1. Allen R, Davis R, Hill E. {{The Effects of Autism and Alexithymia on Physiological and Verbal Responsiveness to Music}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2012.
It has been suggested that individuals with autism will be less responsive to the emotional content of music than typical individuals. With the aim of testing this hypothesis, a group of high-functioning adults on the autism spectrum was compared with a group of matched controls on two measures of emotional responsiveness to music, comprising physiological and verbal measures. Impairment in participants ability to verbalize their emotions (type-II alexithymia) was also assessed. The groups did not differ significantly on physiological responsiveness, but the autism group was significantly lower on the verbal measure. However, inclusion of the alexithymia score as a mediator variable nullified this group difference, suggesting that the difference was due not to absence of underlying emotional responsiveness to music in autism, but to a reduced ability to articulate it.
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2. Honda H. {{How can epidemiological studies contribute to understanding autism spectrum disorders?}}. {Brain Dev}. 2012.
More and more studies on the frequency of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been published recently, most of which show the increase in prevalence data. In this review, the author pointed out factors and parameters to be considered in analyzing frequency data, i.e., the enlargement of the concept of autism, prevalence and incidence, accuracy and precision in the initial screening, and the effect of the « vaccine debate ». The proportion of high-functioning ASD has been growing higher and higher due to better recognition in the last few years, and the apparent increase might still be the tip of an iceberg. Future epidemiological studies should include themes on diversity of the longitudinal course and re-conceptualization of ASD by dimensional diagnosis.
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3. Needleman LA, McAllister AK. {{The major histocompatibility complex and autism spectrum disorder}}. {Dev Neurobiol}. 2012.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex disorder that appears to be caused by interactions between genetic changes and environmental insults during early development. A wide range of factors have been linked to the onset of ASD, but recently both genetic associations and environmental factors point to a central role for immune-related genes and immune responses to environmental stimuli. Specifically, many of the proteins encoded by the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) play a vital role in the formation, refinement, maintenance, and plasticity of the brain. Manipulations of levels of MHC molecules have illustrated how disrupted MHC signaling can significantly alter brain connectivity and function. Thus, an emerging hypothesis in our field is that disruptions in MHC expression in the developing brain caused by mutations and/or immune dysregulation may contribute to the altered brain connectivity and function characteristic of ASD. This review provides an overview of the structure and function of the three classes of MHC molecules in the immune system, healthy brain, and their possible involvement in ASD. (c) 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2012.
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4. Potvin MC, Snider L, Prelock P, Kehayia E, Wood-Dauphinee S. {{Recreational Participation of Children with High Functioning Autism}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2012.
The recreation of children with High Functioning Autism (HFA) is not well understood. The objective of this cross-sectional study was to compare the recreational engagement of children with HFA and their typically developing peers. Children with HFA (n = 30) and peers (n = 31) were similar on key characteristics that may impact recreation except those related to the HFA attributes. Children with HFA differed from peers in terms of diversity (p = .002), social aspects (p = .006) and locations (p < .001) of recreation. The two groups were not statistically different in personal intensity (p = .684), enjoyment (p = .239) or preferences (p = .788) of recreation. A recreational profile was developed to benefit parents and clinicians in supporting the recreation of these children.
