Task-Related Aperiodic EEG (1/f) Activity in Autism.

Authors

Magdalena Matyjek, Salvador Soto Faraco, Claudia Alvarez Martin, Mireia Torralba Cuello

Published in

Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research. Pages e70314. Jul 16, 2026. Epub Jul 16, 2026.

Abstract

Autism has been hypothesized to involve atypicalities in the balance between neural excitation and inhibition (E/I). Aperiodic EEG activity, characterized by the 1/f exponent of the power spectrum, provides a proxy of cortical E/I dynamics. However, prior studies in autism report mixed findings regarding the slope of aperiodic activity. One potentially important modulator of EEG slope is task engagement. Here, we examined variations in aperiodic slopes in autistic (n = 35) and neurotypical (n = 39) adults during passive viewing and an active, goal-directed task. The data revealed that autistic participants exhibited steeper slopes (indicative of increased inhibition vs. excitation) during the active task relative to passive viewing, whereas neurotypical participants showed no significant task-related changes. These findings suggest that aperiodic activity reflects dynamic, task-dependent neural adaptation rather than baseline group differences. Task engagement may reveal compensatory inhibitory processes in autistic adults, underscoring the importance of considering task demands and individual variability when investigating E/I balance in autism.

PMID:
42460540
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 16 Jul 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.