COGNITIVE DYSFUNCTIONS IN A MINIMALLY VERBAL (MV) PATIENT WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER (ASD)

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the neurophysiological correlates of cognitive dysfunctions in a patient with the minimally verbal variant of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD + MV), who after reaching adulthood showed progressive deterioration of his cognitive skills. The patient was a 25-year-old male, diagnosed with ASD. He never developed spoken language, and communicated only by gesturing or writing on a computer. Our findings confirmed comorbidity of ASD and epilepsy, accompanied by dysfunction of cognitive control. We also found that spontaneous EEG and event-related potentials (ERPs) in a cued GO/NOGO task can be used to assess functional brain changes concomitant with ASD.