Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show deficits processing sensory feedback to reactively adjust ongoing motor behaviors. Atypical reliance on visual and somatosensory feedback each have been reported during motor behaviors in ASD suggesting that impairments are not specific to one sensory domain but may instead reflect a deficit in multisensory processing, resulting in reliance on unimodal feedback. The present study tested this hypothesis by examining motor behavior across different visual and somatosensory feedback conditions during a visually guided precision grip force test. Participants with ASD (N = 43) and age-matched typically developing (TD) controls (N = 23), ages 10–20 years, completed a test of precision gripping. They pressed on force transducers with their index finger and thumb while receiving visual feedback on a computer screen in the form of a horizontal bar that moved upwards with increased force. They were instructed to press so that the bar reached the level of a static target bar and then to hold their grip force as steadily as possible. Visual feedback was manipulated by changing the gain of the force bar. Somatosensory feedback was manipulated by applying 80 Hz tendon vibration at the wrist to disrupt the somatosensory percept. Force variability (standard deviation) and irregularity (sample entropy) were examined using multilevel linear models. While TD controls showed increased force variability with the tendon vibration on compared to off, individuals with ASD showed similar levels of force variability across tendon vibration conditions. Individuals with ASD showed stronger age-associated reductions in force variability relative to controls across conditions. The ASD group also showed greater age-associated increases in force irregularity relative to controls, especially at higher gain levels and when the tendon vibrator was turned on. Our findings that disrupting somatosensory feedback did not contribute to changes in force variability or regularity among individuals with ASD suggests a reduced ability to integrate somatosensory feedback information to guide ongoing precision manual motor behavior. We also document stronger age-associated gains in force control in ASD relative to TD suggesting delayed development of multisensory feedback control of motor behavior.

中文翻译：

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自闭症谱系障碍精准手动运动控制的视觉和体感反馈机制

自闭症谱系障碍 (ASD) 患者在处理感觉反馈以被动调整正在进行的运动行为时表现出缺陷。在 ASD 的运动行为期间，已经报告了对视觉和体感反馈的非典型依赖，这表明损伤不是特定于一个感觉域，而是可能反映多感觉处理的缺陷，导致对单峰反馈的依赖。本研究通过在视觉引导的精确握力测试期间检查不同视觉和体感反馈条件下的运动行为来验证这一假设。患有 ASD (N = 43) 和年龄匹配的典型发育 (TD) 对照 (N = 23)、年龄 10-20 岁的参与者完成了精确抓握测试。他们用食指和拇指按压力传感器，同时在计算机屏幕上接收水平条形式的视觉反馈，水平条随着力的增加向上移动。他们被指示按压以使杠铃达到静态目标杠的水平，然后尽可能稳定地保持握力。通过改变力棒的增益来操纵视觉反馈。通过在手腕处施加 80 Hz 的肌腱振动来操纵体感反馈，以破坏体感知觉。使用多级线性模型检查力变异性（标准偏差）和不规则性（样本熵）。虽然与关闭相比，TD 控制显示肌腱振动开启时的力变异性增加，但患有 ASD 的个体在肌腱振动条件下表现出相似水平的力变异性。与不同条件下的对照组相比，患有 ASD 的个体在力量变异性方面表现出更强的年龄相关减少。与对照组相比，ASD 组的力量不规则性也表现出更大的与年龄相关的增加，特别是在较高的增益水平和肌腱振动器打开时。我们的研究结果表明，扰乱体感反馈不会导致 ASD 个体力量变异性或规律性的变化，这表明整合体感反馈信息以指导持续的精确手动运动行为的能力降低。我们还记录了与 TD 相关的 ASD 力控制方面与年龄相关的更强增益，这表明运动行为的多感官反馈控制发展延迟。与对照组相比，ASD 组的力量不规则性也表现出更大的与年龄相关的增加，特别是在较高的增益水平和肌腱振动器打开时。我们的研究结果表明，扰乱体感反馈不会导致 ASD 个体力量变异性或规律性的变化，这表明整合体感反馈信息以指导持续的精确手动运动行为的能力降低。我们还记录了与 TD 相关的 ASD 力控制方面与年龄相关的更强增益，这表明运动行为的多感官反馈控制发展延迟。与对照组相比，ASD 组的力量不规则性也表现出更大的与年龄相关的增加，特别是在较高的增益水平和肌腱振动器打开时。我们的研究结果表明，扰乱体感反馈不会导致 ASD 个体力量变异性或规律性的变化，这表明整合体感反馈信息以指导持续的精确手动运动行为的能力降低。我们还记录了与 TD 相关的 ASD 力控制方面与年龄相关的更强增益，这表明运动行为的多感官反馈控制发展延迟。我们的研究结果表明，扰乱体感反馈不会导致 ASD 个体力量变异性或规律性的变化，这表明整合体感反馈信息以指导持续的精确手动运动行为的能力降低。我们还记录了与 TD 相关的 ASD 力控制方面与年龄相关的更强增益，这表明运动行为的多感官反馈控制发展延迟。我们的研究结果表明，扰乱体感反馈不会导致 ASD 个体力量变异性或规律性的变化，这表明整合体感反馈信息以指导持续的精确手动运动行为的能力降低。我们还记录了与 TD 相关的 ASD 力控制方面与年龄相关的更强增益，这表明运动行为的多感官反馈控制发展延迟。