1. Askie LM, Darlow BA, Finer N, Schmidt B, Stenson B, Tarnow-Mordi W, Davis PG, Carlo WA, Brocklehurst P, Davies LC, Das A, Rich W, Gantz MG, Roberts RS, Whyte RK, Costantini L, Poets C, Asztalos E, Battin M, Halliday HL, Marlow N, Tin W, King A, Juszczak E, Morley CJ, Doyle LW, Gebski V, Hunter KE, Simes RJ. {{Association Between Oxygen Saturation Targeting and Death or Disability in Extremely Preterm Infants in the Neonatal Oxygenation Prospective Meta-analysis Collaboration}}. {Jama}. 2018; 319(21): 2190-201.
Importance: There are potential benefits and harms of hyperoxemia and hypoxemia for extremely preterm infants receiving more vs less supplemental oxygen. Objective: To compare the effects of different target ranges for oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry (Spo2) on death or major morbidity. Design, Setting, and Participants: Prospectively planned meta-analysis of individual participant data from 5 randomized clinical trials (conducted from 2005-2014) enrolling infants born before 28 weeks’ gestation. Exposures: Spo2 target range that was lower (85%-89%) vs higher (91%-95%). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcome was a composite of death or major disability (bilateral blindness, deafness, cerebral palsy diagnosed as >/=2 level on the Gross Motor Function Classification System, or Bayley-III cognitive or language score <85) at a corrected age of 18 to 24 months. There were 16 secondary outcomes including the components of the primary outcome and other major morbidities. Results: A total of 4965 infants were randomized (2480 to the lower Spo2 target range and 2485 to the higher Spo2 range) and had a median gestational age of 26 weeks (interquartile range, 25-27 weeks) and a mean birth weight of 832 g (SD, 190 g). The primary outcome occurred in 1191 of 2228 infants (53.5%) in the lower Spo2 target group and 1150 of 2229 infants (51.6%) in the higher Spo2 target group (risk difference, 1.7% [95% CI, -1.3% to 4.6%]; relative risk [RR], 1.04 [95% CI, 0.98 to 1.09], P = .21). Of the 16 secondary outcomes, 11 were null, 2 significantly favored the lower Spo2 target group, and 3 significantly favored the higher Spo2 target group. Death occurred in 484 of 2433 infants (19.9%) in the lower Spo2 target group and 418 of 2440 infants (17.1%) in the higher Spo2 target group (risk difference, 2.8% [95% CI, 0.6% to 5.0%]; RR, 1.17 [95% CI, 1.04 to 1.31], P = .01). Treatment for retinopathy of prematurity was administered to 220 of 2020 infants (10.9%) in the lower Spo2 target group and 308 of 2065 infants (14.9%) in the higher Spo2 target group (risk difference, -4.0% [95% CI, -6.1% to -2.0%]; RR, 0.74 [95% CI, 0.63 to 0.86], P < .001). Severe necrotizing enterocolitis occurred in 227 of 2464 infants (9.2%) in the lower Spo2 target group and 170 of 2465 infants (6.9%) in the higher Spo2 target group (risk difference, 2.3% [95% CI, 0.8% to 3.8%]; RR, 1.33 [95% CI, 1.10 to 1.61], P = .003). Conclusions and Relevance: In this prospectively planned meta-analysis of individual participant data from extremely preterm infants, there was no significant difference between a lower Spo2 target range compared with a higher Spo2 target range on the primary composite outcome of death or major disability at a corrected age of 18 to 24 months. The lower Spo2 target range was associated with a higher risk of death and necrotizing enterocolitis, but a lower risk of retinopathy of prematurity treatment. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
2. Brondino N, Rocchetti M, Fusar-Poli L, Damiani S, Goggi A, Chiodelli G, Corti S, Visai L, Politi P. {{Increased CNTF levels in adults with autism spectrum disorders}}. {The world journal of biological psychiatry : the official journal of the World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry}. 2018: 1-13.
OBJECTIVES: Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) is a neurotrophin which could signal neuronal suffering and at the same time acts as a neuroprotective agent. In the present study we aimed to evaluate CNTF serum levels in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). In fact, considering the role of CNTF as a neuronal damage signal and the role of neuroinflammation, excito-inhibitory imbalance and excitotoxicity in the pathogenesis of ASD, a possible alteration of CNTF in ASD could be hypothesised. METHODS: We recruited 23 individuals with ASD and intellectual disability (ID), 20 ID subjects and 26 typical adults. A complete medical and psychopathological characterisation of the participants was performed. CNTF serum levels were measured with ELISA. RESULTS: CNTF serum levels were significantly higher in the ASD+ID group compared to ID (p < 0.001) or typically developed subjects (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: CNTF may be considered as a potential biomarker candidate for ASD in the context of severe ID. Our results support the hypothesis of neurotrophic imbalance in ASD. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
3. Cygan HB, Marchewka A, Kotlewska I, Nowicka A. {{Neural Correlates of Reflection on Present and Past Selves in Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2018.
Previous studies indicate that autobiographical memory is impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Successful recollection of information referring to one’s own person requires the intact ability to re-activate representation of the past self. In the current fMRI study we investigated process of conscious reflection on the present self, the past self, and a close-other in the ASD and typically developing groups. Significant inter-group differences were found in the Past-Self condition. In individuals with ASD, reflection on the past self was associated with additional engagement of the posterior cingulate and posterior temporal structures. We hypothesize that this enhanced activation of widely distributed neural network reflects substantial difficulties in processes of reflection on one’s own person in the past.
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4. Davidovitch M, Chodick G, Shalev V, Eisenberg VH, Dan U, Reichenberg A, Sandin S, Levine SZ. {{Infertility treatments during pregnancy and the risk of autism spectrum disorder in the offspring}}. {Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry}. 2018; 86: 175-9.
We aimed to examine the effects of infertility treatments on the risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Data were from a representative national registry on 110,093 male live births in Israel (born: 1999-2008; and ASD: 975, 0.9%). Infertility treatments included In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), and five hormone treatments. Relative risk (RR) was estimated with multivariable logistic models. Results showed that IVF treatment compared with spontaneous conception was not statistically significantly associated with the risk of ASD. Only progesterone hormone treatment was associated with a statistically significant (p<.05) increased risk of ASD (RR=1.51, 95% CI 1.22, 1.86) compared to the group with no progesterone treatment. In conclusion, progesterone exposure during the critical period of fetal life elevated the risk of ASD, possibly reflecting epigenetic modification. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
5. Davis TN, Rispoli M. {{Introduction to Special Issue Part 2 on Interventions to Reduce Challenging Behavior Among Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Behav Modif}. 2018; 42(4): 471.
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6. Fisher MH, Shivers CM, Josol CK. {{Psychometric Properties and Utility of the Social Vulnerability Questionnaire for Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2018.
Although it is well-known that individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are socially vulnerable, the field lacks valid assessments to identify risk factors for victimization. Parents/caregivers of 428 individuals with IDD (ages 12-53) completed the social vulnerability questionnaire (SVQ), a measure developed to assess specific aspects of social vulnerability among individuals with various forms of IDD. This study examined the psychometric structure of the SVQ (exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis), and the utility of the factors of the SVQ as predictors of diagnostic category (through discriminate function analysis). Results provide psychometric support for use of the SVQ and its factors for further research and as part of a clinical assessment battery to assess social vulnerability and to develop interventions.
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7. Fleury VP, Hugh ML. {{Exploring Engagement in Shared Reading Activities Between Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Caregivers}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2018.
Reading aloud to children is a valued practice to promote emergent literacy and language skills that form the foundation for future reading success. We conducted a descriptive study of shared book reading practices between caregivers and their children with autism spectrum disorder (n = 17) and caregivers and their typically developing children (n = 20) to identify factors that can promote or inhibit children’s engagement in reading. Caregivers and their children read nine books (familiar, non-fiction, fiction). Children with ASD demonstrated lower levels of passive engagement (looking at the book) and higher levels of non-engaged behavior compared to typically developing children. Caregiver reading quality and book type contributed to joint engagement during reading. Implications of these findings for intervention development are discussed.
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8. Kim SY, Rispoli M, Lory C, Gregori E, Brodhead MT. {{The Effects of a Shared Reading Intervention on Narrative Story Comprehension and Task Engagement of Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2018.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of a shared reading intervention on narrative story comprehension and task engagement of students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A single-case multiple baseline design was used, and three elementary-aged students with ASD participated in this study. The shared reading intervention included before, during, and after reading strategies (i.e., topic anticipation, dynamic reading, story retelling). Results of this study indicated that all participants demonstrated noticeable improvements in reading comprehension. Despite the longer duration of intervention sessions as compared to baseline sessions, participants showed similar or better task engagement with intervention. Improved reading outcomes were maintained at follow up for all participants. Implications for practical implementation and future research were discussed.
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9. Osenberg S, Karten A, Sun J, Li J, Charkowick S, Felice CA, Kritzer M, Nguyen MVC, Yu P, Ballas N. {{Activity-dependent aberrations in gene expression and alternative splicing in a mouse model of Rett syndrome}}. {Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America}. 2018; 115(23): E5363-e72.
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder that affects about 1 in 10,000 female live births. The underlying cause of RTT is mutations in the X-linked gene, methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MECP2); however, the molecular mechanism by which these mutations mediate the RTT neuropathology remains enigmatic. Specifically, although MeCP2 is known to act as a transcriptional repressor, analyses of the RTT brain at steady-state conditions detected numerous differentially expressed genes, while the changes in transcript levels were mostly subtle. Here we reveal an aberrant global pattern of gene expression, characterized predominantly by higher levels of expression of activity-dependent genes, and anomalous alternative splicing events, specifically in response to neuronal activity in a mouse model for RTT. Notably, the specific splicing modalities of intron retention and exon skipping displayed a significant bias toward increased retained introns and skipped exons, respectively, in the RTT brain compared with the WT brain. Furthermore, these aberrations occur in conjunction with higher seizure susceptibility in response to neuronal activity in RTT mice. Our findings advance the concept that normal MeCP2 functioning is required for fine-tuning the robust and immediate changes in gene transcription and for proper regulation of alternative splicing induced in response to neuronal stimulation.
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10. Qin L, Ma K, Wang ZJ, Hu Z, Matas E, Wei J, Yan Z. {{Publisher Correction: Social deficits in Shank3-deficient mouse models of autism are rescued by histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition}}. {Nat Neurosci}. 2018.
In the version of this article initially published, the blue diamonds in Fig. 2a-d were defined as Shank3(+/Deltac) + saline; the correct definition is Shank3(+/Deltac) + RMD. The error has been corrected in the HTML and PDF versions of the article.
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11. Ross SM, Smit E, Twardzik E, Logan SW, McManus BM. {{Patient-Centered Medical Home and Receipt of Part C Early Intervention Among Young CSHCN and Developmental Disabilities Versus Delays: NS-CSHCN 2009-2010}}. {Maternal and child health journal}. 2018.
Objective To determine, among a sample of young CSHCN with developmental conditions, (1) characteristics associated with receipt of both patient-centered medical home (PCMH) and Part C early intervention, (2) the association between each PCMH criterion and receipt of Part C generally, and (3) for CSHCN with disabilities versus delays. Methods Secondary data analysis of the 2009/10 National Survey of CSHCN. Sample included CSHCN (n = 755) birth to 3 years with a developmental disability or delay that affected their function. Adjusted ordinal regression analysis examined characteristics associated with receiving both PCMH and Part C. Stratified adjusted logistic regression examined the association between PCMH criteria and Part C, by disabilities versus delays. Results 19% of our sample received both PCMH and Part C. Black, non-Hispanic children had lower odds [OR 0.44, 95% CI (0.20, 0.97)] and CSHCN with more severe developmental conditions had higher odds [OR 2.13, 95% CI (1.22, 3.17)] of receiving both services. CSHCN with a PCMH were no more likely to be receiving Part C than those without a PCMH [OR 0.85, 95% CI (0.49, 1.49)]. Receiving any one of the PCMH criterion was not associated with receiving Part C, with one exception. Among CSHCN with delays, effective care coordination was associated with lower odds of Part C [OR 0.46, 95% CI (0.21, 0.97)]. Conclusion Concurrent PCMH and Part C access was low for young CSHCN with developmental conditions affecting their function. Given the overlapping mandates for PCMH and Part C, integrated efforts are warranted to identify if lack of concurrent services in fact reflects unmet service needs.
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12. Sadek A, Berk LS, Mainess K, Daher NS. {{Antioxidants and Autism: Teachers’ Perceptions of Behavioral Changes}}. {Advances in mind-body medicine}. 2018.
BACKGROUND- Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) demonstrate a physiological imbalance between free radicals, resultant from oxidative stress, and antioxidants. Oxidative stress is linked to the pathogenesis of this neurocognitive disorder. The aim of this pilot feasibility study was to examine the effect of consumption of high concentration antioxidant cacao on behavior of children with ASD. METHODS- This was a 4-week pre-test post-test experimental pilot study of high antioxidant cacao and children with ASD. Participants consumed 8 squares (or 16 grams) per day of the dark chocolate which had a concentration of 70% cacao and 30% organic cane sugar (total antioxidant concentration was 8,320). The two main behavioral measures were the Aberrant Behavior Checklist- 2nd Edition and the Autism Spectrum Rating Scale which were completed by the child’s teacher at baseline and end of week four. RESULTS- Sixteen participants were recruited for this study. Follow up data was available on 12 participants (9 males, 3 females, mean age of 10.9 +/-3.9 years). Significant improvements on the Autism Spectrum Rating Scale were noted in Social/Communication (p=0.03, eta2=0.79), Unusual Behaviors (p=0.02, eta2=0.70), and Self-Regulation (p=0.04, eta2=0.59). No significant changes were noted on any of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-2 subscales (p>.05). CONCLUSION- Results from this study support the potential therapeutic benefit of antioxidants in improving social communication, unusual behaviors, and self-regulation behaviors of children with ASD. Further robust randomized controlled trials are now necessary to elaborate the validity of these findings.
13. Solov’eva NV, Kuvshinova YV, Kichuk IV, Chausova SV, Vil’yanov VB, Kremenitskaya SA. {{[Dichotomous classification of autism spectrum disorders: syndromal and non-syndromal forms]}}. {Zh Nevrol Psikhiatr Im S S Korsakova}. 2018; 118(4): 107-12.
In foreign literature on research into the etiopathogenesis of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), the division of this group of diseases into two forms is getting more and more frequent. These two forms are ‘syndromal’ and ‘non-syndromal’ forms of autistic disorders. The literature review aims to cover the issues of the dichotomous classification of ASDs based on the genetic and molecular psychiatric views on the etiopathogenesis of this group of diseases. It also covers the purpose of this classification, the opportunities of its usage in routine clinical practice and the network resources, which allow classifying a form of ASD correctly. Special attention is paid to the multidisciplinary approach to dichotomous classification and its difference from the clinical view on the systematization of autism and the importance of this method for selection of target therapy.
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14. Stins JF, Emck C. {{Balance Performance in Autism: A Brief Overview}}. {Front Psychol}. 2018; 9: 901.
Children with autism not only have limited social and communicative skills but also have motor abnormalities, such as poor timing and coordination of balance. Moreover, impaired gross motor skills hamper participation with peers. Balance control is interesting from a cognitive science perspective, since it involves a complex interplay between information processing, motor planning, and timing and sequencing of muscle movements. In this paper, we discuss the background of motor problems in children with autism, focusing on how posture is informed by sensory information processing. We also discuss the neurobiological basis of balance problems, and how this is related to anxiety in this group. We then discuss possible avenues for treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms, especially as regards movement-related interventions. Finally, we present a theoretical outlook and discuss whether some of the symptoms in ASD can be understood from an embodied cognition perspective.
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15. Tzur Bitan D, Zilcha-Mano S, Ganor O, Biran L, Bloch Y. {{Routine measurement and feedback in support groups for parents of children with autistic spectrum disorder}}. {Psychotherapy (Chicago, Ill)}. 2018; 55(2): 191-5.
Support groups for parents of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) are very common in public mental health settings. These groups have been found to be helpful in reducing parental stress and providing parents with professional knowledge as well as peer support. Clinical experience, as well as parents’ verbal feedback, often indicates that within these groups there are occasionally unmet needs that are not expressed during sessions. In this article we describe the benefits of using routine measurement and feedback as means to identify and address such needs. The article presents clinical examples of how routine measurement and feedback can assist group leaders in the delicate and often complex work of responding to both individual and group processes and in adapting group structure according to the specific needs of the individuals participating in the group. A demonstration of rupture and repair patterns, identified and facilitated by the use of feedback, is followed. Finally, we discuss the benefits of routine measurements in support groups that utilize a rolling group structure, as a means to accurately assess their effectiveness. We briefly conclude with the need for further studies on routine measurement of parents’ groups, aimed at gaining knowledge needed to provide a better adjustment for both parents and children coping with ASD challenges. (PsycINFO Database Record
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16. Wang Y, Xiao L, Chen RS, Chen C, Xun GL, Lu XZ, Shen YD, Wu RR, Xia K, Zhao JP, Ou JJ. {{Social impairment of children with autism spectrum disorder affects parental quality of life in different ways}}. {Psychiatry Res}. 2018; 266: 168-74.
This study evaluated the life quality of Chinese parents of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their association with child social impairment and childcare burden. The participants included 406 families of children with ASD and 513 families with typically developing (TD) children. The findings indicated that parents in the ASD group had a lower quality of life than parents in the TD group, whereas only mother of children with ASD experienced a greater childcare burden than mother with TD children. Lower parental quality of life were associated with higher social impairment of children. To further clarify the correlativity of child social impairment, parental quality of life and childcare burden, the mediation analyses were conducted. The results showed that childcare burden mediated the influence of child social impairment on maternal quality of life, while it has no mediating effect on fathers. It implies that social impairment of children affects parental quality of life in different ways.
