Visual evoked potential findings and correlation between visual evoked potential and clinical severity in children with autism spectrum disorder

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous behavioral disorder that is characterized by qualitative deficits in social communication and interaction and restricted, repetitive behavioral patterns, activities, and interests. For an optimum outcome in children with autism, early int...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Farqad Bader Hamdan, Hula Raoof Shareef, Hamida Salim Jasim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2022-01-01
Series:Medical Journal of Babylon
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.medjbabylon.org/article.asp?issn=1812-156X;year=2022;volume=19;issue=2;spage=133;epage=141;aulast=Hamdan
_version_ 1811217491893944320
author Farqad Bader Hamdan
Hula Raoof Shareef
Hamida Salim Jasim
author_facet Farqad Bader Hamdan
Hula Raoof Shareef
Hamida Salim Jasim
author_sort Farqad Bader Hamdan
collection DOAJ
description Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous behavioral disorder that is characterized by qualitative deficits in social communication and interaction and restricted, repetitive behavioral patterns, activities, and interests. For an optimum outcome in children with autism, early intervention (preferably before three years of age) is essential. Hence, there is a critical need to improve the awareness of ASD to enable earlier detection and intervention. The present study aims at achieving the following: (1) Investigating neural transmission within the visual system using visual evoked potentials (VEPs) as an index of the myelination process of the visual pathway. (2) Correlating the changes in the VEPs with the clinical severity of autism. (3) Investigating the possible gender differences in VEPs in autistic children. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 60 preschool children (11 females and 49 males) who were recruited from the autism center and the pediatric neurology ward and who met the DSM-V criteria for autism in the Pediatric Hospital for the period from 12 December 2019 to 1 June 2021. Their mean age was 4.5±1.17 years. Another 50 (40 males and 10 females) age- and gender-matched normally developed children served as the control group. Both groups were subjected to a detailed history, as well as complete physical and neurological examinations. The VEPs were assessed for all of them. The autistic children were excluded from the study if they had any motor, visual impairment, inborn errors of metabolism, epilepsy, other chronic medical or neurological disorders, or if they were taking medications during the period of study. Results: The P100 wave latency of the VEPs was significantly prolonged in both eyes of autistic children as compared with that of the control group. The N75-P100 amplitude was significantly lower in the left but not the right eye of patients when compared with those of normally developed children. Neither the P100 wave latency nor the N75-P100 amplitude of both eyes was associated with the gender or severity of illness. Conclusion: There are distinct changes in VEPs in autistic children, especially the abnormal prolongation of conduction time, suggesting that autistic children may have brainstem and visual pathway dysfunction. Gender and disease severity score have no impact on VEPs.
first_indexed 2024-04-12T06:55:41Z
format Article
id doaj.art-19c8b837d86a415a9ef1db75cd4db63b
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 1812-156X
2312-6760
language English
last_indexed 2024-04-12T06:55:41Z
publishDate 2022-01-01
publisher Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications
record_format Article
series Medical Journal of Babylon
spelling doaj.art-19c8b837d86a415a9ef1db75cd4db63b2022-12-22T03:43:09ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsMedical Journal of Babylon1812-156X2312-67602022-01-0119213314110.4103/MJBL.MJBL_88_21Visual evoked potential findings and correlation between visual evoked potential and clinical severity in children with autism spectrum disorderFarqad Bader HamdanHula Raoof ShareefHamida Salim JasimBackground: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous behavioral disorder that is characterized by qualitative deficits in social communication and interaction and restricted, repetitive behavioral patterns, activities, and interests. For an optimum outcome in children with autism, early intervention (preferably before three years of age) is essential. Hence, there is a critical need to improve the awareness of ASD to enable earlier detection and intervention. The present study aims at achieving the following: (1) Investigating neural transmission within the visual system using visual evoked potentials (VEPs) as an index of the myelination process of the visual pathway. (2) Correlating the changes in the VEPs with the clinical severity of autism. (3) Investigating the possible gender differences in VEPs in autistic children. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted on 60 preschool children (11 females and 49 males) who were recruited from the autism center and the pediatric neurology ward and who met the DSM-V criteria for autism in the Pediatric Hospital for the period from 12 December 2019 to 1 June 2021. Their mean age was 4.5±1.17 years. Another 50 (40 males and 10 females) age- and gender-matched normally developed children served as the control group. Both groups were subjected to a detailed history, as well as complete physical and neurological examinations. The VEPs were assessed for all of them. The autistic children were excluded from the study if they had any motor, visual impairment, inborn errors of metabolism, epilepsy, other chronic medical or neurological disorders, or if they were taking medications during the period of study. Results: The P100 wave latency of the VEPs was significantly prolonged in both eyes of autistic children as compared with that of the control group. The N75-P100 amplitude was significantly lower in the left but not the right eye of patients when compared with those of normally developed children. Neither the P100 wave latency nor the N75-P100 amplitude of both eyes was associated with the gender or severity of illness. Conclusion: There are distinct changes in VEPs in autistic children, especially the abnormal prolongation of conduction time, suggesting that autistic children may have brainstem and visual pathway dysfunction. Gender and disease severity score have no impact on VEPs.http://www.medjbabylon.org/article.asp?issn=1812-156X;year=2022;volume=19;issue=2;spage=133;epage=141;aulast=Hamdanautism spectrum disorderschildhood autism rating scalediagnostic statistical manual of american psychiatric associationpattern-reversal visual evoked potentialsvisual evoked potential
spellingShingle Farqad Bader Hamdan
Hula Raoof Shareef
Hamida Salim Jasim
Visual evoked potential findings and correlation between visual evoked potential and clinical severity in children with autism spectrum disorder
Medical Journal of Babylon
autism spectrum disorders
childhood autism rating scale
diagnostic statistical manual of american psychiatric association
pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials
visual evoked potential
title Visual evoked potential findings and correlation between visual evoked potential and clinical severity in children with autism spectrum disorder
title_full Visual evoked potential findings and correlation between visual evoked potential and clinical severity in children with autism spectrum disorder
title_fullStr Visual evoked potential findings and correlation between visual evoked potential and clinical severity in children with autism spectrum disorder
title_full_unstemmed Visual evoked potential findings and correlation between visual evoked potential and clinical severity in children with autism spectrum disorder
title_short Visual evoked potential findings and correlation between visual evoked potential and clinical severity in children with autism spectrum disorder
title_sort visual evoked potential findings and correlation between visual evoked potential and clinical severity in children with autism spectrum disorder
topic autism spectrum disorders
childhood autism rating scale
diagnostic statistical manual of american psychiatric association
pattern-reversal visual evoked potentials
visual evoked potential
url http://www.medjbabylon.org/article.asp?issn=1812-156X;year=2022;volume=19;issue=2;spage=133;epage=141;aulast=Hamdan
work_keys_str_mv AT farqadbaderhamdan visualevokedpotentialfindingsandcorrelationbetweenvisualevokedpotentialandclinicalseverityinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT hularaoofshareef visualevokedpotentialfindingsandcorrelationbetweenvisualevokedpotentialandclinicalseverityinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder
AT hamidasalimjasim visualevokedpotentialfindingsandcorrelationbetweenvisualevokedpotentialandclinicalseverityinchildrenwithautismspectrumdisorder