BMJ 2015;350:h702 doi: 10.1136/bmj.h702 (Published 9 February 2015)
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Research News
RESEARCH NEWS Frequent eye movements in babies linked to autism, researchers say Jacqui Wise London
More frequent eye movements in babies have been linked with a later diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in research funded by the Medical Research Council. The researchers said that this work was at an early stage and eye movement alone was not a reliable indicator that a child may later be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.1 But they said that the findings may contribute to better ways of identifying babies with early signs of behavioural difficulties.
The study used eye tracking technology to measure eye movement patterns in 104 babies aged 6-8 months who were at high or low familial risk of autism spectrum disorder. Babies who went on to receive a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder at 36 months moved their eyes about three times a second, compared with two times a second for those who did not receive such a diagnosis.
move their eyes more frequently to get more stimulation. Or it could be that when they look at something they are not engaging with it in the same way as other children tend to.” Hugh Perry, chair of the MRC’s Neurosciences and Mental Health Board, said, “Up until now few studies have been able to identify any behavioural signs of autism spectrum disorder in infants as young as 6 months. This research suggests that eye tracking technology could be used to reveal more subtle changes that might give us some important clues as to what might be causing autism in the developing brain.”
The babies at high risk of autism spectrum disorder also showed little variation in the frequency of their eye movements, with highly consistent and repetitive timing. Earlier research has shown that most adults when looking at a new image have an initial scanning phase characterised by frequent eye movement, then a phase of less frequent eye movements. Lead author Sam Wass, said, “We are still at a very early stage in understanding what these results may mean. Adults with autism spectrum disorder can sometimes process visual information more rapidly than other people, and perhaps that was happening for infants in our study. Alternatively, it could be that these babies need a higher level of stimulation, so they
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1
Wass S, Jones E, Gliga T, Smith T, Charman T, Johnson M. Shorter spontaneous fixation durations in infants with later emerging autism. Sci Rep 6 Feb 2015, doi:10.1038/ srep08284.
Cite this as: BMJ 2015;350:h702 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2015
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
Page 1 of 1
Research News
RESEARCH NEWS Frequent eye movements in babies linked to autism, researchers say Jacqui Wise London
More frequent eye movements in babies have been linked with a later diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder in research funded by the Medical Research Council. The researchers said that this work was at an early stage and eye movement alone was not a reliable indicator that a child may later be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.1 But they said that the findings may contribute to better ways of identifying babies with early signs of behavioural difficulties.
The study used eye tracking technology to measure eye movement patterns in 104 babies aged 6-8 months who were at high or low familial risk of autism spectrum disorder. Babies who went on to receive a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder at 36 months moved their eyes about three times a second, compared with two times a second for those who did not receive such a diagnosis.
move their eyes more frequently to get more stimulation. Or it could be that when they look at something they are not engaging with it in the same way as other children tend to.” Hugh Perry, chair of the MRC’s Neurosciences and Mental Health Board, said, “Up until now few studies have been able to identify any behavioural signs of autism spectrum disorder in infants as young as 6 months. This research suggests that eye tracking technology could be used to reveal more subtle changes that might give us some important clues as to what might be causing autism in the developing brain.”
The babies at high risk of autism spectrum disorder also showed little variation in the frequency of their eye movements, with highly consistent and repetitive timing. Earlier research has shown that most adults when looking at a new image have an initial scanning phase characterised by frequent eye movement, then a phase of less frequent eye movements. Lead author Sam Wass, said, “We are still at a very early stage in understanding what these results may mean. Adults with autism spectrum disorder can sometimes process visual information more rapidly than other people, and perhaps that was happening for infants in our study. Alternatively, it could be that these babies need a higher level of stimulation, so they
For personal use only: See rights and reprints http://www.bmj.com/permissions
1
Wass S, Jones E, Gliga T, Smith T, Charman T, Johnson M. Shorter spontaneous fixation durations in infants with later emerging autism. Sci Rep 6 Feb 2015, doi:10.1038/ srep08284.
Cite this as: BMJ 2015;350:h702 © BMJ Publishing Group Ltd 2015
Subscribe: http://www.bmj.com/subscribe
