Reduced perceptual error monitoring in autism

Abstract

AbstractIndividuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit both slower updating of perceptual priors and reduced online error correction in motor tasks, leading to diminished behavioral flexibility. We hypothesized that these difficulties may be related to atypical activation of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), known to produce a feedback-related negativity (FRN), measurable with EEG, following erred motor responses. We reasoned that ACC might also monitor perceptual performance and produce FRN following “incorrect” perceptual feedback. Participants performed a two-tone pitch discrimination task. Overall behavioral performance and EEG responses to stimuli did not differ between individuals with and without autism. However, almost all (33/35) non-autistics produced a clear perceptual FRN, while less than half (13/30) of autistic participants did. Behaviorally, non-autistics showed response slowing following incorrect trials, improved accuracy after difficult correct trials, and greater influence of perceptual priors following easy successful trials. In contrast, ASD participants did not exhibit these patterns. By examining FRN in a perceptual decision-making task involving feedback dependent choice updates, we demonstrated that FRN differs between ASD and non-autistic individuals and is associated with distinct behavioral differences. This study is the first to measure FRN in such a task, revealing significant disparities. Our findings suggest atypical ACC activation and insensitivity to feedback contribute to reduced behavioral flexibility in ASD, particularly when feedback is essential for performance update.Significance statementA characteristic of autism is cognitive “slowness” in updating expectations in new contexts. Our study shows that this cognitive difference is related to a reduced use of feedback, linked to atypical activity in a brain area involved in error detection and behavioral adjustment. Using EEG, we found that autistic individuals have weaker feedback-related signals and do not adjust their behavior as effectively as non-autistic individuals. This effect was significant enough to serve as a potential biomarker for autism. This is the first time such brain responses have been measured in a perceptual task requiring continuous adjustments. Understanding these brain mechanisms can inform strategies to enhance learning and adaptability in autism, providing new insights into the neural basis of behavioral flexibility.