Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, Brain Dynamics and Cognition Team, INSERM UMRS 1028, CNRS UMR 5292, Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon, France.
Laboratory of Experimental Psychology, Department of Brain and Cognition, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
Autism Res. 2019 Apr;12(4):562-575. doi: 10.1002/aur.2073. Epub 2019 Jan 11.
Sensory hypersensitivity is frequently encountered in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has been hypothesized to play a role in tactile hypersensitivity. The aim of the present study was twofold. First, as a study showed that children with ASD have decreased GABA concentrations in the sensorimotor cortex, we aimed at determining whether the GABA reduction remained in adults with ASD. For this purpose, we used magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure GABA concentration in the sensorimotor cortex of neurotypical adults (n = 19) and ASD adults (n = 18). Second, we aimed at characterizing correlations between GABA concentration and tactile hypersensitivity in ASD. GABA concentration in the sensorimotor cortex of adults with ASD was lower than in neurotypical adults (decrease by 17%). Interestingly, GABA concentrations were positively correlated with self-reported tactile hypersensitivity in adults with ASD (r = 0.50, P = 0.01), but not in neurotypical adults. In addition, GABA concentrations were negatively correlated with the intra-individual variation during threshold measurement, both in neurotypical adults (r = -0.47, P = 0.04) and in adults with ASD (r = -0.59, P = 0.01). In other words, in both groups, the higher the GABA level, the more precise the tactile sensation. These results highlight the key role of GABA in tactile sensitivity, and suggest that atypical GABA modulation contributes to tactile hypersensitivity in ASD. We discuss the hypothesis that hypersensitivity in ASD could be due to suboptimal predictions about sensations. Autism Research 2019, 12: 562-575. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: People with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience tactile hypersensitivity. Here, our goal was to highlight a link between tactile hypersensitivity and the concentration of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) (an inhibitory neurotransmitter) in the brain of adults with ASD. Indeed, self-reported hypersensitivity correlated with reduced GABA levels in brain areas processing touch. Our study suggests that this neurotransmitter may play a key role in tactile hypersensitivity in autism.
感觉过敏在自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）中很常见。γ-氨基丁酸（GABA）被认为在触觉过敏中起作用。本研究的目的有两个。首先，由于一项研究表明 ASD 儿童的感觉运动皮层中的 GABA 浓度降低，我们旨在确定 ASD 成人的 GABA 减少是否仍然存在。为此，我们使用磁共振波谱法测量了感觉运动皮层中神经典型成人（n = 19）和 ASD 成人（n = 18）的 GABA 浓度。其次，我们旨在描述 ASD 中 GABA 浓度与触觉过敏之间的相关性。ASD 成人感觉运动皮层中的 GABA 浓度低于神经典型成人（减少 17％）。有趣的是，GABA 浓度与 ASD 成人的自我报告触觉过敏呈正相关（r = 0.50，P = 0.01），但与神经典型成人无关。此外，GABA 浓度与阈值测量中的个体内变化呈负相关，在神经典型成人（r =-0.47，P = 0.04）和 ASD 成人（r =-0.59，P = 0.01）中均如此。换句话说，在这两个组中，GABA 水平越高，触觉越精确。这些结果突出了 GABA 在触觉敏感性中的关键作用，并表明异常的 GABA 调节可能导致 ASD 中的触觉过敏。我们讨论了这样一种假设，即 ASD 中的过敏可能是由于对感觉的预测不佳所致。自闭症研究 2019 年，12：562-575。©2019 年国际自闭症研究协会，威利期刊，公司。
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