Presentation Details
| Developmental and Task-Dependent Differences in Olfactory Perception in Autism: a Meta-Analysis Elisa Dal Bò1, 2, Isabelle Cullen1, 3, Peace Maddox1, 4, Thomas Sophocles3, Kristina McShea5, Edward S.Brodkin3, Valentina Parma1, 6. 1Monell Chemical Senses Center, Philadelphia, PA, USA.2University of Padua, Padua, Italy.3University of Pennsylvania, Department of Psychiatry, Philadelphia, PA, USA.4Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA.5University of Pennsylvania, Holman Biotech Commons, Philadelphia, PA, USA.6University of Pennsylvania, Department of Otolaryngology, Philadelphia, PA, USA |
Abstract
Background: Altered sensory processing are highly prevalent in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are now recognized as a diagnostic feature, appearing across all sensory domains. However, in comparison to other sensory areas, olfactory perception in ASD remains poorly characterized. Methods: We conducted a pre-registered meta-analysis to quantify differences in olfactory function between individuals with ASD and non-autistic controls (NAC) to identify methodological and demographic moderators. A comprehensive search of five databases identified 46 eligible studies, yielding 88 effect sizes from 1580 ASD individuals and 7706 NAC. Moderator analyses examined type of olfactory assessment, olfactory function tested, and age. Results: Overall, individuals with ASD showed significantly poorer olfactory performance than NAC (g = -0.38), with substantial heterogeneity observed across studies. Group differences emerged in psychophysical testing (g = -0.48) and informant reports (g = -0.53), but not in self-report or rating measures. Amongst olfactory functions tested, significant impairments were observed for psychophysically-measured odor identification (g = -0.53) and combined taste-smell measures from informant reports (g = -0.74). Children with ASD exhibited moderate deficits (g = -0.57), particularly in psychophysical identification (g = -0.80) and threshold (g = -0.65) tests, whereas no group differences emerged in adults. Conclusion: Olfactory alterations in ASD appear most pronounced in childhood and vary by assessment method and olfactory function measured. Our results highlight the need for age-appropriate standardized psychophysical measures to accurately evaluate sensory function in autism across the lifespan.
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