1. Basheer S, Natarajan A, van Amelsvoort T, Venkataswamy MM, Ravi V, Srinath S, Girimaji SC, Christopher R. {{Vitamin D status of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Case-control study from India}}. {Asian J Psychiatr}. 2017; 30: 200-1.
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2. Downs JM, Lechler S, Dean H, Sears N, Patel R, Shetty H, Simonoff E, Hotopf M, Ford TJ, Diaz-Caneja CM, Arango C, MacCabe JH, Hayes RD, Pina-Camacho L. {{The Association Between Comorbid Autism Spectrum Disorders and Antipsychotic Treatment Failure in Early-Onset Psychosis: A Historical Cohort Study Using Electronic Health Records}}. {J Clin Psychiatry}. 2017.
OBJECTIVE: In a sample of children and adolescents with first-episode psychosis, we investigated whether multiple treatment failure (MTF, defined as the initiation of a third trial of novel antipsychotic due to nonadherence, adverse effects, or insufficient response) was associated with comorbid autism spectrum disorders. METHODS: Data were from the electronic health records of 638 children (51% male) aged from 10 to 17 years with first-episode psychosis (per ICD-10 criteria) from January 1, 2008, to November 1, 2014, referred to mental health services in South London, United Kingdom; data were extracted using the Clinical Record Interactive Search (CRIS) system. The effect of autism spectrum disorder comorbidity on the development of MTF during a 5-year period was modeled using Cox regression. RESULTS: There were 124 cases of MTF prior to the age of 18 (19.4% of the sample). Comorbid autism spectrum disorders were significantly associated with MTF (adjusted hazard ratio = 1.99; 95% CI, 1.19-3.31; P = .008) after controlling for a range of potential confounders. Other factors significantly associated with MTF included higher age at first presentation (P = .001), black ethnicity (P = .03), and frequency of clinical contact (P < .001). No significant association between other comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders (hyperkinetic disorder or intellectual disability) and MTF was found. CONCLUSIONS: Children with first-episode psychosis and comorbid autism spectrum disorders at first presentation are less likely to have a beneficial response to antipsychotics. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
3. Forbes PAG, Hamilton AFC. {{A model to investigate intention understanding in autism?: Comment on « Seeing mental states: An experimental strategy for measuring the observability of other minds » by Cristina Becchio et al}}. {Phys Life Rev}. 2017.
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4. Guo M, Zhu J, Yang T, Lai X, Liu X, Liu J, Chen J, Li T. {{Vitamin A improves the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders and decreases 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT): A pilot study}}. {Brain Res Bull}. 2017; 137: 35-40.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are complicated neurodevelopmental disorders. Many studies have demonstrated that children with autism have multiple nutritional deficiencies and increased serum 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) levels. In our previous study, 77.9% of autistic children were found to have vitamin A deficiency, and the concentration of vitamin A was negatively associated with the CARS score. In the present study, we sought to test whether vitamin A supplementation could improve autistic symptoms and decrease serum 5-HT levels. The DSM-V criteria and CARS score were used for symptom description and symptom assessment of the patients, respectively, before and after vitamin A supplementation (VAS). Serum retinol and 5-HT levels, mRNA levels of RAR alpha, beta, and gamma and TpH 1 expression were detected in autistic children before and after VAS and in normal children. Serum retinol levels in children with ASD were significantly lower than in control children. Serum 5-HT levels in children with ASD were higher than in control children, which were correlated with symptom severity of children with autism. After VA supplementation, the children with ASD exhibited significant improvement in autism symptoms. Serum retinol concentrations of children with ASD were significantly increased, and serum 5-HT levels were decreased. Moreover, statistically significant changes were observed in mRNA expression levels of RAR alpha, RAR gamma and TpH 1 after VAS compared to baseline. This study suggested that VA supplementation may improve symptoms and reduce 5-HT levels in children with ASD, indicating that VA supplementation is a reasonable therapy at least for a subset of children with autism.
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5. Martinez LA, Tejada-Simon MV. {{Pharmacological Rescue of Hippocampal Fear Learning Deficits in Fragile X Syndrome}}. {Mol Neurobiol}. 2017.
Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is the leading cause of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability and results from loss of Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP). In neurons, FMRP controls the translation of synaptic plasticity proteins that are implicated in learning and memory. FMRP also regulates development- and experience-dependent actin cytoskeleton remodeling within dendritic spines through the small Rho GTPase Rac1. Modulation of Rac1 activity is critical during synaptic plasticity as well as learning and memory. We have previously shown that FXS mouse models exhibit learning and memory deficits as well as hyperactive Rac1 in the hippocampus. To determine whether pharmacological inhibition of Rac1 in FXS improves cognitive impairment, FXS mice were treated with the specific Rac1 inhibitor NSC23766, followed by fear conditioning. Whereas non-cognitive functions were unaffected, hippocampus-related memory improved in FXS mice treated with the Rac1 inhibitor. Furthermore, long-term potentiation in hippocampal slices from FXS mice was increased after incubation with the Rac1 inhibitor. Together, these observations indicate that modulation of Rac1 may provide a novel therapeutic target in the treatment of cognitive impairment in FXS.
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6. Osokine I, Erlebacher A. {{Inflammation and Autism: From Maternal Gut to Fetal Brain}}. {Trends Mol Med}. 2017.
Maternal immune activation (MIA) during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of behavioral disorders in the offspring of affected mothers. Two recent studies highlight how maternal inflammation disrupts inhibitory interneuron networks and suggest that the maternal gut microbiome may be a contributing risk factor for MIA-induced behavioral abnormalities.
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7. Piccin S, Crippa A, Nobile M, Hardan AY, Brambilla P. {{Video modeling for the development of personal hygiene skills in youth with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci}. 2017: 1-6.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder mainly characterised by deficits in social communication as well as by narrow patterns of behaviour and interests (American Psychiatric Association, 2013), often accompanied by language, intellectual and sensory impairments. The severity of these impairments may lead to deficits in the development of daily living activities such as simple meal preparation and feeding, community skills (e.g. buying groceries), personal care (e.g. dressing) and personal hygiene skills (bathing, toileting, hand washing, teeth brushing) needed for independence. Among others, the lack of independence in personal hygiene skills increases the burden of the caregiver and makes children with ASD more dependent (Flynn & Healy, 2012). Therefore, it is important to develop tools for helping individuals with ASD in increasing their ability to perform these basic life activities which will lead to savings that can be invested in other critical areas of needs.
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8. Russo-Ponsaran N, McKown C, Johnson J, Russo J, Crossman J, Reife I. {{Virtual Environment for Social Information Processing: Assessment of Children with and without Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {Autism Res}. 2017.
Social information processing (SIP) skills are critical for developing and maintaining peer relationships. Building on existing assessment techniques, Virtual Environment for SIP (VESIP(TM) ), a simulation-based assessment that immerses children in social decision-making scenarios, was developed. This study presents preliminary evidence of VESIP’s usefulness for measuring SIP skills in children with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Twenty-one children with ASD and 29 control children participated. It was hypothesized that (a) children (8-12 years old), with and without ASD, would understand and interact effectively with VESIP; (b) VESIP scores would be reliable in both populations; and (c) children with ASD would score lower on SIP domains than typically developing peers. Results supported these hypotheses. Finally, response bias was also evaluated, showing that children with ASD have different problem-solving strategies than their peers. VESIP has great potential as a scalable assessment of SIP strengths and challenges in children with and without ASD. Autism Res 2017. (c) 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often struggle interpreting and responding to social situations. The present study suggests that an animated, simulation-based assessment approach is an effective way to measure how children with or without ASDs problem-solve challenging social situations. VESIP is an easy-to-use assessment tool that can help practitioners understand a child’s particular strengths and weaknesses.
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9. Su X, Cai RY, Uljarevic M. {{Predictors of Mental Health in Chinese Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2017.
The aim of this study was to explore the influence of parental intolerance of Uncertainty (IU), sensory sensitivity (SS) and Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP), as well as the severity of their children’s autism symptoms and co-morbid symptoms, on the mental health of Chinese parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). One hundred and twenty-two parents (86.9% mothers; M age = 35.64 years, SD = 4.21) of children with ASD took part. Regression and mediation analyses showed that children’s internalizing difficulties, parental BAP and IU had a direct effect, and SS had an indirect effect through IU, on parental mental health. We did not find a significant relationship between parental mental health and children’s ASD severity. Our findings emphasise the need to focus on parental traits when considering their well-being and mental health, and have implications for the design of evidence-based services to support the needs of parents.
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10. Wiens D, DeSoto MC. {{Is High Folic Acid Intake a Risk Factor for Autism?-A Review}}. {Brain Sci}. 2017; 7(11).
Folate is required for metabolic processes and neural development. Insuring its adequate levels for pregnant women through supplementation of grain-based foods with synthetic folic acid (FA) in order to prevent neural tube defects has been an ongoing public health initiative. However, because women are advised to take multivitamins containing FA before and throughout pregnancy, the supplementation together with natural dietary folates has led to a demographic with high and rising serum levels of unmetabolized FA. This raises concerns about the detrimental effects of high serum synthetic FA, including a rise in risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Some recent studies have reported a protective effect of FA fortification against ASD, but others have concluded there is an increased risk for ASD and other negative neurocognitive development outcomes. These issues are accompanied by further health questions concerning high, unmetabolized FA levels in serum. In this review, we outline the reasons excess FA supplementation is a concern and review the history and effects of supplementation. We then examine the effects of FA on neuronal development from tissue culture experiments, review recent advances in understanding of metabolic functional blocks in causing ASD and treatment for these with alternative forms such as folinic acid, and finally summarize the conflicting epidemiological findings regarding ASD. Based on the evidence evaluated, we conclude that caution regarding over supplementing is warranted.
