2026/06/27 by Daniel Skak Mazhari-Jensen, Carsten Dahl Mørch, Patricia L. Davies +4
Medicine · Neuroscience · #Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder #Autism Spectrum Disorder Research #Neuroscience and Music Perception
paper · doi:10.1016/j.pscychresns.2026.112281
The sensory gating paradigm has gained traction in child and adolescent psychiatry for assessing sensory processing deficits. However, its test-retest reliability in pediatric clinical populations remains unclear. This study evaluated the reliability of sensory gating measures in neurotypical and clinical children. Fifty-three children (26 females, ages 8-14) participated, including neurotypical children and children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder or autism spectrum disorder. Auditory P50 event-related potentials were recorded at Cz using baseline-to-peak and peak-to-peak methodology. Difference and ratio scores between paired stimuli were computed. Generalized eigendecomposition (GED) was applied as an alternative to Cz-based extraction. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). The first stimulus showed moderate-to-good reliability with both Cz and GED. The second stimulus showed poor-to-moderate reliability for Cz, but moderate-to-good for GED. Difference scores yielded moderate-to-good reliability; ratio scores showed poor-to-moderate reliability. GED produced significantly higher ICCs than Cz (mean difference = 0.15, p = 0.018). Only GED-based measures for the first stimulus consistently revealed group differences. In sum, GED enhances the test-retest reliability of P50 gating outcomes while maintaining sensitivity to group differences. Sensory gating in children can achieve reliable short-term measurements. GED offers a robust alternative to Cz-based methods, potentially improving statistical power and reliability in clinical research.