1. {{Screening for autism}}. {Arch Dis Child};2016 (Mar 11)
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2. Colbert AM, Webber J, Graham R. {{Factors that Influence Autism Knowledge in Hispanic Cultures: a Pilot Study}}. {J Racial Ethn Health Disparities};2016 (Mar 11)
Although the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is rising, Hispanic children are diagnosed at a disproportionately lower rate compared to other ethnic and racial groups. Lack of ASD knowledge in the Hispanic community may contribute to this disparity. The study objective was to determine whether sociocultural and environmental factors linked to ASD diagnostic disparities were related to Hispanic parents’ ASD knowledge. A 60-item survey assessing demographic information, acculturation, religiosity, social support, and ASD knowledge was administered to 64 Hispanic patients (84 % female; 76 % uninsured; 82 % Catholic) visiting a southwest clinic. Socioeconomic status (SES), social support, language of questionnaire, spiritual attribution of child diagnosis, and religious importance predicted ASD knowledge, accounting for 43 % of variance. Results contribute to understanding how sociocultural and environmental factors influence ASD knowledge within at-risk Hispanic individuals, which can be used to improve information dissemination and ultimately reduce disparity in ASD services.
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3. Jacobs S, Cheng C, Doering LC. {{Hippocampal neuronal subtypes develop abnormal dendritic arbors in the presence of Fragile X astrocytes}}. {Neuroscience};2016 (Mar 8)
Astrocytes are now recognized as key players in the neurobiology of neurodevelopmental disorders such as Fragile X syndrome. However, the nature of Fragile X astrocyte-mediated control of dendrite development in subtypes of hippocampal neurons is not yet known. We used a co-culture procedure in which wildtype primary hippocampal neurons were cultured with astrocytes from either a wildtype or Fragile X mouse, for either 7, 14 or 21 days. The neurons were processed for immunocytochemistry with the dendritic marker MAP2, classified by morphological criteria into one of five neuronal subtypes, and subjected to Sholl analyses. Both linear and semi-log methods of Sholl analyses were applied to the neurons in order to provide an in depth analysis of the dendritic arborizations. We found that Fragile X astrocytes affect the development of dendritic arborization of all subtypes of wildtype hippocampal neurons. Furthermore, we show that hippocampal neurons with spiny stellate neuron morphology exhibit the most pervasive developmental delays, with significant dendritic arbor alterations persisting at 21 days in culture. The results further dictate the critical role astrocytes play in governing neuronal morphology including altered dendrite development in Fragile X.
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4. Wallace GL, Budgett J, Charlton RA. {{Aging and autism spectrum disorder: Evidence from the broad autism phenotype}}. {Autism Res};2016 (Mar 11)
This study investigated for the first time the broad autism phenotype (BAP) in the context of older adulthood and its associations with real-world executive function, social support, and both depression and anxiety symptomatology. Based on self-ratings of autistic traits, 66 older adults (60+ years old, range = 61-88) were split into BAP (n = 20) and control (n = 46) groups. Individuals in the BAP group, even after controlling for age, education level, sex, and health problems, exhibited more real-world executive function problems in multiple domains, reported lower levels of social support, and self-rated increased depression and anxiety symptomatology compared to the control group. Regression analysis revealed that level of social support was the strongest predictor of BAP traits across both groups, although real-world executive function problems and depression symptomatology were also significant predictors. Moreover, when predicting anxiety and depression symptomatology, BAP traits were the strongest predictors above and beyond the effects of demographic factors, real-world executive function problems, and social support levels. These findings suggest that the BAP in older adulthood imparts additional risks to areas of functioning that are known to be crucial to aging-related outcomes in the context of typical development. These results might in turn inform aging in autism spectrum disorder, which has been largely unexplored to date. Autism Res 2016. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
