| Title | Brief Report: Can a Composite Heart Rate Variability Biomarker Shed New Insights About Autism Spectrum Disorder in School-Aged Children? | ||
| Author | Frasch, Martin G; Shen, Chao; Wu, Hau-Tieng; Mueller, Alexander; Neuhaus, Emily; Bernier, Raphael A; Kamara, Dana; Beauchaine, Theodore P | ||
| Journal | J Autism Dev Disord | Publication Year/Month | 2021-Jan |
| PMID | 32449059 | PMCID | -N/A- |
| Affiliation + expend | 1.Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. | ||
Several studies show altered heart rate variability (HRV) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but findings are neither universal nor specific to ASD. We apply a set of linear and nonlinear HRV measures-including phase rectified signal averaging-to segments of resting ECG data collected from school-age children with ASD, age-matched typically developing controls, and children with other psychiatric conditions characterized by altered HRV (conduct disorder, depression). We use machine learning to identify time, frequency, and geometric signal-analytical domains that are specific to ASD (receiver operating curve area = 0.89). This is the first study to differentiate children with ASD from other disorders characterized by altered HRV. Despite a small cohort and lack of external validation, results warrant larger prospective studies.