Macro- and microstates of resting-state EEG in children with low-functioning autism

Abstract The resting-state EEG (rsEEG) is advantageous for the study of brain activity in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) due to their difficulties with following instruction and sensory hypersensitivity. We applied two methods with different time resolutions (macrostate and microstate analysis) to study the transient states of brain electrical activity. 158 children with low-functioning ASD and 177 typically developing children from 2 to 14 years participated in the study. The groups were equalized by age, gender and IQ. The results showed that in the control group, micro- and macrostates exhibited higher age dynamics during maturation. We revealed the micro- and macrostates corresponding to salient, sensory processing and the default mode network (DMN). The coverage of macro- and microstates associated with sensory processing and DMN were significantly higher in children with ASD. Children with ASD had a shorter coverage of macro- and microstates with interhemispheric asymmetry compared to the TD group.