Reduced habituation of auditory evoked potentials indicate cortical hyper-excitability in fragile X syndrome

133Citations
Citations of this article
169Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

Sensory hypersensitivities are common, clinically distressing features of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). Preclinical evidence suggests this abnormality may result from synaptic hyper-excitability in sensory systems. This model predicts reduced sensory habituation to repeated stimulus presentation. Fourteen adolescents and adults with FXS and 15 age-matched controls participated in a modified auditory gating task using trains of 4 identical tones during dense array electroencephalography (EEG). Event-related potential and single trial time–frequency analyses revealed decreased habituation of the N1 event-related potential response in FXS, and increased gamma power coupled with decreases in gamma phase-locking during the early-stimulus registration period. EEG abnormalities in FXS were associated with parent reports of heightened sensory sensitivities and social communication deficits. Reduced habituation and altered gamma power and phase-locking to auditory cues demonstrated here in FXS patients parallels preclinical findings with Fmr1 KO mice. Thus, the EEG abnormalities seen in FXS patients support the model of neocortical hyperexcitability in FXS, and may provide useful translational biomarkers for evaluating novel treatment strategies targeting its neural substrate.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Ethridge, L. E., White, S. P., Mosconi, M. W., Wang, J., Byerly, M. J., & Sweeney, J. A. (2016). Reduced habituation of auditory evoked potentials indicate cortical hyper-excitability in fragile X syndrome. Translational Psychiatry, 6(4). https://doi.org/10.1038/tp.2016.48

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free