Shafer et al 2021

Shafer et al 2021

• Autistics show reduced ability to integrate somatosensory feedback for precision manual motor behavior 
• Disrupting somatosensory feedback through tendon vibration increased force variability in typically developing individuals only, indicating distinct sensory feedback mechanisms in autism
• Sensorimotor deficits in autism may normalize by adolescence, impacting cognitive and social development 
• Autistics rely predominantly on visual feedback, suggesting deficits in parietal-cerebellar networks for integrating sensory feedback 
• Autistics predominantly rely on visual feedback for precision manual motor control 
• Somatosensory feedback integration is reduced in individuals with autism, leading to challenges in guiding motor behavior 
• Sensorimotor deficits in autism impact the ability to integrate somatosensory feedback, potentially affecting motor coordination
• Autistics show deficits in processing sensory feedback to adjust ongoing motor behaviors, with atypical reliance on visual and somatosensory feedback during motor tasks 
• Autistics exhibit reduced ability to integrate somatosensory feedback, leading to challenges in guiding precision manual motor behavior 
• The reliance on visual feedback is predominant in autistm, indicating deficits in parietal-cerebellar networks for integrating sensory feedback 

 

Shafer, R. L., Wang, Z., Bartolotti, J., & Mosconi, M. W. (2021). Visual and somatosensory feedback mechanisms of precision manual motor control in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of neurodevelopmental disorders, 13, 1-17

Mosconi et al 2015

 Key Takeaways. 

• Autistics show disruptions in both feedforward and feedback motor control mechanisms, implicating anterior and posterior cerebellar circuits 
• The severity of visuomotor abnormalities in autism is dependent on the level of demand on the motor system, with increased reliance on slower feedback mechanisms observed.
• Autistics exhibit a profile of motor control abnormalities similar to those seen in patients with cerebellar lesions, suggesting intrinsic alterations in cerebellar circuits in autism.
• Disruptions in feedforward control of force output are observed in autism, even when joint-coordination functions are not required, indicating impairments in planning functions of the cerebellum.

Mosconi, M. W., Mohanty, S., Greene, R. K., Cook, E. H., Vaillancourt, D. E., & Sweeney, J. A. (2015). Feedforward and feedback motor control abnormalities implicate cerebellar dysfunctions in autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Neuroscience, 35(5)