Lower cortical activation and altered functional connectivity characterize passive auditory spatial attention in ASD

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition characterized by difficulties in social interaction, communication and sensory processing. The ability to orient towards sounds is a key component of social interactions, yet auditory spatial attention remains relatively understudied in ASD, despite some prior research indicating differences in this domain. Here, we investigate the neural signatures associated with passive auditory spatial attention in children with ASD (n = 21, ages 6-17) relative to age- and IQ-matched typically developing (TD) children (n = 31), using source-localized magnetoencephalography (MEG). Participants listened passively, while watching a silenced movie, to non-social auditory stimuli designed to either remain lateralized to one hemifield (stay trials), or to change in location from one side to the contralateral hemifield (jump trials). Linear mixed effect modeling showed lower cortical activation in the auditory cortex in the ASD group in response to jump trials, relative to the TD group. Additionally, functional connectivity analyses showed higher alpha-band functional connectivity in the ASD group between auditory cortex seeds and frontoparietal regions known to be recruited during auditory spatial attention. Right prefrontal alpha-band connectivity estimates were associated with worse behaviorally assessed auditory processing scores and increased ASD symptomatology. Our results align with the hypothesis that auditory spatial attention generally, and specifically orientation to sounds even when experienced passively, differs in ASD individuals.