Distinct sensory atypicalities bridge the gap between brain chemistry and motor dysfunction in autism

range -0.22 and -0.63). We identified significant associations between MRS-measured Glx and GABA+ levels and sensory reactivity (p < 0.001). Importantly, sensory reactivity sub-scores were found to fully mediate E-I balance to motor associations in domain-specific patterns: Hyper-reactivity mediated the impact of SM1 Glx levels, while hypo-reactivity mediated the impact of SM1 GABA levels. Additionally, sensory seeking mediated the impact of Thalamic GABA levels with all indirect paths ab p < 0.01. These results propose a model where regional metabolite-specific markers of E-I balance explain patterns of autism-associated sensory and motor difficulties, and where subsequently, distinct sensory phenotypes differentially mediate metabolite-motor associations (see Graphical Abstract for detail).

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Publication Details

Journal
Translational Psychiatry
Published
2026-05-08
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41398-026-04036-z
Primary Topic
Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00

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article

Distinct sensory atypicalities bridge the gap between brain chemistry and motor dysfunction in autism

Jason He, Georg Oeltzschner, Deana Crocetti, Stewart H. Mostofsky et al.
Translational Psychiatry
Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
article

Distinct sensory atypicalities bridge the gap between brain chemistry and motor dysfunction in autism

Jason He, Georg Oeltzschner, Deana Crocetti, Stewart H. Mostofsky, Jonathan O’Muircheartaigh, Helen Powell, Nicolaas A.J. Puts, Ericka L. Wodka, Mingrun Shi, Richard A. Edden, Oliver Lack, Alyssa Deronda
article en

Abstract

range -0.22 and -0.63). We identified significant associations between MRS-measured Glx and GABA+ levels and sensory reactivity (p < 0.001). Importantly, sensory reactivity sub-scores were found to fully mediate E-I balance to motor associations in domain-specific patterns: Hyper-reactivity mediated the impact of SM1 Glx levels, while hypo-reactivity mediated the impact of SM1 GABA levels. Additionally, sensory seeking mediated the impact of Thalamic GABA levels with all indirect paths ab p < 0.01. These results propose a model where regional metabolite-specific markers of E-I balance explain patterns of autism-associated sensory and motor difficulties, and where subsequently, distinct sensory phenotypes differentially mediate metabolite-motor associations (see Graphical Abstract for detail).

Translational Psychiatry
Kennedy Krieger Institute (US), Johns Hopkins University (US), King's College London (GB), Johns Hopkins Medicine (US), Behavioral Pharma (United States) (US), Center for Autism and Related Disorders (US)
Simons Foundation, China Scholarship Council, Medical Research Council, National Institute of Mental Health
No poverty
Openalex Percentile: Top 7%
Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
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