Fear Potentiated Startle in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Association With Anxiety Symptoms and Amygdala Volume / David HESSL in Autism Research, 14-3 (March 2021)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 14-3 (March 2021) . - p.450-463 Titre : Fear Potentiated Startle in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Association With Anxiety Symptoms and Amygdala Volume Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : David HESSL, Auteur ; Lauren LIBERO, Auteur ; Andrea SCHNEIDER, Auteur ; Connor M. KERNS, Auteur ; Breanna WINDER-PATEL, Auteur ; Brianna HEATH, Auteur ; Joshua LEE, Auteur ; Cory COLEMAN, Auteur ; Natasha SHARMA, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Christine W. NORDAHL, Auteur ; David G. AMARAL, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.450-463 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : Mri  anxiety  autism  autistic  fear conditioning Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Atypical responses to fearful stimuli and the presence of various forms of anxiety are commonly seen in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The fear potentiated startle paradigm (FPS), which has been studied both in relation to anxiety and as a probe for amygdala function, was carried out in 97 children aged 9-14?years including 48 (12 female) with ASD and 49 (14 female) with typical development (TD). In addition, exploratory analyses were conducted examining the association between FPS and amygdala volume as assessed with magnetic resonance imaging in a subset of the children with ASD with or without an anxiety disorder with available MRI data. While the startle latency was increased in the children with ASD, there was no group difference in FPS. FPS was not significantly associated with traditional Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) or "autism distinct" forms of anxiety. Within the autism group, FPS was negatively correlated with amygdala volume. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the association between FPS and anxiety severity was significantly moderated by the size of the amygdala, such that the association between FPS and anxiety was significantly more positive in children with larger amygdalas than smaller amygdalas. These findings highlight the heterogeneity of emotional reactivity associated with ASD and the difficulties in establishing biologically meaningful probes of altered brain function. LAY SUMMARY: Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have additional problems such as anxiety that can greatly impact their lives. How these co-occurring symptoms develop is not well understood. We studied the amygdala, a region of the brain critical for processing fear and a laboratory method called fear potentiated startle for measuring fear conditioning, in children with ASD (with and without an anxiety disorder) and typically developing children. Results showed that the connection between fear conditioning and anxiety is dependent on the size of the amygdala in children with ASD. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2460 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=443 [article] Fear Potentiated Startle in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Association With Anxiety Symptoms and Amygdala Volume [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / David HESSL, Auteur ; Lauren LIBERO, Auteur ; Andrea SCHNEIDER, Auteur ; Connor M. KERNS, Auteur ; Breanna WINDER-PATEL, Auteur ; Brianna HEATH, Auteur ; Joshua LEE, Auteur ; Cory COLEMAN, Auteur ; Natasha SHARMA, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Christine W. NORDAHL, Auteur ; David G. AMARAL, Auteur . - p.450-463. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 14-3 (March 2021) . - p.450-463 Mots-clés : Mri  anxiety  autism  autistic  fear conditioning Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : Atypical responses to fearful stimuli and the presence of various forms of anxiety are commonly seen in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The fear potentiated startle paradigm (FPS), which has been studied both in relation to anxiety and as a probe for amygdala function, was carried out in 97 children aged 9-14?years including 48 (12 female) with ASD and 49 (14 female) with typical development (TD). In addition, exploratory analyses were conducted examining the association between FPS and amygdala volume as assessed with magnetic resonance imaging in a subset of the children with ASD with or without an anxiety disorder with available MRI data. While the startle latency was increased in the children with ASD, there was no group difference in FPS. FPS was not significantly associated with traditional Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) or "autism distinct" forms of anxiety. Within the autism group, FPS was negatively correlated with amygdala volume. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the association between FPS and anxiety severity was significantly moderated by the size of the amygdala, such that the association between FPS and anxiety was significantly more positive in children with larger amygdalas than smaller amygdalas. These findings highlight the heterogeneity of emotional reactivity associated with ASD and the difficulties in establishing biologically meaningful probes of altered brain function. LAY SUMMARY: Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have additional problems such as anxiety that can greatly impact their lives. How these co-occurring symptoms develop is not well understood. We studied the amygdala, a region of the brain critical for processing fear and a laboratory method called fear potentiated startle for measuring fear conditioning, in children with ASD (with and without an anxiety disorder) and typically developing children. Results showed that the connection between fear conditioning and anxiety is dependent on the size of the amygdala in children with ASD. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.2460 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=443

In pursuit of neurophenotypes: The consequences of having autism and a big brain / David G. AMARAL in Autism Research, 10-5 (May 2017)  

Public ISBD [article]  inAutism Research > 10-5 (May 2017) . - p.711-722 Titre : In pursuit of neurophenotypes: The consequences of having autism and a big brain Type de document : Texte imprimé et/ou numérique Auteurs : David G. AMARAL, Auteur ; Deana LI, Auteur ; Lauren LIBERO, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Judy VAN DE WATER, Auteur ; Ann MASTERGEORGE, Auteur ; Letitia NAIGLES, Auteur ; Sally J ROGERS, Auteur ; Christine W. NORDAHL, Auteur Article en page(s) : p.711-722 Langues : Anglais (eng) Mots-clés : brain development  magnetic resonance imaging  megalencephaly  phenotype  subtypes Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : A consensus has emerged that despite common core features, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has multiple etiologies and various genetic and biological characteristics. The fact that there are likely to be subtypes of ASD has complicated attempts to develop effective therapies. The UC Davis MIND Institute Autism Phenome Project is a longitudinal, multidisciplinary analysis of children with autism and age-matched typically developing controls; nearly 400 families are participating in this study. The overarching goal is to gather sufficient biological, medical, and behavioral data to allow definition of clinically meaningful subtypes of ASD. One reasonable hypothesis is that different subtypes of autism will demonstrate different patterns of altered brain organization or development i.e., different neurophenotypes. In this Commentary, we discuss one neurophenotype that is defined by megalencephaly, or having brain size that is large and disproportionate to body size. We have found that 15% of the boys with autism demonstrate this neurophenotype, though it is far less common in girls. We review behavioral and medical characteristics of the large-brained group of boys with autism in comparison to those with typically sized brains. While brain size in typically developing individuals is positively correlated with cognitive function, the children with autism and larger brains have more severe disabilities and poorer prognosis. This research indicates that phenotyping in autism, like genotyping, requires a very substantial cohort of subjects. Moreover, since brain and behavior relationships may emerge at different times during development, this effort highlights the need for longitudinal analyses to carry out meaningful phenotyping. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.1755 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=307 [article] In pursuit of neurophenotypes: The consequences of having autism and a big brain [Texte imprimé et/ou numérique] / David G. AMARAL, Auteur ; Deana LI, Auteur ; Lauren LIBERO, Auteur ; Marjorie SOLOMON, Auteur ; Judy VAN DE WATER, Auteur ; Ann MASTERGEORGE, Auteur ; Letitia NAIGLES, Auteur ; Sally J ROGERS, Auteur ; Christine W. NORDAHL, Auteur . - p.711-722. Langues : Anglais (eng) in Autism Research > 10-5 (May 2017) . - p.711-722 Mots-clés : brain development  magnetic resonance imaging  megalencephaly  phenotype  subtypes Index. décimale : PER Périodiques Résumé : A consensus has emerged that despite common core features, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has multiple etiologies and various genetic and biological characteristics. The fact that there are likely to be subtypes of ASD has complicated attempts to develop effective therapies. The UC Davis MIND Institute Autism Phenome Project is a longitudinal, multidisciplinary analysis of children with autism and age-matched typically developing controls; nearly 400 families are participating in this study. The overarching goal is to gather sufficient biological, medical, and behavioral data to allow definition of clinically meaningful subtypes of ASD. One reasonable hypothesis is that different subtypes of autism will demonstrate different patterns of altered brain organization or development i.e., different neurophenotypes. In this Commentary, we discuss one neurophenotype that is defined by megalencephaly, or having brain size that is large and disproportionate to body size. We have found that 15% of the boys with autism demonstrate this neurophenotype, though it is far less common in girls. We review behavioral and medical characteristics of the large-brained group of boys with autism in comparison to those with typically sized brains. While brain size in typically developing individuals is positively correlated with cognitive function, the children with autism and larger brains have more severe disabilities and poorer prognosis. This research indicates that phenotyping in autism, like genotyping, requires a very substantial cohort of subjects. Moreover, since brain and behavior relationships may emerge at different times during development, this effort highlights the need for longitudinal analyses to carry out meaningful phenotyping. En ligne : http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aur.1755 Permalink : https://www.cra-rhone-alpes.org/cid/opac_css/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=307

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