Resting-state mu activity modulations are associated with aloofness

Abstract

Background Autism-like symptoms in the non-clinical general population are referred to as the broad autism phenotype (BAP). To date there have been no studies investigating how BAP might correlate with measurements from the resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG). Method EEG resting-state data were collected in 20 young adults during both eyes-closed (EC) and eyes-open (EO) resting states. Permutation modelling was used to assess correlations of the Broad Autism Phenotype Questionnaire (BAPQ) with source localised resting alpha activity. Results Total scores on the BAPQ were strongly correlated with differences between oscillatory brain activity during EC and EO rest in a pattern that was classified as the mu rhythm. More mu activity during EC rest compared to EO rest was found to be associated with higher BAPQ scores (i.e. more prominent BAP symptoms). Conclusions Mu is a known correlate of activity in the mirror neuron system (MNS), which has been implicated in the social deficits associated with autism. It is therefore suggested that this BAPQ-correlated mu activity could reflect the readying of the MNS for social input by visual stimulation. These findings offer novel insights into how the BAP is reflected in resting-state recordings of brain activity.