Project description

This project studies the neurophysiological mechanisms underlying motor disorders in adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) without intellectual disabilities, through an explicit motor sequence learning task. This task has previously been used to demonstrate the involvement of sleep spindles in procedural memory. Motor learning is carried out before and after electroencephalographic recording of sleep.

The objectives are: (1) to identify specific patterns of explicit motor learning and (2) to study the consolidation of procedural memory during sleep, including the role of spindles in stage 2 sleep (density, frequency) in a group of subjects with ASD versus a group of neurotypical subjects (TD). The results could help to increase knowledge of the motor signs of autism in adults, refine diagnostic criteria for autism and develop new targeted intervention strategies for autistic people with motor disorders.