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The Plymouth Student Scientist

Document Type

Psychology Article

Abstract

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanners produce noise levels between 65 and 130 decibels. This noise, alongside the broader sensory environment of the MRI, poses challenges for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Noise exposure has been shown to impair task performance, increase errors, and affect brain activity. ASD traits are associated with decreased sound tolerance, including hyperacusis, misophonia, and phonophobia. In ASD, noisy environments disrupt inferior frontal gyrus function, impairing task response and brain connectivity. Given this, it’s crucial to understand how these sensory challenges specifically affect ASD experience and performance during MRI procedures. This study assesses cognitive performance and comfort under simulated MRI noise and its association with autistic-like traits. Participants completed the AQ questionnaire before performing a computerised 3-back task under three noise conditions of MRI noise in a within-subjects design. Accuracy, hit rates, false alarm rates and comfort ratings were collected after each condition. A univariate ANOVA was conducted to analyse the effects of noise across different levels on task performance, correlated against AQ scores. The results suggest that individuals with more autistic traits may be less negatively affected by auditory distractions. While this study did not find statistical significance for the hypothesis, it does emphasise the differences in those with high ASD-like traits. These findings challenge assumptions about sensory sensitivity in ASD traits and suggest that cognitive adaptation mechanisms may influence noise tolerance, highlighting the need for individualised accommodations in MRI settings

Publication Date

2025-12

Publication Title

The Plymouth Student Scientist

Volume

18

Issue

2

ISSN

1754-2383

Deposit Date

2025-12

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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