Abstract
Objective: To compare the electroencephalographic mapping between volunteers with ASD and healthy subjects during rest and performing cognitive tasks. Methods: Two groups were studied: 9 volunteers with ASD and 20 healthy between 8 and 16 years old of both sexes. The participants were submitted to the phases of rest, memorization, image recall, reading and musical stimulation 1 and 2. From this, the alpha (α) potentials were obtained in the anterior left, anterior right, posterior left and posterior right quadrants, in addition to their global powers in each stage. Finally, statistical analysis was performed using the Biostat 5.3 program, with a significance level of p ≤ 0.05 being accepted. Results: Patients with ASD demonstrated higher alpha values in the rest, evocation of figures and musical stimulation 1 and 2 stages, both in terms of quadrant and overall value. It is estimated that an impairment in the functioning of GABAergic activity may make up one of the bases of the disorder. Conclusion: The electroencephalographic study demonstrates the potential to guarantee possible biomarkers useful in the diagnosis of autism, and further studies are needed in order to better define the relationship between spectral analysis and clinical-pathological factors.