Autism Traits and Cognitive Performance: Mediating Roles of Sleep Disturbance, Anxiety and Depression.

Researchers looked at how sleep problems, anxiety, and depression affect thinking skills in people with autism traits. They found that sleep issues and anxiety specifically impact working memory (the ability to hold and use information). This suggests that treating sleep problems and anxiety might help improve memory and concentration in autistic individuals.

This study examined how sleep problems, anxiety, and depression might explain the relationship between autism traits and cognitive difficulties in a community sample. Researchers tested three cognitive domains: working memory (executive functioning), understanding others' thoughts (theory of mind), and visual processing patterns (central coherence). Using structural equation modeling, they found that sleep disturbance and anxiety mediated the relationship between autism traits and working memory performance, but not the other cognitive areas. The findings suggest that addressing sleep and anxiety issues may specifically improve working memory functioning in individuals with autism traits.

Results suggest treating sleep disturbance and anxiety symptoms may lead to improvements in working memory for individuals with autism traits. This supports a targeted approach to addressing comorbid conditions that may contribute to cognitive difficulties.

Study type and sample size are not reported in the abstract, limiting assessment of methodological rigor. The community sample may not generalize to clinical populations. Cross-sectional design cannot establish causality between variables.

Theories about autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have addressed cognitive deficits however few have examined how comorbid diagnoses, including sleep disturbance, anxiety and depression contribute to the underlying deficits. We investigated potential mediations of common ASD comorbidities in the relationship between sub-clinical autism traits and cognitive performance using an international community sample. Cognitive tasks assessed working memory [executive functioning (EF) theory], mental state attribution [theory of mind (ToM)], and global/local visual processing [weak central coherence (WCC) theory]. Structural equation modelling (SEM) demonstrated sleep disturbance and anxiety mediated the relationship of autism traits on measures of EF, but not WCC and ToM.

This suggests that treating the symptoms of sleep disturbance and anxiety may lead to improvements in working memory.