Global motion coherent deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their family members are associated with retinal function.

This research found that people with autism and their family members often have difficulty seeing moving patterns, which appears to be linked to how their eyes process visual information. The study showed that mothers of children with autism were particularly likely to have these vision differences. This suggests that visual processing challenges in autism may be inherited and have a biological basis in how the eye's retina functions.

This study examined the relationship between visual processing difficulties and retinal function in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their family members. Researchers measured motion coherence thresholds (ability to detect moving patterns) and retinal function using electroretinography (ERG). Results showed that ASD individuals and their family members, particularly mothers, had significantly impaired motion detection abilities compared to controls. These motion processing deficits were associated with altered retinal function, including abnormal timing and amplitude of electrical responses.

The findings suggest that visual processing difficulties in ASD may have a biological basis in retinal functioning and follow familial patterns, with affected mothers potentially having increased risk of having children with ASD.

Findings suggest visual processing assessments could be valuable in ASD diagnosis and family screening. Results support potential retinal-based biomarkers for ASD risk. May inform development of vision-based interventions targeting motion processing deficits in individuals with ASD and at-risk family members.

Sample size not reported limits interpretation of findings. Study design unclear - appears observational which limits causal inferences. Cross-sectional design cannot establish temporal relationships between retinal function and motion processing deficits.

This study aims to evaluate if the reduced sensitivity to global motion observed in some individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with altered retinal processing. Motion coherence thresholds were measured from individuals with ASD and their family members and compared to the test reference limits derived from control participants. The light adapted electroretinogram (ERG) a- and b-wave amplitudes and peak-times, and photopic negative response (PhNR) parameters were measured from the ASD individuals and their families and compared to those of controls. Abnormally high motion coherence thresholds were found in ASD probands and their family members compared to that in controls, particularly mothers.

Altered retinal functions were found in ASD probands and their parents. The PhNR, a- and b-wave time-to-peak were significantly correlated with motion coherence thresholds. The altered retinal function was associated with the age, intelligence and autism severity of the ASD family members. There were associations between the motion coherence and ERG parameters, including smaller amplitudes of the PhNR, and longer time-to-peak of the a- and b-waves and time to the PhNR, compared to those with abnormal motion coherence thresholds.

The results showed that global motion coherence deficits were associated with altered retinal function in ASD and their family members. The findings suggest that motion perception deficits follow a familial pattern and that affected mothers may have an increased risk of a child with ASD.