conditions disqualify participation.Inclusion Criteria
None of my siblings or parents have Autism or Fragile X Syndrome.
I do not have any neurological or psychiatric conditions.
You have an audiogram that is within the normal range (PTA ≤ 20 dB HL).
+7 more
Trial Timeline
Screening
Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial
2-4 weeks
Baseline Assessment
Participants complete phone-based consent, interviews, and baseline assessments including cognitive and behavioral measures, questionnaires, and hearing tests.
1-2 weeks
1 visit (phone-based), 1 visit (in-person)
Neuroimaging and Behavioral Tasks
Participants complete neuroimaging tasks with fNIRS and EEG while performing speech-in-noise perception tasks.
1 day
1 visit (in-person)
Follow-up
Participants are monitored for any adverse effects and data is analyzed for study outcomes.
4 weeks
Participant Groups
The study investigates brain activity during speech-in-noise perception in people with autism—with and without Fragile X Syndrome—and those without autism. It involves hearing tests, cognitive assessments, questionnaires about symptoms, and neuroimaging to record brain responses to sound.
1Treatment groups
Experimental Treatment
Group I: Speech SoundsExperimental Treatment1 Intervention
Participants will hear repeated speech sounds while wearing a neuroimaging cap.
Find a Clinic Near You
Research Locations NearbySelect from list below to view details:
Cincinnati Children'S HospitalCincinnati, OH
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Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?
Children's Hospital Medical Center, CincinnatiLead Sponsor
References
Psychophysiological Correlates of Developmental Changes in Healthy and Autistic Boys. [2019]This study investigated neurodevelopmental changes in sound processing by recording mismatch negativity (MMN) in response to various degrees of sound complexity in 18 mildly to moderately autistic versus 15 healthy boys aged between 6 and 15 years. Autistic boys presented with lower IQ and poor performance on a range of executive and social function measures when compared to their healthy counterparts. We found that MMN in response to duration deviants was less lateralized in the clinical group whereas larger amplitudes correlated with advanced age, thus capturing neurodevelopmental changes. Larger MMN in response to speech-like sound deviants was associated with better verbal fluency and executive function performance, respectively, but did not reliably discriminate the two groups.
Abnormalities in cortical auditory responses in children with central auditory processing disorder. [2018]The main objective of the present study was to identify markers of neural deficits in children with central auditory processing disorder (CAPD) by measuring latency and amplitude of the auditory cortical responses and mismatch negativity (MMN) responses. Passive oddball paradigms were used with nonverbal and verbal stimuli to record cortical auditory-evoked potentials and MMN. Twenty-three children aged 9-12 participated in the study: 10 with normal hearing acuity as well as CAPD and 13 with normal hearing without CAPD. No significant group differences were observed for P1 latency and amplitude. Children with CAPD were observed to have significant N2 latency prolongation and amplitude reduction with nonverbal and verbal stimuli compared to children without CAPD. No significant group differences were observed for the MMN conditions. Moreover, electrode position affected the results in the same manner for both groups of children. The findings of the present study suggest that the N2 response could be a marker of neural deficits in children with CAPD. N2 results suggest that maturational factors or a different mechanism could be involved in processing auditory information at the central level for these children.
Neurophysiologic bases of speech discrimination. [2019]The mismatch negativity (MMN) is an automatic cortical evoked potential that signifies the brain's detection of acoustic change. In other words, the MMN reflects the neurophysiologic processes that underlie auditory discrimination. As such, the MMN provides an objective tool for evaluating central auditory mechanisms involved in speech perception. We are using the MMN to study the central auditory processes that encode acoustic changes important for speech perception in 1) normal-hearing adults and children, 2) individuals with impaired auditory systems (including persons with learning disabilities, attention deficit disorders, cochlear implants), and 3) an animal model. Specifically, we have demonstrated that the MMN provides information about the central processing of fine acoustic differences, the neuroanatomic pathways that encode acoustic change, central auditory processing in the presence of peripheral hearing deficits, and central auditory system plasticity. In addition, we have considered methodological challenges associated with measuring the MMN in individual subjects. Several methodological issues--including appropriate stimuli, stimulus presentation variables, the recording protocol and environment, and validation of the MMN in individuals--are discussed.
A Preliminary Study Characterizing Subcortical and Cortical Auditory Processing and Their Relation to Autistic Traits and Sensory Features. [2022]This study characterizes the subcortical auditory brainstem response (speech-ABR) and cortical auditory processing (P1 and Mismatch Negativity; MMN) to speech sounds and their relationship to autistic traits and sensory features within the same group of autistic children (n = 10) matched on age and non-verbal IQ to their typically developing (TD) peers (n = 21). No speech-ABR differences were noted, but autistic individuals had larger P1 and faster MMN responses. Correlations revealed that larger P1 amplitudes and MMN responses were associated with greater autistic traits and more sensory features. These findings highlight the complexity of the auditory system and its relationships to behaviours in autism, while also emphasizing the importance of measurement and developmental matching.
Meta-analysis and systematic review of the literature characterizing auditory mismatch negativity in individuals with autism. [2021]A number of past studies have used mismatch negativity (MMN) to identify auditory processing deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our meta-analysis compared MMN responses for individuals with ASD and typically developing controls (TD). We analyzed 67 experiments across 22 publications that employed passive, auditory-based MMN paradigms with ASD and TD participants. Most studies lacked design characteristics that would lead to an accurate description of the MMN. Variability between experiments measuring MMN amplitude was smaller when limited to studies that counterbalanced stimuli. Reduced MMN amplitude was found among young children with ASD compared to controls and in experiments that used nonspeech sounds. Still, few studies included adolescents or those with below-average verbal IQ. Most studies suffered from small sample sizes, and aggregating these data did not reveal significant group differences. This analysis points to a need for research focused specifically on understudied ASD samples using carefully designed MMN experiments. Study of individual differences in MMN may provide further insights into distinct subgroups within the heterogeneous ASD population.
Mismatch negativity in children with autism and typical development. [2018]Children with autism are often characterized as having abnormalities in auditory processing. This study examined automatic and active processing of simple auditory stimuli in children using a component of event related potentials, the mismatch negativity (MMN). Amplitude of MMN in children with autism was significantly smaller than in children with typical development in unattended conditions. However, children with autism exhibited a typical amplitude MMN when attending to the stimuli. Receptive language and MMN were not related in children with autism. Findings support the idea of abnormal automatic auditory processing by children with autism. Auditory discrimination of infrequent changes in streams of sounds appears to be accomplished through a different mechanism than in typical children, specifically through the investment of attention.
Mismatch Negativity in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. [2023]Introduction  Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have abnormalities in auditory perception and sensitivity. The mismatch negativity (MMN) component of the evoked potential demonstrates a brain detection response to an auditory change due to memory, and enables the identification of changes in the auditory system. Objective  To analyze MMN responses in children and adolescents with ASD and compare them with those of a control group. Methods  Cross-sectional and comparative study. The sample was composed of 68 children and adolescents, divided into study group (SG), which contained those diagnosed with ASD, and the control group (CG), which contained those with typical development, normal hearing thresholds, and without hearing complaints. All participants were submitted to peripheral and central electrophysiological auditory evaluations. For the electrophysiological auditory evaluation and MMN recording, the electrodes were fixed in the following positions: Fz (active electrode), M1 and M2 (reference electrodes), and on the forehead (ground electrode). Auditory stimuli were presented in both ears simultaneously, with a frequency of 1,000 Hz for the frequent stimulus, and of 2,000 Hz for the rare stimulus, in an intensity of 80 dBNA. Results  Latency and amplitude values were increased in the SG, with a statistically significant difference in comparison with the CG. In the MMN analysis, there was no statistically significant difference in the comparison between right and left ears and between genders. Conclusion  Children and adolescents with ASD had higher latency and amplitude values in the MMN component than the individuals in the CG.
Delayed mismatch field for speech and non-speech sounds in children with autism. [2022]This study investigated the magnetic mismatch field elicited by changes in streams of vowels or spectrally matched tones in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) relative to children with typical development to explore whether impaired sound discrimination may contribute to language impairments in autism spectrum disorder. Using magnetoencephalography, we recorded evoked neural activity to 300-Hz and 700-Hz tones (and /u/ and /a/ vowels) presented in an oddball paradigm with deviant stimuli (15%) occurring within a train of standards (85%). The magnetic mismatch field was robustly observed in both groups, but children with autism spectrum disorder demonstrated a significantly delayed magnetic mismatch field compared with typically developing peers. Difficulty parsing transient differences in sounds may lead to impaired acoustic or phonological representations and subsequent language impairment in autism spectrum disorder.