- 著者
- Tomoko Muramatsu Hideo Nakatani Mitsuru Kikuchi Toshio Munesue
- 出版者
- Japan Brain Science society
- 雑誌
- 脳科学誌 (ISSN:13415301)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.40, pp.5-27, 2013-03-30 (Released:2017-06-01)
- 参考文献数
- 46
Ambiguous figures, such as the reversible figure of the girl/old women (Boring, 1930), have inspired an enormous amount of research into the domain of visual perception. However, visual perception of unstructured figures, such as stains on walls, which contain no meanings themselves, has not been a main topic of research in healthy subjects or in subjects with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The aims of this study were to obtain inkblot responses characteristic of subjects with ASD (n=36), to compare these response to those of healthy subjects (n=50), and to assess whether these responses had any relevance to ASD traits, as evaluated using standard questionnaires, such as the Autism-spectrum Quotient (AQ) and the Empathy Quotient (EQ). All of the responses of each subject were scored using the Exner Comprehensive Scoring System, which is the standard method for evaluating responses to the Rorschach test. The scores of total responses were not different between the subjects with ASD and healthy subjects. Only the scores for the variable designated FM were significantly lower in ASD subjects compared to healthy subjects, indicating that the subjects perceived animals in motion in their visual perceptions of unstructured figures in inkblots. Furthermore, the FM scores demonstrated a significantly inverse correlation with the AQ scores and were significantly correlated with the EQ scores. Each variable of M indicated a response of humans in motion, with m indicating a response of inanimate in motion, Human indicating total responses concerning humans, and Animal indicating total responses concerning animals; these measurements were not different between the two groups and were not correlated with the scores on the AQ or the EQ. Based on this preliminary study, representations of animals in motion in visual perception may be a subject that could shed light on the biological relevance between unstructured figures and autism traits.
- 著者
- Kikuko Nagao Mitsuru Kikuchi Gerard B. Remijn Yoshio Minabe Shoichi Koizumi Haruhiro Higashida Toshio Munesue
- 出版者
- Japan Brain Science society
- 雑誌
- 脳科学誌 (ISSN:13415301)
- 巻号頁・発行日
- vol.36, pp.18-31, 2011-03-30 (Released:2017-06-01)
- 参考文献数
- 21
Objective: This study examined the correlations between the development of cognitive/behavioral skills, and spontaneous magnetoencephalogram (MEG) in 3-4-year-old healthy children. Although MEG is non-invasive and easier for applying to infants, there has been no previous study relating cognitive/behavioral development of preschool children with MEG data. Methods: The cognitive skills were evaluated by the Japanese adaptation of the Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (K-ABC). The behavioral skills were assessed by Pervasive Developmental Disorders Autism Society Japan Rating Scale (PARS). Spontaneous brain activity was measured from 52 children (23 male subjects and 29 female subjects) in an eye-closed condition. Results: The power spectral densities were calculated from the MEG data. We found frequency-band correlations between the power spectral densities and some cognitive/behavioral scores for the eye-closed condition. In female subjects, there was a significant negative relationship between cognitive skill scores and the theta power spectral density of the frontal/temporal area. In male subjects, there was a significant negative relationship between the maladaptive behavior score and the beta power spectral density of the frontal/central area. Conclusions: These results demonstrate interesting differences in the cognitive/behavioral development between 3-4-year-old males and females. We are continuing further research especially focused on maladaptive behaviors, including Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD) symptoms, and related gender differences.