1. McKavanagh R, Buckley E, Chance SA. {{Wider minicolumns in autism: a neural basis for altered processing?}}. {Brain};2015 (May 1)
Previous studies have found alterations in the columnar organization of the cortex in autism spectrum disorders. Such changes have been suggested to be limited to higher order association areas and to spare primary sensory areas. In addition, evidence from gene-expression studies have suggested that there may be an attenuation of cortical differentiation in autism spectrum disorders. The present study specifically assessed the minicolumns of cells that span the depth of the cortex in a larger sample of autism spectrum disorder cases than have been studied previously, and across a broad age range. The cortical regions to be investigated were carefully chosen to enable hypotheses about cortical differentiation and the vulnerability of association cortex to be tested. Measures of the minicolumnar arrangement of the cortex (minicolumn width, spacing and width of the associated axon bundles) were made in four regions of cortex (primary auditory cortex, auditory association cortex, orbital frontal cortex and inferior parietal lobe) for 28 subjects with autism spectrum disorder and 25 typically developing control subjects. The present study found wider minicolumns in autism spectrum disorder [F(1,28) = 8.098, P = 0.008], which was particularly pronounced at younger ages, providing evidence for an altered developmental trajectory at the microstructural level. In addition, altered minicolumn width was not restricted to higher order association areas, but was also seen in the primary sensory region investigated. Finally, this study found evidence that cortical regional differentiation was still present in autism spectrum disorder [F(3,39) = 5.486, P = 0.003], although attenuated compared to typically developing subjects [F(3,45) = 18.615, P < 0.001]. It is suggested that wider spacing of the minicolumns may relate to the enhanced discrimination seen in some individuals with autism spectrum disorders.
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2. Murray K, Jassi A, Mataix-Cols D, Barrow F, Krebs G. {{Outcomes of cognitive behaviour therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder in young people with and without autism spectrum disorders: A case controlled study}}. {Psychiatry Res};2015 (Mar 18)
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are highly co-morbid. It is suggested that youth with ASD will respond less well to cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT), as compared to their typically developing counterparts. To date there is no empirical evidence to support this view. The current study sought to compare CBT for OCD outcomes among youth with and without ASD. 22 young people with ICD-10 diagnoses of OCD and ASD (OCD+ASD) were matched with 22 youth with OCD, but no ASD (OCD+NoASD) according to base line OCD symptom severity, age, and gender. Outcomes were assessed for the two groups following a course of individually tailored, but protocol-driven CBT for OCD. While both groups responded to treatment the OCD+ASD groups outcomes were inferior to the OCD+NoASD group, as indicated by a significantly smaller decrease in symptoms over treatment (38.31% vs. 48.20%) and lower remission rates at post-treatment (9% vs. 46%). Overall, young people experiencing OCD in the context of ASD benefitted from CBT, but to a lesser extent than typically developing children. Recent efforts to modifying standard CBT protocols for OCD in ASD should continue in order to optimise outcomes among youth with this particular dual psychopathology.
