Prosodic Differences in Women with the FMR1 Premutation: Subtle Expression of Autism-Related Phenotypes Through Speech

Evidence suggests that carriers of <i>FMR1</i> mutations (e.g., fragile X syndrome and the <i>FMR1</i> premutation) may demonstrate specific phenotypic patterns shared with autism (AU), particularly in the domain of pragmatic language, which involves the use of language in social contexts. Such evidence may implicate <i>FMR1</i>, a high-confidence gene associated with AU, in components of the AU phenotype. Prosody (i.e., using intonation and rhythm in speech to express meaning) is a pragmatic feature widely impacted in AU. Prosodic differences have also been observed in unaffected relatives of autistic individuals and in those with fragile X syndrome, although prosody has not been extensively studied among <i>FMR1</i> premutation carriers. This study investigated how <i>FMR1</i> variability may specifically influence prosody by examining the prosodic characteristics and related neural processing of prosodic features in women carrying the <i>FMR1</i> premutation (PM). In Study 1, acoustic measures of prosody (i.e., in intonation and rhythm) were examined in speech samples elicited from a semi-structured narrative task. Study 2 examined the neural frequency following response (FFR) as an index of speech prosodic processing. Findings revealed differences in the production of intonation and rhythm in PM carriers relative to controls, with patterns that parallel differences identified in parents of autistic individuals. No differences in neural processing of prosodic cues were found. Post hoc analyses further revealed associations between speech rhythm and <i>FMR1</i> variation (number of CGG repeats) among PM carriers. Together, the results suggest that <i>FMR1</i> may play a role in speech prosodic phenotypes, at least in speech production, contributing to a deeper understanding of AU-related speech and language phenotypes among <i>FMR1</i> mutation carriers.