Preserved Navigation abilities and Spatio-Temporal Memory in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Charles Laidi (1) , Nathan Neu (2) , Aurélie Watilliaux (3) , Axelle Martinez-Teruel (2) , Mihoby Razafinimanana (3) , Jennifer Boisgontier (2) , Sevan Hotier (4) , Marc‐antoine d'Albis , Richard Delorme (5) , Anouck Amestoy (6, 7) , Štefan Holiga , Myriam Ly‐le Moal , Pierrick Coupé (8, 9) , Marion Leboyer (1) , Josselin Houenou (1) , Laure Rondi-Reig (3) , Anne‐lise Paradis (3, 10, 11)

1 IMRB - Institut Mondor de Recherche Biomédicale
2 UNIACT - Unité de recherche en NeuroImagerie Applicative Clinique et Translationnelle
3 NPS - CeZaMe - Cervelet, navigation et mémoire = Memory, Navigation and Aging
4 Fondation FondaMental [Créteil]
5 Hôpital Robert Debré
6 INCIA - Institut de Neurosciences cognitives et intégratives d'Aquitaine
7 Centre Hospitalier Charles PERRENS
8 LaBRI - Laboratoire Bordelais de Recherche en Informatique
9 PICTURA - Patch-based processing for medical and natural images
10 NPS - Neuroscience Paris Seine
11 IBPS - Institut de Biologie Paris Seine

Cerebellar abnormalities have been reported in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Beyond its role in hallmark features of ASD, the cerebellum and its connectivity with forebrain structures also play a role in navigation. However, the current understanding of navigation abilities in ASD is equivocal, as is the impact of the disorder on the functional anatomy of the cerebellum. In the present study, we investigated the navigation behavior of a population of ASD and typically developing (TD) adults related to their brain anatomy as assessed by structural and functional MRI at rest. We used the Starmaze task, which permits assessing and distinguishing two complex navigation behaviors, one based on allocentric and the other on egocentric learning of a route with multiple decision points. Compared to TD controls, individuals with ASD showed similar exploration, learning, and strategy performance and preference. In addition, there was no difference in the structural or functional anatomy of the cerebellar circuits involved in navigation between the two groups. The findings of our work suggest that navigation abilities, spatio-temporal memory, and their underlying circuits are preserved in individuals with ASD.

Keywords: Spatial Navigation; Cerebellum; Memory; Adults; Autism Spectrum Disorder

Domains: Neuroscience

Charles Laidi, Nathan Neu, Aurélie Watilliaux, Axelle Martinez-Teruel, Mihoby Razafinimanana, et al.. Preserved Navigation abilities and Spatio-Temporal Memory in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Research, 2023, 16 (2), pp.280-293. ⟨10.1002/aur.2865⟩. ⟨hal-03860831⟩