Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41386770›Full record

ArticleAutism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research2026

Atypical Visually Guided Precision Grip Control in Middle-Aged and Older Autistic Adults.

Zheng Wang, Hang Qu, Danielle Christensen, Hanna M Gemmell, Ellen M Parks, Kyla E Wetherington, Ann-Marie Orlando, Regilda A Romero, Bikram Karmakar, David E Vaillancourt

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing 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

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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

10 authors.

Zheng WangNeurocognitive and Behavioral Development Laboratory, Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-2265-0891
Hang QuNeurocognitive and Behavioral Development Laboratory, Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5890-6807
Danielle ChristensenNeurocognitive and Behavioral Development Laboratory, Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Hanna M GemmellNeurocognitive and Behavioral Development Laboratory, Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Ellen M ParksNeurocognitive and Behavioral Development Laboratory, Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Kyla E WetheringtonNeurocognitive and Behavioral Development Laboratory, Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Ann-Marie OrlandoCenter for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD), University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Regilda A RomeroUF Health Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment (UF Health CAN), University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.
Bikram KarmakarDepartment of Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
David E VaillancourtLaboratory for Rehabilitation Neuroscience, Department of Applied Physiology and Kinesiology, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5663-6476

Funding

Quantification of the neurocognitive, brain, and blood markers of dementia in middle-aged autistic adultsR01AG086493 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · PI Zheng Wang · 2024 to 2026
$2.0M
Cerebellar and Basal Ganglia Markers Underlie Neuromotor Impairments in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)R01NS121120 · NINDS · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · PI WANG, ZHENG · 2021 to 2025
$1.9M
Cerebellar and basal ganglia contributions to neuromotor decline in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)R21AG065621 · NIA · UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA · PI WANG, ZHENG · 2020 to 2020
$229k
NIA NIH HHS R01 AG086493NIA NIH HHS R01AG086493NIA NIH HHS R21 AG065621NIA NIH HHS R21AG 065621NINDS NIH HHS R01 NS121120NINDS NIH HHS R01NS121120University of Florida APK Research Investment Grants Award
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Sensorimotor impairments are well documented in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, little is known about how these difficulties present in middle-aged and older autistic adults or how they relate to demographic factors and autistic traits. In this study, 52 autistic and 56 age- and sex-matched non-autistic adults (aged 30-73 years) completed a visually guided precision grip task designed to assess temporal (reaction time, duration), spatial (force accuracy, variability), and dynamic (rate of force change) features of grip control under two conditions: varying motor output demands (target force test) and visual feedback (visual gain test). Autistic adults showed prolonged duration, delayed reaction time, and greater target overshooting at lower force levels during the rise phase. During the sustained phase, they exhibited increased grip force variability across both tasks. In contrast, autistic adults demonstrated shorter reaction times during the relaxation phase. Subgroup analyses revealed that the middle-aged autistic subgroup displayed elevated grip force variability, whereas the older autistic subgroup showed broader impairments affecting both spatial and temporal aspects of precision gripping. Within the autistic group, temporal grip force variables under the low target force condition were significantly associated with age and repetitive behaviors. These findings demonstrate that manual motor impairments persist into adulthood in ASD, and suggest shared neurobiological networks that underlie both motor dysfunction and core autistic traits.

Indexed as

Autism Spectrum DisorderAutistic DisorderHand StrengthPsychomotor PerformanceAdultAgedFeedback, SensoryFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedReaction Timeagingautism spectrum disorderfine motor controlmiddle‐aged and older adultsprecision grip

Identifiers

PMID41386770
PMCPMC12931594

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.