1. Adams KL, Murphy J, Catmur C, Bird G. The role of interoception in the overlap between eating disorders and autism: Methodological considerations. European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association. 2022.

Significant comorbidity has been demonstrated between feeding and eating disorders and autism. Atypical interoception (perception of bodily signals) may, at least in part, be responsible for this association, as it has been implicated in the aetiology of both conditions. However, significant methodological limitations are impeding progress in this area. This paper provides a brief overview of how interoception has been linked to autism and feeding and eating disorders in both adolescent and adult populations before identifying several issues with current measures of interoception. We suggest that methodological issues may be contributing to the inconsistency in the empirical literature, and provide suggestions for future research.

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2. Andrzejewski T, DeLucia EA, Semones O, Khan S, McDonnell CG. Adverse Childhood Experiences in Autistic Children and Their Caregivers: Examining Intergenerational Continuity. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. 2022.

Although there is an urgent need to develop trauma-informed services for autistic youth, little research has evaluated adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in autistic youth from an intergenerational perspective. 242 caregivers of autistic (n = 117) and non-autistic (n = 125) youth reported on ACEs that they experienced in their own childhoods and ACEs experienced by their children, as well as measures of depression, stress, and child autistic traits and behavioral concerns. Autistic youth and their caregivers both experienced significantly higher rates of ACEs than the non-autistic dyads. Intergenerational continuity, the association between caregiver and child ACEs, was significantly stronger for autistic youth. ACEs showed differential patterns of associations with parent depressive symptoms and child autistic traits across groups.

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3. Bracic G, Hegmann K, Engel J, Kurt S. Impaired Subcortical Processing of Amplitude-Modulated Tones in Mice Deficient for Cacna2d3, a Risk Gene for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Humans. eNeuro. 2022; 9(2).

Temporal processing of complex sounds is a fundamental and complex task in hearing and a prerequisite for processing and understanding vocalization, speech, and prosody. Here, we studied response properties of neurons in the inferior colliculus (IC) in mice lacking Cacna2d3, a risk gene for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The α(2)δ3 auxiliary Ca(2+) channel subunit encoded by Cacna2d3 is essential for proper function of glutamatergic synapses in the auditory brainstem. Recent evidence has shown that much of auditory feature extraction is performed in the auditory brainstem and IC, including processing of amplitude modulation (AM). We determined both spectral and temporal properties of single- and multi-unit responses in the IC of anesthetized mice. IC units of α(2)δ3(-/-) mice showed normal tuning properties yet increased spontaneous rates compared with α(2)δ3(+/+) When stimulated with AM tones, α(2)δ3(-/-) units exhibited less precise temporal coding and reduced evoked rates to higher modulation frequencies (f(m)). Whereas first spike latencies (FSLs) were increased for only few modulation frequencies, population peak latencies were increased for f(m) ranging from 20 to 100 Hz in α(2)δ3(-/-) IC units. The loss of precision of temporal coding with increasing f(m) from 70 to 160 Hz was characterized using a normalized offset-corrected (Pearson-like) correlation coefficient, which appeared more appropriate than the metrics of vector strength. The processing deficits of AM sounds analyzed at the level of the IC indicate that α(2)δ3(-/-) mice exhibit a subcortical auditory processing disorder (APD). Similar deficits may be present in other mouse models for ASDs.

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4. Chiappori F, Cupaioli FA, Consiglio A, Di Nanni N, Mosca E, Licciulli VF, Mezzelani A. Analysis of Faecal Microbiota and Small ncRNAs in Autism: Detection of miRNAs and piRNAs with Possible Implications in Host-Gut Microbiota Cross-Talk. Nutrients. 2022; 14(7).

Intestinal microorganisms impact health by maintaining gut homeostasis and shaping the host immunity, while gut dysbiosis associates with many conditions, including autism, a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with multifactorial aetiology. In autism, gut dysbiosis correlates with symptom severity and is characterised by a reduced bacterial variability and a diminished beneficial commensal relationship. Microbiota can influence the expression of host microRNAs that, in turn, regulate the growth of intestinal bacteria by means of bidirectional host-gut microbiota cross-talk. We investigated possible interactions among intestinal microbes and between them and host transcriptional modulators in autism. To this purpose, we analysed, by « omics » technologies, faecal microbiome, mycobiome, and small non-coding-RNAs (particularly miRNAs and piRNAs) of children with autism and neurotypical development. Patients displayed gut dysbiosis related to a reduction of healthy gut micro- and mycobiota as well as up-regulated transcriptional modulators. The targets of dysregulated non-coding-RNAs are involved in intestinal permeability, inflammation, and autism. Furthermore, microbial families, underrepresented in patients, participate in the production of human essential metabolites negatively influencing the health condition. Here, we propose a novel approach to analyse faeces as a whole, and for the first time, we detected miRNAs and piRNAs in faecal samples of patients with autism.

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5. Choi M, Ko SY, Seo JY, Kim DG, Lee H, Chung H, Son H. Autistic-like social deficits in hippocampal MeCP2 knockdown rat models are rescued by ketamine. BMB reports. 2022.

Autism or autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a behavioral syndrome characterized by persistent deficits in social interaction, and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. The gene encoding Methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) is one of a few exceptional genes of established causal effect in ASD. Although genetically engineered mice studies may shed light on how MeCP2 loss affects synaptic activity patterns across the whole brain, such studies are not considered practical in ASD patients due to the overall level of impairment, and are technically challenging in mice. For the first time, we show that hippocampal MeCP2 knockdown produces behavioral abnormalities associated with autism-like traits in rats, providing a new strategy to investigate the efficacy of therapeutics in ASD. Ketamine, an N-Methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) blocker, has been proposed as a possible treatment for autism. Using the MeCP2 knockdown rats in conjunction with a rat model of valproic acid (VPA)-induced ASD, we examined gene expression and ASD behaviors upon ketamine treatment. We report that the core symptoms of autism in MeCP2 knockdown rats with social impairment recovered dramatically following a single treatment with ketamine.

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6. De Giacomo A, Medicamento S, Pedaci C, Giambersio D, Giannico OV, Petruzzelli MG, Simone M, Corsalini M, Marzulli L, Matera E. Peripheral Iron Levels in Autism Spectrum Disorders vs. Other Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Preliminary Data. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022; 19(7).

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by deficits in social skills and specific behaviors and interests. Among other environmental factors, iron may play a role in the development of ASD. The aim of this study is to compare the iron status of children with ASD with that of children affected by neurodevelopmental disorders other than ASD (OND). A total of 167 patients were enrolled, including 93 children with ASD and 74 children with OND. In the two groups, we determined ferritin, iron, transferrin, hemoglobin, HCT, and MCV in the serum. We found a significant difference in serum ferritin and MCV levels between the two groups (p < 0.05), with lower ferritin and higher MCV values in the ASD group. There was no significant association with the other variables. Our results may support the hypothesis of altered iron status in ASD, justifying more frequent examinations of blood iron parameters in these children.

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7. De Niz M. Autism in science – ‘through the looking glass’ and the role of empathy in the equation. Journal of cell science. 2022; 135(7).

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8. Dell’Osso L, Buselli R, Corsi M, Baldanzi S, Bertelloni CA, Marino R, Gravina D, Chiumiento M, Veltri A, Massimetti G, Caldi F, Perretta S, Foddis R, Guglielmi G, Cristaudo A, Carmassi C. Do Autistic Traits Correlate with Post-Traumatic Stress and Mood Spectrum Symptoms among Workers Complaining of Occupational Stress?. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022; 19(7).

The adult autism subthreshold spectrum model appears to be a useful tool for detecting possible vulnerability factors in order to develop mental disorders in the contest of work-related stress. The aim of the present study is to analyze the relationship between autism, mood, and post-traumatic spectrum in a cohort of subjects complaining of work-related stress before the COVID-19 pandemic. The authors carried out a retrospective investigation of both medical records and self-assessment tools of a sample of subjects evaluated at the Occupational Health Department of a University hospital in central Italy. Data showed significant correlations between the AdAS spectrum, TALS-SR, and MOODS total and domain scores. A multiple linear regression evidenced that both the AdAS spectrum and TAL-SR significantly predict the MOODS scores. In particular, mediation analysis showed both a direct and indirect, mediated by TALS-SR, effect of the AdAS Spectrum on the MOODS-SR. These results corroborate the role of autistic traits in influencing the traumatic impact of work-related stress and the development of mood spectrum symptoms.

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9. Ghiotto C, Silva C, Charvin I, Atzori P, Givaudan M, Da Fonseca D, Bat-Pitault F. Comparing executive functions profiles in anorexia nervosa and autism spectrum disorder in adolescence. European eating disorders review : the journal of the Eating Disorders Association. 2022.

OBJECTIVE: Executive functions (EFs) inefficiencies in anorexia nervosa (AN), especially in set-shifting and central coherence, suggest a link between AN and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). This study aimed at comparing EF profiles in AN and ASD, and investigating clinical variables associated with the identified EF difficulties. METHOD: One hundred and sixty-two adolescents with AN or ASD completed self-report questionnaires assessing depression, anxiety and autism symptoms. Parents completed the behaviour rating of executive functions parent-form (BRIEF-P). Besides comparing EFs in AN and ASD, we also analysed clinical variables scoring below and above the mean age score across the all sample. We additionally examined the relationship between clinical variables and the BRIEF-P indexes in AN. RESULTS: Participants with ASD had greater EF difficulties than participants with AN on all BRIEF-P scales. In the whole sample, higher autistic features were related to poorer EF. In AN, lower body mass index and particularly higher autism-spectrum quotient (BRI: Beta = 0.55; p < 0.001 and GEC: Beta = 0.50; p < 0.001) were most strongly associated with poorer EF. CONCLUSION: Although participants with ASD showed greater difficulties, autistic traits were related to alter EFs in AN. Exploring further this dimension can undeniably allow better adaptive cognitive remediation programs.

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10. Grant A, Jones S, Williams K, Leigh J, Brown A. Autistic women’s views and experiences of infant feeding: A systematic review of qualitative evidence. Autism : the international journal of research and practice. 2022: 13623613221089374.

What is already known about the topic?Mothers are encouraged to breastfeed their babies due to known health benefits for both babies and mothers. However, although breastfeeding is ‘natural’, that does not make it easy and many women experience challenges. Autistic women may face additional barriers to breastfeeding when compared to neurotypical women.What this paper adds?We reviewed all existing evidence on Autistic mothers’ infant feeding experiences (22 pieces) and found that although many Autistic women wanted to breastfeed, breastfeeding was difficult for Autistic mothers for three key reasons. First, maternity and infant feeding services were inaccessible and unsupportive to Autistic mothers, meaning they did not receive help when needed. Second, becoming a mother was challenging because of exhaustion, loss of control over routines and a lack of social support. Third, when breastfeeding Autistic mothers experienced sensory challenges, such as ‘being touched out’, and pain, which could feel unbearable. Despite these difficulties, many Autistic mothers had done a lot of reading about breastfeeding and were determined to breastfeed their babies; some mothers found breastfeeding positive. Infant formula was often viewed as second-best compared to breastmilk, but some mothers found the ritual of preparing bottles of formula to be calming.Implications for practice, research or policyThe findings of this work show that Autistic mothers urgently need better support from health professionals to help meet their breastfeeding goals, including how to remove or reduce the extra barriers being Autistic brings to breastfeeding.

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11. Jaramillo-Alcázar A, Arias J, Albornoz I, Alvarado A, Luján-Mora S. Method for the Development of Accessible Mobile Serious Games for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022; 19(7).

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) covers a range of neurodevelopmental disorders that begin in early childhood and affects developmental activities. This condition can negatively influence the gaining of knowledge, skills, and abilities, such as communication. Over time, different techniques and methods have been put into practice to teach and communicate with children with ASD. With the rapid advancement in the field of technology, specifically in smartphones, researchers have generated creative applications, such as mobile serious games, to help children with ASD. However, usability and accessibility have not been often taken into account in the development of this type of applications. For that reason, in this work we considered that both, usability and especially accessibility are a very important differentiators for the quality and efficiency of mobile serious games. Our approach has two important contributions, the incorporation of accessibility as a fundamental requirement in the development of a mobile serious game and the proposal of a method for the development of this type of applications for children with ASD, a method that can be used by other developers.

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12. Jenabi E, Bashirian S, Khazaei S, Farhadi Nasab A, Maleki A. The Association between Assisted Reproductive Technology and the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorders among Offspring: A Meta-Analysis. Current pediatric reviews. 2022.

BACKGROUND: This review aimed to determine the association assisted reproductive technology (ART) and increase the chances of having an autistic child. METHODS: The Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus databases were systematically searched for studies published until December 2020 with the restricted English language. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) for cohort and case-control studies has been used for the evaluation of quality in individual studies. We evaluated the heterogeneity among the studies using I-squared. Publication bias was assessed using the funnel plot and Egger’s and Begg’s tests. We presented results using odds ratio (OR) and relative ratio (RR) estimates with its 95% confidence intervals (CI) using a random-effects model. RESULTS: In total, 18 articles were included in the present study. The overall findings of the present meta-analysis show that the use of ART didn’t associate with the risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) among offspring based on OR and RR (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 0.88-1.21) and (RR = 1 .26, 95% CI: 0.96- 1 .55), respectively. We showed a significant association between ART and the risk of ASD in Asia than in the other regions without heterogeneity. CONCLUSION: Our result showed that the risk of ASD was not increased in children born from ART. Possible interaction between ART and other regions with increased risk of ASD is important to point and future studies of this topic were recommended.

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13. Khusaifan SJ, El Keshky MES. Emotional and behavioral problems in children with autism spectrum disorder and psychological distress in their parents in Saudi Arabia: The moderating effect of marital relationship satisfaction. Journal of pediatric nursing. 2022.

BACKGROUND: There is a well-established association between emotional and behavioral problems in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), unmet family support needs, and psychological distress in their parents. However, no studies hypothesized a buffering effect of marital relationship satisfaction. AIM: The aim of this research was to investigate the moderating effect of marital relationship satisfaction in the associations among emotional and behavioral problems in children with ASD, unmet family support needs, and anxiety and depression of their parents in the context of Saudi Arabia. DESIGN AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited parents from five rehabilitation centers for children with ASD in Saudi Arabia. Data were collected with surveys completed online. A sample of 93 parents (84% female, 4.3% were 24 or younger, 36.2% between 25 and 34 years old, 40.5% between 35 and 44, and 14.7% between 45 and 54) of children with ASD was obtained. Two models of multiple regression analysis were performed to determine the relationships. RESULTS: About 56% of the parents had anxiety symptoms and 60% had depressive symptoms. Emotional and behavioral problems of children and higher levels of unmet family support needs were associated with higher levels of anxiety in parents, and adaptive behavior of children was associated with reduced levels of depression in parents. Relationship satisfaction moderated the impact of children’s emotional and behavioral problems on parental anxiety. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: The study highlighted the importance of marital relationship satisfaction in buffering the negative effects of ASD-related factors of children on the psychological well-being of their parents.

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14. Leader G, Abberton C, Cunningham S, Gilmartin K, Grudzien M, Higgins E, Joshi L, Whelan S, Mannion A. Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Nutrients. 2022; 14(7).

This systematic review aims to offer an updated understanding of the relationship between gastrointestinal symptoms (GIS) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children and adolescents. The databases PsycINFO, Medline, Cinahl, and ERIC were searched using keywords, and relevant literature was hand-searched. Papers (n = 3319) were systematically screened and deemed eligible if they were empirical studies published in English since 2014 and measured the GIS of individuals with ASD who were under 18 years old. Thirty studies were included in the final review. The study findings were synthesized under eight themes, including the prevalence and nature of GIS and their relationship with developmental regression, language and communication, ASD severity, challenging behavior, comorbid psychopathology, sleep problems, and sensory issues. The review found that GIS were common and that there was contradictory evidence concerning their relationship with co-occurring conditions. It also identified evidence of some causal relationships that support the existence of the gut-immune-brain pathways. Future research needs to use large prospective designs and objective and standardized GIS measurements to provide a nuanced understanding of GIS in the context of ASD.

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15. Mapelli L, Soda T, D’Angelo E, Prestori F. The Cerebellar Involvement in Autism Spectrum Disorders: From the Social Brain to Mouse Models. International journal of molecular sciences. 2022; 23(7).

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive neurodevelopmental disorders that include a variety of forms and clinical phenotypes. This heterogeneity complicates the clinical and experimental approaches to ASD etiology and pathophysiology. To date, a unifying theory of these diseases is still missing. Nevertheless, the intense work of researchers and clinicians in the last decades has identified some ASD hallmarks and the primary brain areas involved. Not surprisingly, the areas that are part of the so-called « social brain », and those strictly connected to them, were found to be crucial, such as the prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus, limbic system, and dopaminergic pathways. With the recent acknowledgment of the cerebellar contribution to cognitive functions and the social brain, its involvement in ASD has become unmistakable, though its extent is still to be elucidated. In most cases, significant advances were made possible by recent technological developments in structural/functional assessment of the human brain and by using mouse models of ASD. Mouse models are an invaluable tool to get insights into the molecular and cellular counterparts of the disease, acting on the specific genetic background generating ASD-like phenotype. Given the multifaceted nature of ASD and related studies, it is often difficult to navigate the literature and limit the huge content to specific questions. This review fulfills the need for an organized, clear, and state-of-the-art perspective on cerebellar involvement in ASD, from its connections to the social brain areas (which are the primary sites of ASD impairments) to the use of monogenic mouse models.

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16. McGuinn LA, Wiggins LD, Volk HE, Di Q, Moody EJ, Kasten E, Schwartz J, Wright RO, Schieve LA, Windham GC, Daniels JL. Pre- and Postnatal Fine Particulate Matter Exposure and Childhood Cognitive and Adaptive Function. International journal of environmental research and public health. 2022; 19(7).

Increasing evidence exists for an association between early life fine particulate matter (PM(2.5)) exposure and several neurodevelopmental outcomes, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, the association between PM(2.5) and adaptive and cognitive function remains poorly understood. Participants included 658 children with ASD, 771 with a non-ASD developmental disorder, and 849 population controls from the Study to Explore Early Development. Adaptive functioning was assessed in ASD cases using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS); cognitive functioning was assessed in all groups using the Mullen Scales of Early Learning (MSEL). A satellite-based model was used to assign PM(2.5) exposure averages during pregnancy, each trimester, and the first year of life. Linear regression was used to estimate beta coefficients and 95% confidence intervals, adjusting for maternal age, education, prenatal tobacco use, race-ethnicity, study site, and season of birth. PM(2.5) exposure was associated with poorer VABS scores for several domains, including daily living skills and socialization. Associations were present between prenatal PM(2.5) and lower MSEL scores for all groups combined; results were most prominent for population controls in stratified analyses. These data suggest that early life PM(2.5) exposure is associated with specific aspects of cognitive and adaptive functioning in children with and without ASD.

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17. Montanari M, Martella G, Bonsi P, Meringolo M. Autism Spectrum Disorder: Focus on Glutamatergic Neurotransmission. International journal of molecular sciences. 2022; 23(7).

Disturbances in the glutamatergic system have been increasingly documented in several neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Glutamate-centered theories of ASD are based on evidence from patient samples and postmortem studies, as well as from studies documenting abnormalities in glutamatergic gene expression and metabolic pathways, including changes in the gut microbiota glutamate metabolism in patients with ASD. In addition, preclinical studies on animal models have demonstrated glutamatergic neurotransmission deficits and altered expression of glutamate synaptic proteins. At present, there are no approved glutamatergic drugs for ASD, but several ongoing clinical trials are currently focusing on evaluating in autistic patients glutamatergic pharmaceuticals already approved for other conditions. In this review, we provide an overview of the literature concerning the role of glutamatergic neurotransmission in the pathophysiology of ASD and as a potential target for novel treatments.

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18. Popescu AL, Popescu N, Dobre C, Apostol ES, Popescu D. IoT and AI-Based Application for Automatic Interpretation of the Affective State of Children Diagnosed with Autism. Sensors (Basel, Switzerland). 2022; 22(7).

In the context in which it was demonstrated that humanoid robots are efficient in helping children diagnosed with autism in exploring their affective state, this paper underlines and proves the efficiency of a previously developed machine learning-based mobile application called PandaSays, which was improved and integrated with an Alpha 1 Pro robot, and discusses performance evaluations using deep convolutional neural networks and residual neural networks. The model trained with MobileNet convolutional neural network had an accuracy of 56.25%, performing better than ResNet50 and VGG16. A strategy for commanding the Alpha 1 Pro robot without its native application was also established and a robot module was developed that includes the communication protocols with the application PandaSays. The output of the machine learning algorithm involved in PandaSays is sent to the humanoid robot to execute some actions as singing, dancing, and so on. Alpha 1 Pro has its own programming language-Blockly-and, in order to give the robot specific commands, Bluetooth programming is used, with the help of a Raspberry Pi. Therefore, the robot motions can be controlled based on the corresponding protocols. The tests have proved the robustness of the whole solution.

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19. Qin Y, Cao L, Zhang J, Zhang H, Cai S, Guo B, Wu F, Zhao L, Li W, Ni L, Liu L, Wang X, Chen Y, Huang C. Whole-Transcriptome Analysis of Serum L1CAM-Captured Extracellular Vesicles Reveals Neural and Glycosylation Changes in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Journal of molecular neuroscience : MN. 2022.

The pathophysiology of autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is not fully understood and there are no diagnostic or predictive biomarkers. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are cell-derived nano-sized vesicles, carrying nucleic acids, proteins, lipids, and other bioactive substances. As reported, serum neural cell adhesion molecule L1 (L1CAM)-captured EVs (LCEVs) can provide reliable biomarkers for neurological diseases; however, little is known about the LCEVs in children with ASD. The study enrolled 100 children with ASD (2.5-6 years of age; 90 males) and 60 age-matched TD children (54 males) as control. The serum sample was collected and pooled into five ASD subgroups and three TD subgroups (n = 20). LCEVs were isolated and characterized meticulously. Whole-transcriptome of LCEVs was analyzed by lncRNA microarray and RNA-sequencing. All raw data was submitted on GEO Profiles, and GEO accession numbers is GSE186493. RNAs expressed differently in LCEVs from ASD sera vs. TD sera were screened, analyzed, and further validated. A total of 1418 mRNAs, 1745 lncRNAs, and 11 miRNAs were differentially expressed, and most of them were downregulated in ASD. Most RNAs were involved in neuron- and glycan-related networks implicated in ASD. The levels of EDNRA, SLC17A6, HTR3A, OSTC, TMEM165, PC-5p-139289_26, and hsa-miR-193a-5p were validated in at least 15 ASD and 15 TD individual serum samples, which were consistent with the results of transcriptome analysis. In conclusion, whole-transcriptome analysis of serum LCEVs reveals neural and glycosylation changes in ASD, which may help detect predictive biomarkers and molecular mechanisms of ASD, and provide reference for diagnoses and therapeutic management of the disease.

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20. Santana CP, de Carvalho EA, Rodrigues ID, Bastos GS, de Souza AD, de Brito LL. rs-fMRI and machine learning for ASD diagnosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Scientific reports. 2022; 12(1): 6030.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis is still based on behavioral criteria through a lengthy and time-consuming process. Much effort is being made to identify brain imaging biomarkers and develop tools that could facilitate its diagnosis. In particular, using Machine Learning classifiers based on resting-state fMRI (rs-fMRI) data is promising, but there is an ongoing need for further research on their accuracy and reliability. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to summarize the available evidence in the literature so far. A bivariate random-effects meta-analytic model was implemented to investigate the sensitivity and specificity across the 55 studies that offered sufficient information for quantitative analysis. Our results indicated overall summary sensitivity and specificity estimates of 73.8% and 74.8%, respectively. SVM stood out as the most used classifier, presenting summary estimates above 76%. Studies with bigger samples tended to obtain worse accuracies, except in the subgroup analysis for ANN classifiers. The use of other brain imaging or phenotypic data to complement rs-fMRI information seems promising, achieving higher sensitivities when compared to rs-fMRI data alone (84.7% versus 72.8%). Finally, our analysis showed AUC values between acceptable and excellent. Still, given the many limitations indicated in our study, further well-designed studies are warranted to extend the potential use of those classification algorithms to clinical settings.

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21. Seiverling L, Felber J, Howard M, Williams K, Hendy HM. The Lunchbox Study: A Pilot Examination of Packed Lunches of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Nutrients. 2022; 14(7).

BACKGROUND: This study examined foods packed and consumed by children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and calculated the percentage of packed school lunches meeting National School Lunch Program (NSLP) standards. Fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption was further examined by investigating its association with the number and type of foods packed. METHODS: Participants included 59 private school students observed for five school meals. Servings of foods and beverages packed and consumed and the percentages of correspondence between food packed and consumed were calculated. Next, the percentages of lunches meeting NSLP guidelines were calculated. Finally, mealtime means were calculated for the number of foods packed, FVs packed, and FVs consumed. RESULTS: There was a high correspondence between foods packed and consumed. Fresh fruits and sugar-added drinks were most often packed and consumed. The percentage of meals meeting NSLP guidelines was higher than previous non-ASD samples. More FV consumption was associated with more FVs packed and fewer total foods packed. FV consumption was highest with 4 < 5 foods packed, including 2+ FVs. CONCLUSIONS: Future studies should compare foods packed and consumed by children with and without ASD. The FV consumption findings suggest parents may increase children’s FV consumption by packing approximately four total foods with two FVs.

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22. Traut N, Heuer K, Lemaître G, Beggiato A, Germanaud D, Elmaleh M, Bethegnies A, Bonnasse-Gahot L, Cai W, Chambon S, Cliquet F, Ghriss A, Guigui N, de Pierrefeu A, Wang M, Zantedeschi V, Boucaud A, van den Bossche J, Kegl B, Delorme R, Bourgeron T, Toro R, Varoquaux G. Insights from an autism imaging biomarker challenge: Promises and threats to biomarker discovery. NeuroImage. 2022; 255: 119171.

MRI has been extensively used to identify anatomical and functional differences in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Yet, many of these findings have proven difficult to replicate because studies rely on small cohorts and are built on many complex, undisclosed, analytic choices. We conducted an international challenge to predict ASD diagnosis from MRI data, where we provided preprocessed anatomical and functional MRI data from > 2,000 individuals. Evaluation of the predictions was rigorously blinded. 146 challengers submitted prediction algorithms, which were evaluated at the end of the challenge using unseen data and an additional acquisition site. On the best algorithms, we studied the importance of MRI modalities, brain regions, and sample size. We found evidence that MRI could predict ASD diagnosis: the 10 best algorithms reliably predicted diagnosis with AUC∼0.80 – far superior to what can be currently obtained using genotyping data in cohorts 20-times larger. We observed that functional MRI was more important for prediction than anatomical MRI, and that increasing sample size steadily increased prediction accuracy, providing an efficient strategy to improve biomarkers. We also observed that despite a strong incentive to generalise to unseen data, model development on a given dataset faces the risk of overfitting: performing well in cross-validation on the data at hand, but not generalising. Finally, we were able to predict ASD diagnosis on an external sample added after the end of the challenge (EU-AIMS), although with a lower prediction accuracy (AUC=0.72). This indicates that despite being based on a large multisite cohort, our challenge still produced biomarkers fragile in the face of dataset shifts.

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23. van der Wurff I, Oenema A, de Ruijter D, Vingerhoets C, van Amelsvoort T, Rutten B, Mulkens S, Köhler S, Schols A, de Groot R. A Scoping Literature Review of the Relation between Nutrition and ASD Symptoms in Children. Nutrients. 2022; 14(7).

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in social interaction, communication skills, and repetitive and restrictive behaviors and interests. Even though there is a biological basis for an effect of specific nutrition factors on ASD symptoms and there is scientific literature available on this relationship, whether nutrition factors could play a role in ASD treatment is unclear. The goal of the current literature review was to summarize the available scientific literature on the relation between nutrition and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms in childhood, and to formulate practical dietary guidelines. A comprehensive search strategy including terms for ASD, nutrition factors (therapeutic diets, dietary patterns, specific food products, fatty acids and micronutrients) and childhood was developed and executed in six literature databases (Cinahl, Cochrane, Ovid Embase, PsycInfo, PubMed and Web of Science). Data from meta-analyses, systematic reviews and original studies were qualitatively summarized. A total of 5 meta-analyses, 29 systematic reviews and 27 original studies were retrieved that focused on therapeutic diets, specific food products, fatty acids and micronutrients and ASD symptoms during childhood. Results of the available studies were sparse and inconclusive, and hence, no firm conclusions could be drawn. There is currently insufficient evidence for a relation between nutrition and ASD symptoms in childhood, making it impossible to provide practical nutrition guidelines; more methodological sound research is needed.

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24. Walczak-Nowicka Ł J, Herbet M. Sodium Benzoate-Harmfulness and Potential Use in Therapies for Disorders Related to the Nervous System: A Review. Nutrients. 2022; 14(7).

Currently, due to the large number of reports regarding the harmfulness of food additives, more and more consumers follow the so-called « clean label » trend, i.e., prefer and choose the least-processed food products. One of the compounds known as a preservative with a high safety profile is sodium benzoate. While some studies show that it can be used to treat conditions such as depression, pain, schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases, others report its harmfulness. For example, it was found to cause mutagenic effects, generate oxidative stress, disrupt hormones, and reduce fertility. Due to such disparate results, the purpose of this study is to comprehensively discuss the safety profile of sodium benzoate and its potential use in neurodegenerative diseases, especially in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), schizophrenia, major depressive disorder (MDD), and pain relief.

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25. Wang T, Zhao PA, Eichler EE. Rare variants and the oligogenic architecture of autism. Trends in genetics : TIG. 2022.

Most large-scale genetic studies of autism have focused on the discovery of genes by proving an enrichment of de novo mutations (DNMs) in autism probands or characterizing polygenic risk based on the association of common variants. We present evidence in support of an oligogenic model where two or more ultrarare mutations of more modest effect are preferentially transmitted to children with autism. Such private gene-disruptive mutations are enriched in families where there are multiple affected individuals, emerged two or three generations ago, and map to genes not previously associated with autism. Although no single gene has reached statistical significance, this class of variation should be considered along with genetic and nongenetic factors to better explain the etiology of this complex trait.

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