Camera Movement Impacts on Mu-Wave Activity During Action Observation in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders Without Intellectual Disabilities

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate differences in mu-wave modulation in individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) without intellectual disabilities compared to a group of neurotypical controls (NT). Thirty autistic individuals and 30 NT underwent an EEG recording while watching short videos depicting goal-oriented action filmed from a fixed position, zooming in on the scene, and approaching the scene by means of a steadycam. Then, participants underwent a rating task to evaluate their subjective viewing experience. We found that steadycam videos elicited enhanced event-related desynchronization (ERD), suggestive of enhanced neural activity, in the NT group, and a reduced ERD in the autistic group, compared to the other filming conditions. Autistic participants also showed difficulties in returning to baseline mu-power levels after watching videos filmed from a fixed position. Finally, NT reported feeling more comfortable watching videos with movement, whereas autistic participants did not exhibit differences between conditions. We speculated that static, less naturalistic stimuli might impose higher and prolonged cognitive demands on autistic individuals. Understanding these differences might help develop tailored interventions to support perceptual, cognitive, and social processes of autistic people.