From playing styles to game model: deconstructing the paradigm through analysts' perspective.

Atypical auditory processing is a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and has been linked to abnormal thalamocortical connectivity (–). The thalamus, composed of multiple nuclei, serves as a critical relay structure within the auditory system, while the temporal cortex is responsible for auditory recognition and multisensory integration (–). The prefrontal cortex plays a pivotal role in auditory cognition by receiving input from auditory association areas and multisensory regions such as the superior temporal sulcus (–). The inhibitory thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) intercepts and modulates all corticothalamic and thalamocortical communications, serving as a key regulator of thalamic output to the cortex. Among the subregions of the prefrontal cortex, the orbital area, specifically Area 13, has been shown in macaque studies to give rise to broadly distributed projections within the TRN, overlapping with TRN terminal fields originating from the auditory cortex of the temporal lobe (). Recent research suggests that reduced thalamic inhibition (i.e., suppression of incoming auditory input) in ASD may lead to increased perception of auditory input and impaired auditory filtering, thereby contributing to attention difficulties and auditory hypersensitivity (). Evidence from genetics, animal models, neuroimaging, and electrophysiology studies supports the involvement of thalamocortical circuit dysfunction in the pathophysiology of ASD. A study using a genetic mouse model has demonstrated that impaired auditory filtering compromises attention and increases sensory sensitivity (). These findings underscore the importance of the thalamus and temporal cortex in complex auditory processing. Individuals with ASD demonstrate a reduced ability to filter background noise (–). Mamashli et al. () used magnetoencephalography to examine auditory responses in individuals with ASD and found that the ASD group tended to show weaker evoked mismatch fields under noisy conditions, suggesting that atypical auditory responses may reflect auditory hypersensitivity and altered language processing. In addition, disrupted functional connections between the temporal and frontal cortices suggest impaired top-down control from the temporal gyrus to the inferior frontal gyrus. Previous studies using forward-masking auditory brainstem response (ABR) have demonstrated a diminished response (i.e., reduced ABR amplitude) when preceded by masking sounds and decreased thalamic activity in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (, ). These observations highlight the need to investigate not only the thalamus and temporal cortex but also frontal brain structures in ASD.