Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39851408›Full record

ArticleBrain sciences2025

Low-Level Social Demand Is Associated with Anxiety-Related Gamma Wave Responses in Autistic Male Youth.

Vicki Bitsika, Christopher F Sharpley, Ian D Evans, Christopher B Watson, Rebecca J Williams, Kirstan A Vessey

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In one paragraph

Article in Brain sciences, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Vicki BitsikaBrain-Behaviour Research Group, School of Science & Technology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2518-6684
Christopher F SharpleyBrain-Behaviour Research Group, School of Science & Technology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-7922-4848
Ian D EvansBrain-Behaviour Research Group, School of Science & Technology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-2231-3134
Christopher B WatsonBrain-Behaviour Research Group, School of Science & Technology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.ORCID 0009-0002-8391-6585
Rebecca J WilliamsBrain-Behaviour Research Group, School of Science & Technology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.
Kirstan A VesseyBrain-Behaviour Research Group, School of Science & Technology, University of New England, Armidale, NSW 2351, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-1031-1964

Funding

University of New England APF228
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) characteristic of difficulties in social communication and interaction has been previously associated with elevated anxiety and the degree of mental effort required to understand and respond to social cues. These associations have implications for the mental health of autistic youth, but they are usually based on correlational statistics between measures of anxiety and social interaction demands that are collected in formal psychological testing settings. Another index of mental effort that has been found to correlate with anxious arousal is gamma wave activity, which is measured via EEG.

methodsTo compare data from both of these indicators of mental effort and anxiety, a two-stage study was conducted using (1) standardized test data and (2) in vivo EEG data in a low-demand social setting.

resultsAs well as significant associations between social cognition and anxiety from standardized scales, there were also meaningful relationships between social cognition and gamma wave activity.

conclusionsBecause gamma wave activity represents the highest level of cognitive complexity for brain activity, is an index of hypervigilance under threatening conditions, and has been associated with anxiety in autistic youth, these findings suggest that even low-level demand social interaction settings may initiate high-level anxiety-related behaviour in autistic youth.

Indexed as

anxietyautismgammasocial cognition

Identifiers

PMID39851408
PMCPMC11763477

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