1. Carmo JC, Martins F, Pinho S, Barahona-Correa B, Ventura P, Filipe CN. {{We see the orange not the lemon: typicality effects in ultra-rapid categorization in adults with and without autism spectrum disorder}}. {Journal of neuropsychology}. 2018.
Semantic meaning can be extracted from pictures presented very briefly, in the order of tens of milliseconds. This ultra-rapid categorization processing appears to respect a coarse-to-fine path where lower level representations of concepts, or more detailed information, need additional time. We question whether variations in the levels of typicality of the target-item would implicate additional processing for correct classification, both in neurotypical (NT) individuals and with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous research in ASD points out that atypical exemplars of a category might be abnormally processed (e.g., longer times in identifying a penguin as a bird), an observation that we further tested with a rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) task. In this study, we applied a RSVP task, with four different presentation times (13, 27, 50, and 80 ms) and with typical and atypical exemplars to a group of NT individuals and a sample of individuals with ASD. We found, overall, a strong effect of typicality with a higher detection rate for typical items. In addition, we observed a group x typicality x duration interaction. We interpret these findings in the light of the competences of the feedforward sweep of information through our visual system.
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2. Chakrabarty B, Gulati S. {{Autism Spectrum Disorder: Sleep Morbidities and Sensory Impairment; Emerging Paradigm in Research and Management}}. {Indian journal of pediatrics}. 2018.
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3. Freeman SM, Palumbo MC, Lawrence RH, Smith AL, Goodman MM, Bales KL. {{Effect of age and autism spectrum disorder on oxytocin receptor density in the human basal forebrain and midbrain}}. {Translational psychiatry}. 2018; 8(1): 257.
The prosocial hormone oxytocin (OXT) has become a new target for research on the etiology and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a condition characterized by deficits in social function. However, it remains unknown whether there are alterations in OXT receptor (OXTR) levels in the ASD brain. This study quantified the density of OXTR and of the structurally related vasopressin 1a receptor (AVPR1a) in postmortem brain tissue from individuals with ASD and typically developing individuals. We analyzed two regions known to contain OXTR across all primates studied to date: the nucleus basalis of Meynert (NBM), which mediates visual attention, and the superior colliculus, which controls gaze direction. In the NBM specimens, we also analyzed the neighboring ventral pallidum (VP) and the external segment of the globus pallidus. In the superior colliculus specimens, we also analyzed the adjacent periaqueductal gray. We detected dense OXTR binding in the human NBM and VP and moderate to low OXTR binding in the human globus pallidus, superior colliculus, and periaqueductal gray. AVPR1a binding was negligible across all five regions in all specimens. Compared to controls, ASD specimens exhibited significantly higher OXTR binding in the NBM and significantly lower OXTR binding in the VP, an area in the mesolimbic reward pathway. There was no effect of ASD on OXTR binding in the globus pallidus, superior colliculus, or periaqueductal gray. We also found a significant negative correlation between age and OXTR binding in the VP across all specimens. Further analysis revealed a peak in OXTR binding in the VP in early childhood of typically developing individuals, which was absent in ASD. This pattern suggests a possible early life critical period, which is lacking in ASD, where this important reward area becomes maximally sensitive to OXT binding. These results provide unique neurobiological insight into human social development and the social symptoms of ASD.
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4. Kozikowski A, Shen S, Pardo M, Tavares MT, Szarics D, Benoy V, Zimprich CA, Kutil Z, Zhang G, Barinka C, Robers MB, Van Den Bosch L, Eubanks JH, Jope RS. {{Brain Penetrable Histone Deacetylase 6 Inhibitor SW-100 Ameliorates Memory and Learning Impairments in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome}}. {ACS chemical neuroscience}. 2018.
Disease-modifying therapies are needed for Fragile X syndrome (FXS), as at present there are no effective treatments or cures. Herein, we report on a tetrahydroquinoline-based selective histone deacetylase 6 (HDAC6) inhibitor SW-100, its pharmacological and ADMET properties, and its ability to improve upon memory performance in a mouse model of FXS, Fmr1-/- mice. This small molecule demonstrates good brain penetrance, low-nanomolar potency for the inhibition of HDAC6 (IC50 = 2.3 nM), with at least a thousand-fold selectivity over all other class I, II, and IV HDAC isoforms. Moreover, through its inhibition of the alpha-tubulin deacetylase domain of HDAC6 (CD2), in cells SW-100 upregulates alpha-tubulin acetylation with no effect on histone acetylation and selectively restores the impaired acetylated alpha-tubulin levels in the hippocampus of Fmr1-/- mice. Lastly, SW-100 ameliorates several memory and learning impairments in Fmr1-/- mice, thus modeling the intellectual deficiencies associated with FXS, and hence providing a strong rationale for pursuing HDAC6-based therapies for the treatment of this rare disease.
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5. Kuehnel CA, Castro R, Furey WM. {{A comparison of WISC-IV and WISC-V verbal comprehension index scores for children with autism spectrum disorder}}. {The Clinical neuropsychologist}. 2018: 1-11.
OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore changes in verbal comprehension subtest and index scores from Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, fourth edition (WISC)-IV to WISC-V for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as the test revision dropped the subtest that has proven to be most challenging for those with ASD (i.e. Comprehension). METHODS: In all, 48 children with ASD who had been assessed with WISC-IV and re-evaluated with WISC-V were included in this study. Paired samples t-tests were used to examine changes in scores between administrations. RESULTS: Results indicated that changes in subtest scores were minimal although a statistically significant index score change occurred. DISCUSSION: These data suggest that administering additional measures of verbal intellect to individuals with ASD (i.e. beyond the two core verbal comprehension subtests of WISC-V) is critical for capturing the totality of their strengths and weaknesses, to effectively inform treatment planning.
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6. Livingston LA, Carr B, Shah P. {{Recent Advances and New Directions in Measuring Theory of Mind in Autistic Adults}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2018.
‘Theory of Mind’ (ToM) is the ability to attribute mental states to others to make sense of their behaviour. ToM research has informed understanding of (a)typical social behaviour, including the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This began with research on ToM in autistic children and there has been a noticeable increase in the study of ToM in autistic adults. However, methodological limitations in adult ToM research may be limiting its explanatory power of ASD symptoms and their management, therefore we discuss recent advances in measuring ToM aimed at addressing these issues. We also examine previously overlooked approaches and propose several new directions that have potential to improve the sensitivity, accuracy, and clinical utility of ToM measurement in autistic adulthood.
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7. Soto-Acosta R, Xie X, Shan C, Baker CK, Shi PY, Rossi SL, Garcia-Blanco MA, Bradrick S. {{Fragile X mental retardation protein is a Zika virus restriction factor that is antagonized by subgenomic flaviviral RNA}}. {eLife}. 2018; 7.
Subgenomic flaviviral RNA (sfRNA) accumulates during infection due to incomplete degradation of viral genomes and interacts with cellular proteins to promote infection. Here we identify host proteins that bind the Zika virus (ZIKV) sfRNA. We identified fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP) as a ZIKV sfRNA-binding protein and confirmed this interaction in cultured cells and mouse testes. Depletion of FMRP elevated viral translation and enhanced ZIKV infection, indicating that FMRP is a ZIKV restriction factor. We further observed that an attenuated ZIKV strain compromised for sfRNA production was disproportionately stimulated by FMRP knockdown, suggesting that ZIKV sfRNA antagonizes FMRP activity. Importantly, ZIKV infection and expression of ZIKV sfRNA upregulated endogenous FMRP target genes in cell culture and ZIKV-infected mice. Together, our observations identify FMRP as a ZIKV restriction factor whose activity is antagonized by the sfRNA. Interaction between ZIKV and FMRP has significant implications for the pathogenesis of ZIKV infections.
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8. Taj-Eldin M, Ryan C, O’Flynn B, Galvin P. {{A Review of Wearable Solutions for Physiological and Emotional Monitoring for Use by People with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caregivers}}. {Sensors (Basel, Switzerland)}. 2018; 18(12).
The goal of real-time feedback on physiological changes, stress monitoring and even emotion detection is becoming a technological reality. People in their daily life experience varying emotional states, some of which are negative and which can lead to decreased attention, decreased productivity and ultimately, reduced quality of life. Therefore, having a solution that continuously monitors the physiological signals of the person and assesses his or her emotional well-being could be a very valuable tool. This paper aims to review existing physiological and motional monitoring devices, highlight their features and compare their sensing capabilities. Such technology would be particularly useful for certain populations who experience rapidly changing emotional states such as people with autism spectrum disorder and people with intellectual disabilities. Wearable sensing devices present a potential solution that can support and complement existing behavioral interventions. This paper presents a review of existing and emerging products in the market. It reviews the literature on state-of-the-art prototypes and analyzes their usefulness, clinical validity, and discusses clinical perspectives. A small number of products offer reliable physiological internal state monitoring and may be suitable for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It is likely that more promising solutions will be available in the near future. Therefore, caregivers should be careful in their selection of devices that meet the care-receiver’s personal needs and have strong research support for reliability and validity.
