The underlying mechanism of integration and segregation of visuotactile integration derived from atypical representation of peripheral space surrounding body in autism spectrum disorders.

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K17333
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Experimental psychology
• Research Institution: National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities
• Principal Investigator: Ide Masakazu 国立障害者リハビリテーションセンター(研究所), 研究所 脳機能系障害研究部, 研究員 (00747991)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 身体近位空間 / 時間順序判断 / 視触覚 / 触覚 / 視覚 / 身体表象 / 自閉スペクトラム症 / 発達障害

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Difficulties to avoid obstacles are frequently be observed in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). We hypothesized that these features are linked to atypical peripersonal space surrounding their body. Ide & Hidaka (2013) have reported that temporal order judgements (TOJ) of visuo-tactile stimuli becomes difficult when they see a line-drawing of a hand. In the current study, we found that the phenomenon of degraded visuo-tactile temporal resolution by visibility of a body part less occur in neurotypical individuals with higher autistic traits. We also found that a case of ASD had excessively higher temporal resolution at 10 times in comparison with neurotypical individuals. These results would indicate that the excessively superior or inferior temporal resolution of sensory stimuli, and resulting difficulty to integrate them, is underlying of atypical peripersonal space of body in individuals with ASD.

Free Research Field

認知神経科学