ERIC Number: EJ928792
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2011-Jul
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0162-3257
EISSN: N/A
Differential Olfactory Identification in Children with Autism and Asperger's Disorder: A Comparative and Longitudinal Study
May, Tamara; Brewer, Warrick J.; Rinehart, Nicole J.; Enticott, Peter G.; Brereton, Avril V.; Tonge, Bruce J.
Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, v41 n7 p837-847 Jul 2011
Key theories of autism implicate orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) compromise, while olfactory identification (OI) deficits are associated with OFC dysfunction. This study aimed to complete a 5-year follow-up of children with high-functioning autism (HFA) who previously lacked the normal age-OI association; and compare unirhinal-OI in children with HFA, Asperger's disorder (ASP), and controls. While both HFA and controls had improved birhinal-OI at follow-up, reduced OI in some HFA participants suggested OFC deterioration and heterogeneous OFC development. Unirhinal-OI was impaired in HFA but not ASP relative to controls, suggesting orbitofrontal compromise in HFA but integrity in ASP. Differing IQ-OI relationships existed between HFA and ASP. Findings support the hypothesis of separate neurobiological underpinnings in ASP and HFA, specifically differential orbitofrontal functioning.
Descriptors: Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Identification, Integrity, Olfactory Perception, Brain Hemisphere Functions, Correlation, Disabilities, Comparative Analysis, Control Groups, Intelligence Quotient, Longitudinal Studies
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A