1. {{Erratum: Two-Year Follow-up of Isolated Epileptiform Discharges in Autism: An Endophenotypic Biomarker?}}. {Indian journal of psychological medicine}. 2018; 40(6): 602.
[This corrects the article on p. 219 in vol. 40, PMID: 29875528.].
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2. Anderson AH, Stephenson J, Carter M, Carlon S. {{A Systematic Literature Review of Empirical Research on Postsecondary Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2018.
The findings from a systematic literature review of 24 empirical studies of interventions for post-secondary students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are reported in this study. A diverse range of interventions were examined, many of which appeared feasible and high rates of participant satisfaction were also reported. Differing responses within and among interventions may point to the possible need for individualized supports. Few studies analyzed a specific academic support despite many students with ASD indicating they prefer these supports and that they find them useful. This may highlight the need for participant preferences to be given more consideration when designing supports. Most studies were of poor quality, however, so any conclusions are tentative. Directions for future research were discussed.
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3. Arciuli J, Bailey B. {{Efficacy of ABRACADABRA literacy instruction in a school setting for children with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Research in developmental disabilities}. 2018; 85: 104-15.
BACKGROUND: There is evidence indicating that instruction using ABRACADABRA (ABRA) – a free web application designed to promote literacy development – may benefit children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) when administered on an individualized basis in children’s homes. AIMS: Here, we investigated the efficacy of ABRA instruction administered in small groups of children with ASD within a school setting. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Children were aged 5.83-8.42 years (n = 23). Some children were assigned to an instruction group and received a minimum of 20 h of ABRA instruction over 9 weeks (n = 11). The other children comprised an age- and ability-matched control group (n = 12) and received business as usual literacy instruction. Outcome measures included word-level accuracy, passage-level accuracy, and passage-level comprehension, all assessed using standardized tests that were independent of ABRA. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: ANOVAs comparing pre- versus post-instruction raw scores showed statistically significant improvements in word- and passage-level reading accuracy for the instruction group relative to the control group, with large effect sizes. Gains in reading comprehension for the instruction group were not statistically significant and, in a posthoc correlational analysis, appeared to be related to children’s socialisation skills (r = .62). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Literacy instruction using ABRA is associated with improvement in reading accuracy for children with ASD when administered in small groups within a school setting. Children with ASD may require additional supports to make gains in reading comprehension when literacy instruction using ABRA is delivered in groups.
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4. Bradshaw J, Gillespie S, Klaiman C, Klin A, Saulnier C. {{Early emergence of discrepancy in adaptive behavior and cognitive skills in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Autism : the international journal of research and practice}. 2018: 1362361318815662.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder and average IQ exhibit a widening discrepancy between lagging adaptive skills relative to their cognitive potential, but it is unknown when this discrepancy emerges in development. To address this important question, we measured adaptive and cognitive skills longitudinally, from 12-36 months, in 96 low-risk typically developing infants and 69 high-risk siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder who at 36 months were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder ( N = 21), the broader autism phenotype ( N = 19), or showed no concerns (unaffected; N = 29). Results indicate that both cognitive and adaptive communication skills remained stable over time for all four groups, but toddlers with autism spectrum disorder and the broader autism phenotype failed to keep pace with unaffected and typically developing toddlers with regard to adaptive socialization skills and, to a lesser extent, daily living skills. The odds of having a discrepant developmental profile, with average cognitive skills and below average adaptive skills, was significantly greater for socialization and daily living skills in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder or the broader autism phenotype and increased over time from 12 to 36 months. The discrepancy between adaptive skills and cognition emerges early and widens over time for infants with autism spectrum disorder symptomology, supporting early assessment and intervention of adaptive socialization and daily living skills.
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5. Brown JJ, Gray JM, Roback MG, Sethuraman U, Farooqi A, Kannikeswaran N. {{Procedural sedation in children with autism spectrum disorders in the emergency department}}. {The American journal of emergency medicine}. 2018.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) present more frequently to the emergency department (ED) than children with normal development, and frequently have injuries requiring procedural sedation. Our objective was to describe sedation practice and outcomes in children with ASD in the ED. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of children with ASD who underwent sedation at two tertiary care EDs between January 2009-December 2016. Data were collected on children 1-18years of age with ASD who were sedated in the ED. RESULTS: There were 6020 ED visits by children with ASD, 126 (2.1%) of whom received sedation. The most frequent indications for sedation were laceration repair (24.6%), incision and drainage (17.5%), diagnostic imaging (14.3%), and physical examination (11.9%). The most common sedatives used were ketamine (50.8%) and midazolam (50.8%). Ketamine was most commonly given intravenously (71.9%), while midazolam was usually given intranasally (71.9%). Procedures could not be completed in 4 (3.2%) patients, and adverse events were noted in 23 (18.3%) patients. Only four (3.2%) patients required supplemental oxygenation, and one received positive pressure ventilation. CONCLUSIONS: Children with autism in the ED commonly received sedation; one in four of which were for non-painful diagnostic procedures or physical examination. Over one-third received sedation via a non-parenteral route for intended minimal sedation. Sedative medication dosing and observed adverse events were similar to those reported previously in children without ASD. Emergency providers must be prepared to meet the unique sedation needs of children with ASD.
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6. Charman T, Jones EJH. {{Later Sibling Recurrence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: Clinical and Mechanistic Insights}}. {JAMA pediatrics}. 2018.
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7. Crowley JJ, Szatkiewicz J, Kahler AK, Giusti-Rodriguez P, Ancalade N, Booker JK, Carr JL, Crawford GE, Losh M, Stockmeier CA, Taylor AK, Piven J, Sullivan PF. {{Common-variant associations with fragile X syndrome}}. {Molecular psychiatry}. 2018.
Fragile X syndrome is rare but a prominent cause of intellectual disability. It is usually caused by a de novo mutation that occurs on multiple haplotypes and thus would not be expected to be detectible using genome-wide association (GWA). We conducted GWA in 89 male FXS cases and 266 male controls, and detected multiple genome-wide significant signals near FMR1 (odds ratio = 8.10, P = 2.5 x 10(-10)). These findings withstood robust attempts at falsification. Fine-mapping yielded a minimum P = 1.13 x 10(-14), but did not narrow the interval. Comprehensive functional genomic integration did not provide a mechanistic hypothesis. Controls carrying a risk haplotype had significantly longer FMR1 CGG repeats than controls with the protective haplotype (P = 4.75 x 10(-5)), which may predispose toward increases in CGG number to the premutation range over many generations. This is a salutary reminder of the complexity of even « simple » monogenetic disorders.
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8. Ghosn F, Perea M, Castello J, Vazquez MA, Yanez N, Marcos I, Sahuquillo R, Vento M, Garcia-Blanco A. {{Attentional Patterns to Emotional Faces Versus Scenes in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2018.
Previous research has shown attentional biases in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) when processing distressing information. This study examined these attentional patterns as a function of the type of stimulus (scenes and faces) and the stimulus valence (happy, sad, threatening, neutral) using a within-subject design. A dot-probe was applied to ASD (n = 24) and typically developing (TD) children (n = 24). Results showed no differences between the groups for happy and sad stimuli. Critically, ASD children showed an attentional bias toward threatening scenes but away from threatening faces. Thus, the type of stimuli modulated the direction of attentional biases to distressing information in ASD children. These results are discussed in the framework of current theories on cognitive and emotional processing in ASD.
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9. Gomez-Perez MM, Mata S, Calero MD. {{Discrepancies When Assessing Interpersonal Problem-Solving Skills in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Diagnostic Indicator}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2018.
In children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), there are often discrepancies between direct assessment and third-party reports. We compared these children with groups with/without difficulties in interpersonal problem-solving skills in order to determine whether these discrepancies appear and if they could be a diagnostic indicator for ASD. There were 91 participants (ages 7-13): 28 children with ASD, 36 in a high family risk situation, and 27 typically developing children, all tested with direct measures and third-party reports. Results showed discrepancies only in the ASD group. Consequently, direct performance measures and third-party reports seem to be evaluating different constructs in children with ASD. In addition, both types of measures discriminate between groups, such that both are needed, especially in diagnostic assessments.
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10. Hajisoltani R, Karimi SA, Rahdar M, Davoudi S, Borjkhani M, Hosseinmardi N, Behzadi G, Janahmadi M. {{Hyperexcitability of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in male offspring of a rat model of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) induced by prenatal exposure to valproic acid: a possible involvement of Ih channel current}}. {Brain research}. 2018.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neuropsychiatric disorder, which is characterized by impairment in social interaction and cognitive behaviors. However, there is not much electrophysiological data available on alterations of neuronal excitability in autism. Here, we assessed the pattern of neuronal excitability and the possible contribution of Ih current to the altered excitability of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in a rat model of VPA-induced ASD-like behavior. Pregnant Wistar rats received Valproic Acid (VPA, 500mg/kg) at gestational day 12.5. All offspring were subjected to behavioral tests to verify the induction of ASD-like behaviors. On postnatal day (PND) 45, whole-cell patch-clamp recordings were performed on hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons in slices obtained from control and prenatal VPA-exposed pups, under current and voltage-clamp conditions. Our results showed that beside the induction of behavioral abnormalities in ASD pups, higher excitability of hippocampal CA1 pyramidal neurons was also prominent, as evidenced by a significant increase in the spontaneous firing frequency and evoked firing rate, as well as a significant decrease in the rheobase current. In the VPA-exposed group, the steady-state (ISS) Ih current amplitude was significantly smaller than control cells. The Ih half-activation voltage shifted toward more negative potentials in the VPA-exposed group. The sag ratio was also significantly less than the control cells. Moreover, the cell soma size was shifted toward smaller diameter in VPA-exposed group. Overall, induction of ASD-like behaviors was associated with neuronal hyperexcitability, which, at least in part, could be attributed to the changes in Ih channels function.
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11. Harel-Gadassi A, Friedlander E, Yaari M, Bar-Oz B, Eventov-Friedman S, Mankuta D, Yirmiya N. {{Risk for ASD in Preterm Infants: A Three-Year Follow-Up Study}}. {Autism research and treatment}. 2018; 2018: 8316212.
Background: The aim of this study was to examine the long-term risk for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in individuals who are born preterm and full-term using both observational instruments and parental reports. Neonatal risk factors and developmental characteristics associated with ASD risk were also examined. Method: Participants included 110 preterm children (born at a gestational age of Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
12. Huang MX, Liu XH, Zhang ZJ, Chen C, Wang D, Hou X, Chen H, Xia K. {{Functional connection between the stereotyped behavior and the motor front area in children with autism}}. {British journal of neurosurgery}. 2018: 1-4.
OBJECT: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is characterized by stereotyped behavior, attention deficit and/or impaired sensory perception to external stimuli. Its neurobiological mechanisms remain unclear. In this study we examined the resting-state functional connectivity of the premotor area and investigated its correlation with behavioral variables to determine whether connectivity alterations can distinguish ASD from healthy controls. METHODS: 39 children with ASD and 42 healthy children with matched age, sex and intelligence were recruited. All the 81 subjects had behavioral index evaluation and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. After MRI data preprocessing, the left and right premotor areas were selected as region of interest (ROI) seeds to perform functional connectivity. Groups were compared, and the correlation between functional connectivity and behavioral indicators was analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with healthy controls, ASD children showed significantly increased functional connectivity between the left premotor area and the posterior cingulate gyrus or anterior lobe of wedge, but functional connectivity between the left premotor area and the left insular lobe was decreased (p < 0.05, FDR correction). In addition, the connectivity between the left premotor area and the left insular lobe was negatively correlated with the behavioral scores (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Imbalanced premotor functional connectivity may be one possible mechanism of stereotyped behavior in ASD. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
13. Hughes HK, Ashwood P. {{Anti-Candida albicans IgG Antibodies in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {Frontiers in psychiatry}. 2018; 9: 627.
The gut microbiota are known to have a profound influence on both mucosal and systemic immunity and are important for gastrointestinal (GI) function. In addition, new evidence shows that the microbiota significantly influence neurodevelopment and behavior. Immune dysfunction and GI distress are extremely common in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A growing body of evidence suggests that individuals with ASD have significant aberrations in the composition of their gut microbiota, known as dysbiosis. However, these studies have focused on the bacterial components of the microbiota, leaving the fungal microbiota in ASD poorly studied. Increases in fungal species such as Candida albicans are associated with inflammatory bowel disorders, and have recently been implicated in several neurological disorders including schizophrenia. We aimed to determine if children with ASD exhibit elevations in antibodies that target C. albicans, indicating current or previous overgrowth of this fungal species. We measured anti-C. albicans immunoglobulin (IgG) in plasma from 80 children enrolled in the UC Davis MIND Institute CHARGE study. Measurements were acquired using a commercial ELISA kit. Plasma anti-C. albicans antibody positivity was found in 36.5% (19/52) of children with ASD. Anti-C. albicans antibodies in typically developing controls was (14.3%; 4/28). Overall, ASD children had a higher rate of high-positive values compared to typically developed children with an unadjusted odds ratio of 3.45 (95% confidence interval, 1.0409 to 11.4650; p = 0.041, two-tailed). GI dysfunction was found in about half of the ASD children who were positive for anti-Candida IgG. This study provides evidence of a new microbial risk factor for ASD.
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14. Iannuzzi D, Rissmiller P, Duty SM, Feeney S, Sullivan M, Curtin C. {{Addressing a Gap in Healthcare Access for Transition-Age Youth with Autism: A Pilot Educational Intervention for Family Nurse Practitioner Students}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2018.
A mixed-methods randomized controlled trial pilot study evaluated an educational curriculum focused on the medical needs of transition-age youth (TAY) with autism (ASD) for family nurse practitioner students. Fourteen out of a cohort of 16 (87.5%) nursing students consented to participate in the study and were randomly assigned to either a waitlist control group (WLC) (n = 8) or an intervention group (INT) (n = 6). Three measures were used to determine pre- and post-intervention levels of self-efficacy, knowledge, and attitudes. Quantitative and qualitative data provide preliminary support that participation in intervention may improve and enhance knowledge and level of self-efficacy in working with TAY with ASD.
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15. Irimia A, Lei X, Torgerson CM, Jacokes ZJ, Abe S, Van Horn JD. {{Support Vector Machines, Multidimensional Scaling and Magnetic Resonance Imaging Reveal Structural Brain Abnormalities Associated With the Interaction Between Autism Spectrum Disorder and Sex}}. {Frontiers in computational neuroscience}. 2018; 12: 93.
Despite substantial efforts, it remains difficult to identify reliable neuroanatomic biomarkers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Studies which use standard statistical methods to approach this task have been hampered by numerous challenges, many of which are innate to the mathematical formulation and assumptions of general linear models (GLM). Although the potential of alternative approaches such as machine learning (ML) to identify robust neuroanatomic correlates of psychiatric disease has long been acknowledged, few studies have attempted to evaluate the abilities of ML to identify structural brain abnormalities associated with ASD. Here we use a sample of 110 ASD patients and 83 typically developing (TD) volunteers (95 females) to assess the suitability of support vector machines (SVMs, a robust type of ML) as an alternative to standard statistical inference for identifying structural brain features which can reliably distinguish ASD patients from TD subjects of either sex, thereby facilitating the study of the interaction between ASD diagnosis and sex. We find that SVMs can perform these tasks with high accuracy and that the neuroanatomic correlates of ASD identified using SVMs overlap substantially with those found using conventional statistical methods. Our results confirm and establish SVMs as powerful ML tools for the study of ASD-related structural brain abnormalities. Additionally, they provide novel insights into the volumetric, morphometric, and connectomic correlates of this epidemiologically significant disorder.
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16. Iwata K. {{Characterization of an Animal Model of Autism and Social Interaction}}. {Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, NJ)}. 2019; 1916: 149-55.
Autism is a pervasive developmental disorder characterized by severe and sustained impairment of social interaction and communication, and restricted or stereotyped patterns of behavior and interest. Though multiple risk factors such as genetic and environmental components and interaction of these factors are suggested, the exact etiology is still not known. Many risk factors have been used to established animal models of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. These models can be useful tools for testing epidemiological findings and investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying the neuropathology of these disorders. To improve the validity of animal models, three criteria including behavioral similarity has been proposed. The method described here is for evaluating the impairment of social interaction, one of the three core symptoms of autism.
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17. Kirkpatrick B, Louw JS, Leader G. {{Efficacy of parent training incorporated in behavioral sleep interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder and/or intellectual disabilities: a systematic review}}. {Sleep medicine}. 2018; 53: 141-52.
OBJECTIVE: Behavioral sleep interventions are regularly used to improve sleep problems experienced by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and/or intellectual disability (ID). Recent developments have seen the introduction of parent sleep education and healthy sleep practice training to sleep interventions. This article aims to systematically review the evidence on the efficacy of parent training that is incorporated within recent sleep interventions for children with ASD and/or ID. METHOD: Electronic databases and manual searches of reference lists identified 11 studies (n = 416 children) that met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The evidence presented in this systematic review would suggest that the inclusion of parent training within behavioral sleep interventions for children with ASD and/or ID is generally effective and valued by parents. Nine of the 11 studies reviewed reported a reduction in sleep problems. CONCLUSION: The literature conveys an emerging evidence-based practice that could contribute to future behavioral sleep research and guide best-practice decisions to support effective parent training to improve sleep outcomes for children with ASD and/or ID.
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18. Laurie MH, Warreyn P, Uriarte BV, Boonen C, Fletcher-Watson S. {{An International Survey of Parental Attitudes to Technology Use by Their Autistic Children at Home}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2018.
Capturing variability in use of commercial technologies by autistic children can inform future learning and support technology design. Survey data were collected from parents (n = 388) in the UK, Spain, and Belgium, and includes information about individuals with a range of ages and ability levels. We found a comparable pattern of access and usage across age groups, though higher reading and language ability was linked to use of more devices and interfaces. Reported worries about technology correlated with longer time spent using technology. Autistic children use mainstream technologies for a broad range of recreational uses. The data suggest that technologies developed with therapeutic goals in mind may need to achieve a high standard of design to engage users.
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19. Miller M, Musser ED, Young GS, Olson B, Steiner RD, Nigg JT. {{Sibling Recurrence Risk and Cross-aggregation of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {JAMA pediatrics}. 2018.
Importance: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are believed to partially share genetic factors and biological influences. As the number of children with these diagnoses rises, so does the number of younger siblings at presumed risk for ADHD and ASD; reliable recurrence risk estimates within and across diagnoses may aid screening and early detection efforts and enhance understanding of potential shared causes. Objective: To examine within-diagnosis sibling recurrence risk and sibling cross-aggregation of ADHD and ASD among later-born siblings of children with either disorder. Design, Setting, and Participants: Using data extracted from medical records of 2 large health care systems in the United States, estimates of recurrence risk and cross-aggregation in later-born siblings of children with ADHD or ASD were compared with later-born siblings of children without these diagnoses. One data set included children seen between January 1, 1995, and December 31, 2013; the other included children born between January 1, 1998, and May 17, 2010. Participants included 15175 later-born siblings of children with ADHD, ASD, and no known diagnosis. The study was conducted from October 2, 2017, to August 14, 2018. Main Outcomes and Measures: Diagnoses of ASD or ADHD in the later-born sibling, ascertained from medical records, were the primary outcomes of interest; moderators included sex, gestational age, and maternal age. Results: A total of 15175 later-born siblings were classified by familial risk status based on the older child’s diagnostic status: ADHD risk (n = 730; male [51.92%]), ASD risk (n = 158; male [48.10%]), and no known risk (n = 14 287; male [50.73%]). Compared with later-born siblings of children without ADHD or ASD, later-born siblings of children with ASD were more likely to be diagnosed with ASD (odds ratio [OR], 30.38; 95% CI, 17.73-52.06) or ADHD in the absence of ASD (OR, 3.70; 95% CI, 1.67-8.21). Compared with later-born siblings of children without a diagnosis, later-born siblings of children with ADHD were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD (OR, 13.05; 95% CI, 9.86-17.27) or ASD in the absence of ADHD (OR, 4.35; 95% CI, 2.43-7.79). Conclusions and Relevance: Later-born siblings of children with ASD or ADHD appear to be at elevated risk for the same disorder, but also of being diagnosed with the other disorder. These findings provide further support for shared familial mechanisms underlying ASD and ADHD, which may be useful for genetic and prospective developmental studies. Later-born siblings of children with ADHD or ASD should be monitored for both conditions.
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20. Nadeem A, Ahmad SF, Attia SM, Al-Ayadhi LY, Bakheet SA, Al-Harbi NO. {{Oxidative and inflammatory mediators are upregulated in neutrophils of autistic children: Role of IL-17A receptor signaling}}. {Progress in neuro-psychopharmacology & biological psychiatry}. 2018.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by repetitive behaviors, impaired social communication and stereotyped interests, and often associated with dysregulations in innate/adaptive immune cells. IL-17A has been linked with abnormal behavioral patterns observed in autistic children and animal models of autism. However, it is yet to be investigated if IL-17A and its receptors are implicated in regulation of oxidative and inflammatory mediators in neutrophils of ASD patients. Therefore, we pursued to identify the effect of IL-17 receptor (IL-17R), and its inflammatory potential in neutrophils from ASD (n=45) and typically developing control (TDC; n=40) subjects. IL-17A, its receptor (IL-17R), associated signaling pathways [nuclear transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappaB), IL-6 and oxidative stress parameters such as NADPH oxidase (NOX2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), reactive oxygen species (ROS), and nitrotyrosine] were determined in the neutrophils from TDC and ASD subjects. Our data show that IL-17A expression, and IL-17R are increased in neutrophils of ASD patients. Further, inflammatory signaling pathways such as such as phospho-NFkappaB, and ROS generating enzymes, i.e. NOX2/iNOS are increased in neutrophils of ASD patients as compared TDC subjects. Furthermore, activation of IL-17A/IL-17R signaling in neutrophils of ASD subjects leads to upregulation of phospho-NFkappaB, IL-6 and NOX2/ROS, thus suggesting a compelling role of IL-17A in modulation of inflammation. Our study displays for the first time that IL-17A/IL-17R signaling in neutrophils could play a pivotal role in autism through upregulation of oxidative and inflammatory mediators.
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21. Sgritta M, Dooling SW, Buffington SA, Momin EN, Francis MB, Britton RA, Costa-Mattioli M. {{Mechanisms Underlying Microbial-Mediated Changes in Social Behavior in Mouse Models of Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Neuron}. 2018.
Currently, there are no medications that effectively treat the core symptoms of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We recently found that the bacterial species Lactobacillus (L.) reuteri reverses social deficits in maternal high-fat-diet offspring. However, whether the effect of L. reuteri on social behavior is generalizable to other ASD models and its mechanism(s) of action remains unknown. Here, we found that treatment with L. reuteri selectively rescues social deficits in genetic, environmental, and idiopathic ASD models. Interestingly, the effects of L. reuteri on social behavior are not mediated by restoring the composition of the host’s gut microbiome, which is altered in all of these ASD models. Instead, L. reuteri acts in a vagus nerve-dependent manner and rescues social interaction-induced synaptic plasticity in the ventral tegmental area of ASD mice, but not in oxytocin receptor-deficient mice. Collectively, treatment with L. reuteri emerges as promising non-invasive microbial-based avenue to combat ASD-related social dysfunction.
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22. Stedman A, Taylor B, Erard M, Peura C, Siegel M. {{Are Children Severely Affected by Autism Spectrum Disorder Underrepresented in Treatment Studies? An Analysis of the Literature}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2018.
Despite significant advances in autism research, experts have noted that children severely affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD) appear to have been understudied. Rigorous analysis of this observation has been limited, and the representation of severity has not been well-described. We assessed three domains of severity (communication ability, cognitive functioning, and adaptive functioning) in 367 treatment studies of children with ASD published 1991-2013. We found that the proportion of studies that included the severely affected population decreased significantly over time, as well as wide variability in measurement and reporting. Inadequate representation of the full autism spectrum in the literature could lead to an unbalanced picture of ASD and leave behind those with arguably the greatest need.
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23. Tomaszewski B, Smith DaWalt L, Odom SL. {{Growth mixture models of adaptive behavior in adolescents with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Autism : the international journal of research and practice}. 2018: 1362361318815645.
This study examined growth trajectories of teacher-reported adaptive behavior in a diverse sample of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. The participants were 244 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 21 years who were assessed at up to four time points across two and a half years of high school. Demographic variables (age, sex, race, maternal education), phenotypic characteristics (intelligence quotient, autism severity) and school factors (location of the school, school quality) were collected. Growth mixture modeling was used to identify distinct classes of growth trajectories in communication, daily living skills, and socialization domains of adaptive behavior. Two distinct classes were identified for each domain. The first class had moderately low adaptive behavior scores and demonstrated growth of adaptive behavior over time and the second class had low adaptive behavior scores and did not demonstrate change over time. Adolescents within the moderately low adaptive behavior classes were younger at enrollment in the study, had higher IQs, and lower autism symptom severity. Logistic regressions were performed, and aspects of school quality predicted the likelihood of being in the moderately low classes above and beyond autism symptoms.
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24. Vettori S, Dzhelyova M, Van der Donck S, Jacques C, Steyaert J, Rossion B, Boets B. {{Reduced neural sensitivity to rapid individual face discrimination in autism spectrum disorder}}. {NeuroImage Clinical}. 2018.
BACKGROUND: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are characterized by impairments in social communication and interaction. Although difficulties at processing social signals from the face in ASD have been observed and emphasized for many years, there is a lot of inconsistency across both behavioral and neural studies. METHODS: We recorded scalp electroencephalography (EEG) in 23 8-to-12year old boys with ASD and 23 matched typically developing boys using a fast periodic visual stimulation (FPVS) paradigm, providing objective (i.e., frequency-tagged), fast (i.e., few minutes) and highly sensitive measures of rapid face categorization, without requiring any explicit face processing task. We tested both the sensitivity to rapidly (i.e., at a glance) categorize faces among other objects and to individuate unfamiliar faces. OUTCOMES: While general neural synchronization to the visual stimulation and neural responses indexing generic face categorization were undistinguishable between children with ASD and typically developing controls, neural responses indexing individual face discrimination over the occipito-temporal cortex were substantially reduced in the individuals with ASD. This difference vanished when faces were presented upside-down, due to the lack of significant face inversion effect in ASD. INTERPRETATION: These data provide original evidence for a selective high-level impairment in individual face discrimination in ASD in an implicit task. The objective and rapid assessment of this function opens new perspectives for ASD diagnosis in clinical settings.
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25. Wen TH, Lovelace JW, Ethell IM, Binder DK, Razak KA. {{Developmental Changes in EEG Phenotypes in a Mouse Model of Fragile X Syndrome}}. {Neuroscience}. 2018.
Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) is a leading genetic cause of autism and intellectual disabilities. Sensory-processing deficits are common in humans with FXS and an animal model, the Fmr1 knockout (KO) mouse, manifesting in the auditory system as debilitating hypersensitivity and abnormal electroencephalographic (EEG) and event-related potential (ERP) phenotypes. FXS is a neurodevelopmental disorder, but how EEG/ERP phenotypes change during development is unclear. Therefore, we characterized baseline and stimulus-evoked EEG in auditory and frontal cortex of developing (postnatal day (P) 21 and P30) and adult (P60) wildtype (WT) and Fmr1 KO mice with the FVB genetic background. We found that baseline gamma-band power and N1 amplitude of auditory ERP were increased in frontal cortex of Fmr1 KO mice during development and in adults. Baseline gamma power was increased in auditory cortex at P30. Genotype differences in stimulus-evoked gamma power were present in both cortical regions, but the direction and strength of the changes were age-dependent. These findings suggest that cortical deficits are present during early development and may contribute to sensory-processing deficits in FXS, which in turn may lead to anxiety and delayed language. Developmental changes in EEG measures indicate that observations at a single time-point during development are not reflective of FXS disease progression and highlight the need to identify developmental trajectories and optimal windows for treatment.
