1. Garfinkel SN, Tiley C, O’Keeffe S, Harrison NA, Seth AK, Critchley HD. {{Discrepancies between dimensions of interoception in Autism: Implications for emotion and anxiety}}. {Biol Psychol}. 2015.
Emotions and affective feelings are influenced by one’s internal state of bodily arousal via interoception. Autism Spectrum Conditions (ASC) are associated with difficulties in recognising others’ emotions, and in regulating own emotions. We tested the hypothesis that, in people with ASC, such affective differences may arise from abnormalities in interoceptive processing. We demonstrated that individuals with ASC have reduced interoceptive accuracy (quantified using heartbeat detection tests) and exaggerated interoceptive sensibility (subjective sensitivity to internal sensations on self-report questionnaires), reflecting an impaired ability to objectively detect bodily signals alongside an over-inflated subjective perception of bodily sensations. The divergence of these two interoceptive axes can be computed as a trait prediction error. This error correlated with deficits in emotion sensitivity and occurrence of anxiety symptoms. Our results indicate an origin of emotion deficits and affective symptoms in ASC at the interface between body and mind, specifically in expectancy-driven interpretation of interoceptive information.
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2. Merchan-Naranjo J, Boada L, Del Rey-Mejias A, Mayoral M, Llorente C, Arango C, Parellada M. {{Executive function is affected in autism spectrum disorder, but does not correlate with intelligence}}. {Rev Psiquiatr Salud Ment}. 2015.
INTRODUCTION: Studies of executive function in autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability (ASD-WID) patients are contradictory. We assessed a wide range of executive functioning cognitive domains in a sample of children and adolescents with ASD-WID and compared them with age-, sex-, and intelligence quotient (IQ)-matched healthy controls. METHODS: Twenty-four ASD-WID patients (mean age 12.8+/-2.5 years; 23 males; mean IQ 99.20+/-18.81) and 32 healthy controls (mean age 12.9+/-2.7 years; 30 males; mean IQ 106.81+/-11.02) were recruited. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found in all cognitive domains assessed, with better performance by the healthy control group: attention (U=185.0; P=.0005; D=0.90), working memory (T51.48=2.597; P=.006; D=0.72), mental flexibility (U=236.0; P=.007; D=0.67), inhibitory control (U=210.0; P=.002; D=0.71), and problem solving (U=261.0; P=0.021; D=0.62). These statistically significant differences were also found after controlling for IQ. CONCLUSION: Children and adolescents with ASD-WID have difficulties transforming and mentally manipulating verbal information, longer response latency, attention problems (difficulty set shifting), trouble with automatic response inhibition and problem solving, despite having normal IQ. Considering the low executive functioning profile found in those patients, we recommend a comprehensive intervention including work on non-social problems related to executive cognitive difficulties.
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3. Yui K, Imataka G, Kawasak Y, Yamada H. {{Increased omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid/arachidonic acid ratios and upregulation of signaling mediator in individuals with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Life Sci}. 2015.
AIMS: The investigation of links between the ratio of omega-3/omega-6 PUFAs and neuronal signaling is a research priority in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). MAIN METHODS: We examine the relationships between the plasma ratios of docosahexaenoid acid (DHA)/arachidonic acid (AA) and eicopentaenoic acid (EPA)/AA and biomarkers of AA-related signaling mediators such as ceruloplasmin, transferrin and superoxide dismutase, in the behavioral symptoms of 28 individuals with ASD (mean age 13.5 +/- 4.6 years) and 21 age- and gender-matched normal healthy controls (mean age 13.9 +/- 5.7 years). Behavioral symptoms were assessed using the Aberrant Behavior Checklists (ABC). We conducted controlling for dietary intake and assessed the dietary intake of nutrients. KEY FINDINGS: There were no significant differences in intake of nutrients such as omega-3 and omega-6 PUFAs, saturated and unsaturated fatty acid, DHA, AA, iron and copper. Plasma EPA, DHA, and arachidic acid levels, and plasma DHA/AA and EPA/AA ratios were significantly higher, while plasma AA and adrenic acid were significantly lower in the 28 individuals with ASD than in the 21 normal controls. The ABC scores were significantly higher in the ASD group compared to the control group. The plasma ceruloplasmin levels in the ASD group were significantly reduced compared to those in the control group. SIGNIFICANCE: Increased plasma DHA/AA and EPA/AA ratios may be related to low plasma levels of ceruloplasmin which has neuroprotective protprties. Reduced plasma ceruloplasmin levels may diminish the protective capacity against brain damage, and may contribute to the pathophysiology of behavioral symptoms in individuals with ASD.
