Benz Fee, Hanna Sean, Harvey Nicholas C, Vollmer Brigitte, Köster Moritz, Villar Jose, Fernandes Michelle
Oxford Maternal and Perinatal Health Institute Green Templeton College University of Oxford Oxford UK.
School of Medicine St. George's University Grenada West Indies.
Pediatr Investig. 2025 Jan 6;9(2):191-200. doi: 10.1002/ped4.12460. eCollection 2025 Jun.
There is a lack of reliable early diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), despite earlier diagnosis leading to better outcomes.
To evaluate the association of aberrant auditory processing (AAP) as a potential early marker of ASD risk in children under 2 years old.
A systematic review of studies published between 1985 and September 2024 was conducted by searching PubMed and Web of Science.
The review encompassed 18 studies with 140 231 participants, and a majority (76%) of these studies found evidence that early neurophysiological changes in auditory processing are associated with later ASD risk. Specifically, prolonged auditory brainstem response (ABR) latency, reduced social stimuli selectivity, and poorer auditory brain connectivity were correlated with ASD status in later childhood. Notably, auditory habituation did not differ significantly with ASD risk. It's important to recognize that the evidence was somewhat limited by heterogeneity, small sample sizes, and inadequate reporting.
This review identified three early neurophysiological AAP markers associated with ASD risk: ABR latency, social stimuli selectivity, and auditory brain coherence. These markers show potential for aiding in earlier ASD risk assessment in young children, potentially leading to earlier interventions. However, to fully establish the association of these AAP markers with ASD as a reliable screening tool during early childhood, future research should focus on standardized experimental protocols and adequately powered prospective cohort studies.
尽管早期诊断自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）能带来更好的结果，但目前仍缺乏可靠的早期诊断标准。
评估异常听觉处理（AAP）作为2岁以下儿童ASD风险潜在早期标志物的相关性。
通过检索PubMed和科学网，对1985年至2024年9月发表的研究进行系统综述。
该综述涵盖18项研究，共140231名参与者，其中大多数（76%）研究发现有证据表明听觉处理方面的早期神经生理变化与后期ASD风险相关。具体而言，听觉脑干反应（ABR）潜伏期延长、社会刺激选择性降低以及听觉脑连接性较差与儿童后期的ASD状态相关。值得注意的是，听觉习惯化与ASD风险并无显著差异。需要认识到的是，证据在一定程度上受到异质性、样本量小和报告不充分的限制。
本综述确定了与ASD风险相关的三个早期神经生理AAP标志物：ABR潜伏期、社会刺激选择性和听觉脑连贯性。这些标志物显示出有助于对幼儿进行早期ASD风险评估的潜力，可能会带来更早的干预。然而，为了充分确立这些AAP标志物与ASD之间的关联，使其成为幼儿期可靠的筛查工具，未来的研究应侧重于标准化的实验方案和样本量充足的前瞻性队列研究。
