1. Asano M, Ishitobi M, Kosaka H, Hiratani M, Wada Y. {{Ramelteon Monotherapy for Insomnia and Impulsive Behavior in High-Functioning Autistic Disorder}}. {J Clin Psychopharmacol};2014 (Apr 8)
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2. Ben-Itzchak E, Watson LR, Zachor DA. {{Cognitive Ability is Associated with Different Outcome Trajectories in Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2014 (Apr 8)
Variability in clinical expression and in intervention outcome has been described in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study examined progress after 1 and 2 years of intervention and compared the impact of baseline cognitive ability on outcome trajectories in 46 children (m = 25.5 months) with ASD. The entire group showed a gradual decrease in autism severity and increase in verbal cognitive scores. Only the low cognitive scores (DQ <70) group significantly improved in fine motor and receptive language scores. Significant gains in adaptive skills were found only for the high cognitive scores (DQ >/=70) group after 2 years of intervention. The entire group progressed with intervention, but only children with higher cognitive levels at baseline transferred their acquired socio-communication skills into daily functioning.
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3. Braun JM, Froehlich T, Kalkbrenner A, Pfeiffer CM, Fazili Z, Yolton K, Lanphear BP. {{Brief Report: Are Autistic-Behaviors in Children Related to Prenatal Vitamin Use and Maternal Whole Blood Folate Concentrations?}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2014 (Apr 8)
Prenatal multivitamin/folic acid supplement use may reduce the risk of autism spectrum disorders. We investigated whether 2nd trimester prenatal vitamin use and maternal whole blood folate (WBF) concentrations were associated with Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) scores at 4-5 years of age in a prospective cohort of 209 mother-child pairs. After confounder adjustment, children born to women taking prenatal vitamins weekly/daily (n = 179) had lower odds of clinically elevated SRS scores (odds ratio 0.26; 95 % confidence interval 0.08, 0.89) than those who rarely/never took them (n = 30). WBF concentrations were not associated with SRS scores. The lack of association between WBF and autistic-behaviors may be due to the timing of biomarker measures relative to critical periods of brain development, confounding, or other modifying factors.
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4. Carlson K. {{Autism and Spirituality Autism and Spirituality Olga Bogdashina Jessica Kingsley Publishers, Philadelphia, PA , 2013 ISBN 978-1-84905-285-6 Reviewed by Kelly Carlson, PhD, APRN, BC , Covenant Health Systems, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA}}. {Issues Ment Health Nurs};2014 (Apr);35(4):316.
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5. Dardas LA, Ahmad MM. {{Predictors of quality of life for fathers and mothers of children with Autistic Disorder}}. {Res Dev Disabil};2014 (Apr 1);35(6):1326-1333.
A constant challenge for Quality of Life (QoL) research is tapping the most predictive indicators for a specific population. This study has sought to examine predictors of QoL for fathers and mothers of children with Autistic Disorder. Two multiple regression analyses were performed for fathers (N=70) and mothers (N=114) of children with Autistic Disorder. Six predictors were entered into the regression equation: Parental Distress (PD), Parent-Child Dysfunction Interaction (PCDI), Difficult Child Characteristics (DC), Household income, and the child’s with Autistic Disorder age and number of siblings. The analyses revealed that only PD was a significant predictor for both parent’s QoL, whereas DC, household income, and number of siblings were able to predict only mothers’ QoL. To our knowledge, this is the first study to focus on predictors of QoL among both fathers and mothers of children with Autistic Disorder. The results from the current study can have several implications for professionals and researchers targeting the primary force contributing to the wellbeing of children with Autistic Disorder, the parents.
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6. Forrester GS, Pegler R, Thomas MS, Mareschal D. {{Handedness as a marker of cerebral lateralization in children with and without autism}}. {Behav Brain Res};2014 (Apr 2)
We employed a multiple case studies approach to investigate lateralization of hand actions in typically and atypically developing children between 4 and 5 years of age. We report on a detailed set of over 1200 hand actions made by four typically developing boys and four boys with autism. Participants were assessed for unimanual hand actions to both objects and the self (self-directed behaviors). Individual and group analyses suggest that typically developing children have a right hand dominance for hand actions to objects and a left hand dominance for hand actions for self-directed behaviors, revealing a possible dissociation for functional specialization of the left and right hemispheres respectively. Children with autism demonstrated mixed-handedness for both target conditions, consistent with the hypothesis that there is reduced cerebral specialization in these children. The findings are consistent with the view that observed lateralized motor action can serve as an indirect behavioral marker for evidence of cerebral lateralization.
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7. Gidley Larson JC, Suchy Y. {{Does Language Guide Behavior in Children with Autism?}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2014 (Apr 8)
It is unknown if children with high-functioning autism (HFA) employ self-directed speech to guide motor sequencing and motor control, or if they can benefit from using self-directed speech when prompted to do so. Participants performed a three-movement sequence across three conditions: Natural Learning, Task-Congruent Verbalization (TCV), and Task-Incongruent Verbalization (TIV). TIV deleteriously impacted performance in the typically-developing group (n = 22), and not the HFA group (n = 21). TCV improved performance in both groups, but to a greater extent in the HFA group. These findings suggest that children with HFA do not initiate self-directed speech spontaneously, but can use language to guide behavior when prompted to do so.
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8. Gizzonio V, Avanzini P, Fabbri-Destro M, Campi C, Rizzolatti G. {{Cognitive abilities in siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Exp Brain Res};2014 (Apr 8)
The aim of the present study was to assess the cognitive profiles of children with autistic spectrum disorder and of their healthy siblings (Siblings). With the term cognitive profile, we indicate the relationship extant among the values of verbal and performance subtests of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale. The conducted statistical analyses indicated that, although siblings showed a normal intelligent quotient and did not differ in this aspect from typically developing group, their cognitive profile was amazingly similar to that of their relatives affected by autism. A k-means clustering analysis on the values of single subtests further confirmed this result, showing a clear separation between typically developing children on the one side, and autistics and their siblings on the other. We suggest that the common cognitive profile observed in autistic children and their siblings could represent a marker of liability to autism and, thus, a possible intermediate phenotype of this syndrome.
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9. Gvozdjakova A, Kucharska J, Ostatnikova D, Babinska K, Nakladal D, Crane FL. {{Ubiquinol improves symptoms in children with autism}}. {Oxid Med Cell Longev};2014;2014:798957.
Background. Autism is a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders with manifestation within 3 years after birth. Manifestations of autism include behavior problems (hyperactivity, toys destruction, self-harm, and agression) and sleep and eating disorders. Etiology of autism is poorly understood. Oxidative stress and antioxidants can participate in pathobiochemical mechanisms of autism. Methods. Twenty-four children, aged 3-6 years, with autism according to the DSM IV criteria and using CARS were included in the study. Concentrations of CoQ10-TOTAL, gamma – and alpha -tocopherol, beta -carotene, and lipid peroxidation were determined in plasma before and after three months of supportive therapy with ubiquinol at a daily dose 2 x 50 mg. Data on behavior of the children were collected from parents at the same time. Results. Ubiquinol supportive therapy improved symptoms in children with autism, as communication with parents (in 12%), verbal communication (in 21%), playing games of children (in 42%), sleeping (in 34%), and food rejection (in 17%), with CoQ10-TOTAL plasma level above 2.5 mumol/L. Conclusions. Beneficial effect of ubiquinol in children with autism has been demonstrated for the first time. We assume that plasma concentration of CoQ10-TOTAL and lipid peroxidation could be used as relevant biomarkers of ubiquinol supportive therapy.
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10. Itahashi T, Yamada T, Watanabe H, Nakamura M, Jimbo D, Shioda S, Toriizuka K, Kato N, Hashimoto R. {{Altered network topologies and hub organization in adults with autism: a resting-state FMRI study}}. {PLoS One};2014;9(4):e94115.
Recent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies on autism spectrum condition (ASC) have identified dysfunctions in specific brain networks involved in social and non-social cognition that persist into adulthood. Although increasing numbers of fMRI studies have revealed atypical functional connectivity in the adult ASC brain, such functional alterations at the network level have not yet been fully characterized within the recently developed graph-theoretical framework. Here, we applied a graph-theoretical analysis to resting-state fMRI data acquired from 46 adults with ASC and 46 age- and gender-matched controls, to investigate the topological properties and organization of autistic brain network. Analyses of global metrics revealed that, relative to the controls, participants with ASC exhibited significant decreases in clustering coefficient and characteristic path length, indicating a shift towards randomized organization. Furthermore, analyses of local metrics revealed a significantly altered organization of the hub nodes in ASC, as shown by analyses of hub disruption indices using multiple local metrics and by a loss of « hubness » in several nodes (e.g., the bilateral superior temporal sulcus, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, and precuneus) that are critical for social and non-social cognitive functions. In particular, local metrics of the anterior cingulate cortex consistently showed significant negative correlations with the Autism-Spectrum Quotient score. Our results demonstrate altered patterns of global and local topological properties that may underlie impaired social and non-social cognition in ASC.
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11. James WH. {{An update on the hypothesis that one cause of autism is high intrauterine levels of testosterone of maternal origin}}. {J Theor Biol};2014 (Apr 1)
Baron-Cohens hypothesis that autism is caused by exposure to high intrauterine testosterone levels is considered in the context of (1) my hormonal hypothesis of sex ratio and (2) the notion of multifactorial inheritance. This yields the suggestions that (1) female cases of autism may be the product of (high genetic loading+moderate environmental exposure) and male cases of (high environmental exposure+moderate genetic loading), (2) one environmental agent is intrauterine testosterone and (3) the mother is the major source of that testosterone. These suggestions may help to explain most of the major established epidemiological risk factors for autism. These include various forms of pathology associated with psychological and/or physical stress. Stress of many sorts promotes the secretion of adrenal androgens in women. The three suggestions above may also explain some recently described features of autism including the psychological, behavioural and neuroanatomical differences between male and female cases.
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12. Jones B. {{Human genetics: Autism – clues from brains and protein domains}}. {Nat Rev Genet};2014 (Apr 8)
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13. Koch L. {{Rett syndrome scientist honoured}}. {Nat Rev Genet};2014 (Apr 8)
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14. Kuo HC, Wu CM, Chang WP, Kuo CN, Yeter D, Lin CY, Pai JT, Chi YC, Lin CH, Wang LJ, Chang WC. {{Association between Kawasaki Disease and Autism: A Population-Based Study in Taiwan}}. {Int J Environ Res Public Health};2014;11(4):3705-3716.
Objective: The association between Kawasaki disease and autism has rarely been studied in Asian populations. By using a nationwide Taiwanese population-based claims database, we tested the hypothesis that Kawasaki disease may increase the risk of autism in Taiwan. Materials and Methods: Our study cohort consisted of patients who had received the diagnosis of Kawasaki disease (ICD-9-CM: 446.1) between 1997 and 2005 (N = 563). For a comparison cohort, five age- and gender-matched control patients for every patient in the study cohort were selected using random sampling (N = 2,815). All subjects were tracked for 5 years from the date of cohort entry to identify whether they had developed autism (ICD-9-CM code 299.0) or not. Cox proportional hazard regressions were then performed to evaluate 5-year autism-free survival rates. Results: The main finding of this study was that patients with Kawasaki disease seem to not be at increased risk of developing autism. Of the total patients, four patients developed autism during the 5-year follow-up period, among whom two were Kawasaki disease patients and two were in the comparison cohort. Further, the adjusted hazard ratios (AHR) (AHR: 4.81; 95% confidence interval: 0.68-34.35; P = 0.117) did not show any statistical significance between the Kawasaki disease group and the control group during the 5-year follow-up. Conclusion: Our study indicated that patients with Kawasaki disease are not at increased risk of autism.
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15. Mammarella IC, Giofre D, Caviola S, Cornoldi C, Hamilton C. {{Visuospatial working memory in children with autism: The effect of a semantic global organization}}. {Res Dev Disabil};2014 (Apr 3);35(6):1349-1356.
It has been reported that individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) perceive visual scenes as a sparse set of details rather than as a congruent and meaningful unit, failing in the extraction of the global configuration of the scene. In the present study, children with ASD were compared with typically developing (TD) children, in a visuospatial working memory task, the Visual Patterns Test (VPT). The VPT array was manipulated to vary the semantic affordance of the pattern, high semantic (global) vs. low semantic; temporal parameters were also manipulated within the change detection protocol. Overall, there was no main effect associated with Group, however there was a significant effect associated with Semantics, which was further qualified by an interaction between the Group and Semantic factors; there was only a significant effect of semantics in the TD group. The findings are discussed in light of the weak central coherence theory where the ASD group are unable to make use of long term memory semantics in order to construct global representations of the array.
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16. Richa S, Fahed M, Khoury E, Mishara B. {{Suicide in Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {Arch Suicide Res};2014 (Apr 8)
Introduction: This review focuses on suicide in patients with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) as well as risk factors and comorbidities persons with ASD who have attempted suicide. Material and Methods: Research in PubMed and Psychinfo for articles. Results: Suicide in ASD is largely understudied. Although suicide is common is clinical samples, we have little knowledge of suicide in persons with ASD in the general population. Comorbidity, particularly with depression and other affective disorders or schizoid disorders and psychotic symptoms is often reported, so it is difficult to determine if suicidality is associated with ASD or the comorbid disorder. Clinical samples suggest that suicide occurs more frequently in high functioning autism. Physical and sexual abuse, bullying and changes in routine are precipitating events associated with suicide risk. Conclusion: Persons with ASD present risk factors inherent to their diagnosis (deficit in expression of feelings and thoughts), along with risk factors pertaining to the general population (abuse, depression, anxiety, etc … ). The inability of persons with PDD to express emotions and thoughts makes the diagnosis of suicidal ideation difficult and demands important adjustments to traditional psychotherapeutic interventions. More research is needed to determine the incidence of suicidal behaviors in persons with ASD, to identify risk and protective factors, as well as to assess the effectiveness of prevention strategies and interventions.
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17. Schaafsma SM, Pfaff DW. {{Etiologies underlying sex differences in Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {Front Neuroendocrinol};2014 (Apr 4)
The male predominance of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is one of the best-known, and at the same time, one of the least understood characteristics of these disorders. In this paper we review genetic, epigenetic, hormonal, and environmental mechanisms underlying this male preponderance. Sex-specific effects of Y-linked genes (including SRY expression leading to testicular development), balanced and skewed X-inactivation, genes that escape X-inactivation, parent-of-origin allelic imprinting, and the hypothetical heterochromatin sink are reviewed. These mechanisms likely contribute to etiology, instead of being simply causative to ASD. Environments, both internal and external, also play important roles in ASD’s etiology. Early exposure to androgenic hormones and early maternal immune activation comprise environmental factors affecting sex-specific susceptibility to ASD. The gene-environment interactions underlying ASD, suggested here, implicate early prenatal stress as being especially detrimental to boys with a vulnerable genotype.
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18. Shattuck PT, Steinberg J, Yu J, Wei X, Cooper BP, Newman L, Roux AM. {{Disability Identification and Self-Efficacy among College Students on the Autism Spectrum}}. {Autism Res Treat};2014;2014:924182.
The number of youth on the autism spectrum approaching young adulthood and attending college is growing. Very little is known about the subjective experience of these college students. Disability identification and self-efficacy are two subjective factors that are critical for the developmental and logistical tasks associated with emerging adulthood. This study uses data from the National Longitudinal Transition Study 2 to examine the prevalence and correlates of disability identification and self-efficacy among college students on the autism spectrum. Results indicate nearly one-third of these students do not report seeing themselves as disabled or having a special need. Black race was associated with lower likelihood of both disability identification and self-efficacy.
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19. Tinker J, Carbone PS, Viskochil D, Mathiesen A, Ma KN, Stevenson DA. {{Screening children with neurofibromatosis type 1 for autism spectrum disorder}}. {Am J Med Genet A};2014 (Apr 8)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is reported to be increased in neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), but it’s unknown if ASD screening tools are sensitive and specific for NF1. This study compared the rate at which children with NF1 screen-positive for two ASD screening tools [Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) and Childhood Autism Spectrum Test (CAST)] to the screen-positive rate of the general population. A retrospective cross-sectional observational design to investigate the association between children with NF1 and at risk status for ASD was used. Medical records of children between 16 months and 11 years of age seen in an NF Clinic were reviewed for an ASD screening questionnaire. There were no statistically significant differences in the screen-positive rate for ASD in NF1 compared to published controls, but mean CAST scores were higher in NF1. (c) 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
