1. Abekhoukh S, Bardoni B. {{CYFIP family proteins between autism and intellectual disability: links with Fragile X syndrome}}. {Front Cell Neurosci};2014;8:81.
Intellectual disability (ID) and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have in common alterations in some brain circuits and brain abnormalities, such as synaptic transmission and dendritic spines morphology. Recent studies have indicated a differential expression for specific categories of genes as a cause for both types of disease, while an increasing number of genes is recognized to produce both disorders. An example is the Fragile X mental retardation gene 1 (FMR1), whose silencing causes the Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of ID and autism, also characterized by physical hallmarks. Fragile X mental retardation protein (FMRP), the protein encoded by FMR1, is an RNA-binding protein with an important role in translational control. Among the interactors of FMRP, CYFIP1/2 (cytoplasmic FMRP interacting protein) proteins are good candidates for ID and autism, on the bases of their genetic implication and functional properties, even if the precise functional significance of the CYFIP/FMRP interaction is not understood yet. CYFIP1 and CYFIP2 represent a link between Rac1, the WAVE (WAS protein family member) complex and FMRP, favoring the cross talk between actin polymerization and translational control.
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2. Aman MG, Smith T, Arnold LE, Corbett-Dick P, Tumuluru R, Hollway JA, Hyman SL, Mendoza-Burcham M, Pan X, Mruzek DW, Lecavalier L, Levato L, Silverman LB, Handen B. {{A review of atomoxetine effects in young people with developmental disabilities}}. {Res Dev Disabil};2014 (Apr 11);35(6):1412-1424.
This review summarizes the pharmacokinetic characteristics, pharmacodynamic properties, common side effects, and clinical advantages and disadvantages associated with atomoxetine (ATX) treatment in typically developing children and adults with ADHD. Then the clinical research to date in developmental disabilities (DD), including autism spectrum disorders (ASD), is summarized and reviewed. Of the 11 relevant reports available, only two were placebo-controlled randomized clinical trials, and both focused on a single DD population (ASD). All trials but one indicated clinical improvement in ADHD symptoms with ATX, although it was difficult to judge the magnitude and validity of reported improvement in the absence of placebo controls. Effects of ATX on co-occurring behavioral and cognitive symptoms were much less consistent. Appetite decrease, nausea, and irritability were the most common adverse events reported among children with DD; clinicians should be aware that, as with stimulants, irritability appears to occur much more commonly in persons with DD than in typically developing individuals. Splitting the dose initially, starting below the recommended starting dose, and titrating slowly may prevent or ameliorate side effects. Patience is needed for the slow build-up of benefit. CONCLUSIONS: ATX holds promise for managing ADHD symptoms in DD, but properly controlled, randomized clinical trials of atomoxetine in intellectual disability and ASD are sorely needed. Clinicians and researchers should be vigilant for the emergence of irritability with ATX treatment. Effects of ATX on cognition in DD are virtually unstudied.
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3. Barnard-Brak L, Davis TN, Schmidt M, Richman DM. {{Effects associated with on- and off-label stimulant treatment of core autism and ADHD symptoms exhibited by children with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Dev Neurorehabil};2014 (Apr 16)
Abstract Objective: Families of children with autism spectrum disorder are barraged by different treatment options. Some of these options have the support of empirical evidence while others do not. Stimulant treatments are typically utilized to treat symptoms of ADHD indicating an on-label use of such treatment. Methods: This study examines the association of stimulant treatment with the on- (symptoms of ADHD) and off- (symptoms of ASD) label symptoms among children with ASD via a non-clinical, population-based sample. Results: Results indicate no significant association of stimulant treatment with a reduction of on- or off-label symptoms among children with ASD. Conclusion: Stimulant medications utilized in the treatment of DSM core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder would be considered an off-label use because there is limited evidence to support that stimulants are effective in treating core symptoms of ASD, which is supported by the results of the current study.
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4. Dardas LA, Ahmad MM. {{Psychosocial Correlates of Parenting a Child With Autistic Disorder}}. {J Nurs Res};2014 (Apr 11)
BACKGROUND:: The lifelong experience of raising a child with a complex developmental disability such as autistic disorder is considered one of the most significant parenting stressors, with the potential to spill over into various areas of the life of parents. Therefore, studying the psychological functioning for parents of children with developmental disabilities requires the consideration of multiple factors acting and interacting concurrently. PURPOSE:: The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between two sets of variables in a sample of parents of children with autistic disorder. The first set was composed of the parents’ characteristics and the coping strategies used. The second set was composed of three stress subscales-parental distress (PD), parent-child dysfunctional interaction (PCDI), and difficult child (DC)-and the parental quality of life (QOL). METHODS:: Canonical correlation multivariate analysis was used to examine the relationship between the sets of variables in 184Jordanian parents of children with autistic disorder. RESULTS:: The analyses revealed that the parents who have higher incomes, use diverse problem-solving strategies, exhibit less escape-avoidance, and exhibit less responsibility acceptance behavior tended to report lower PD, PCDI, and DC scores and a higher QOL score. The analyses also revealed that being an older parent, having more time since the child’s autistic diagnosis, and using more distancing coping strategies were associated with lower PD scores, higher PCDI and DC scores, and better QOL. CONCLUSIONS:: This study is the first to investigate a wide range of parental psychosocial impacts as well as several sociodemographic factors that are possibly associated with raising a child with autistic disorder. The results indicate that health professionals working with parents of children with autistic disorder need to consider holistically the factors that can potentially affect the parents’ health and well-being and provide care that focuses on the parents as both clients and caregivers.
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5. Fishman I, Keown CL, Lincoln AJ, Pineda JA, Muller RA. {{Atypical Cross Talk Between Mentalizing and Mirror Neuron Networks in Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {JAMA Psychiatry};2014 (Apr 16)
IMPORTANCE Converging evidence indicates that brain abnormalities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) involve atypical network connectivity, but it is unclear whether altered connectivity is especially prominent in brain networks that participate in social cognition. OBJECTIVE To investigate whether adolescents with ASD show altered functional connectivity in 2 brain networks putatively impaired in ASD and involved in social processing, theory of mind (ToM) and mirror neuron system (MNS). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Cross-sectional study using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging involving 25 adolescents with ASD between the ages of 11 and 18 years and 25 typically developing adolescents matched for age, handedness, and nonverbal IQ. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Statistical parametric maps testing the degree of whole-brain functional connectivity and social functioning measures. RESULTS Relative to typically developing controls, participants with ASD showed a mixed pattern of both over- and underconnectivity in the ToM network, which was associated with greater social impairment. Increased connectivity in the ASD group was detected primarily between the regions of the MNS and ToM, and was correlated with sociocommunicative measures, suggesting that excessive ToM-MNS cross talk might be associated with social impairment. In a secondary analysis comparing a subset of the 15 participants with ASD with the most severe symptomology and a tightly matched subset of 15 typically developing controls, participants with ASD showed exclusive overconnectivity effects in both ToM and MNS networks, which were also associated with greater social dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Adolescents with ASD showed atypically increased functional connectivity involving the mentalizing and mirror neuron systems, largely reflecting greater cross talk between the 2. This finding is consistent with emerging evidence of reduced network segregation in ASD and challenges the prevailing theory of general long-distance underconnectivity in ASD. This excess ToM-MNS connectivity may reflect immature or aberrant developmental processes in 2 brain networks involved in understanding of others, a domain of impairment in ASD. Further, robust links with sociocommunicative symptoms of ASD implicate atypically increased ToM-MNS connectivity in social deficits observed in ASD.
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6. Fusaro VA, Daniels J, Duda M, Deluca TF, D’Angelo O, Tamburello J, Maniscalco J, Wall DP. {{The Potential of Accelerating Early Detection of Autism through Content Analysis of YouTube Videos}}. {PLoS One};2014;9(4):e93533.
Autism is on the rise, with 1 in 88 children receiving a diagnosis in the United States, yet the process for diagnosis remains cumbersome and time consuming. Research has shown that home videos of children can help increase the accuracy of diagnosis. However the use of videos in the diagnostic process is uncommon. In the present study, we assessed the feasibility of applying a gold-standard diagnostic instrument to brief and unstructured home videos and tested whether video analysis can enable more rapid detection of the core features of autism outside of clinical environments. We collected 100 public videos from YouTube of children ages 1-15 with either a self-reported diagnosis of an ASD (N = 45) or not (N = 55). Four non-clinical raters independently scored all videos using one of the most widely adopted tools for behavioral diagnosis of autism, the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-Generic (ADOS). The classification accuracy was 96.8%, with 94.1% sensitivity and 100% specificity, the inter-rater correlation for the behavioral domains on the ADOS was 0.88, and the diagnoses matched a trained clinician in all but 3 of 22 randomly selected video cases. Despite the diversity of videos and non-clinical raters, our results indicate that it is possible to achieve high classification accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity as well as clinically acceptable inter-rater reliability with nonclinical personnel. Our results also demonstrate the potential for video-based detection of autism in short, unstructured home videos and further suggests that at least a percentage of the effort associated with detection and monitoring of autism may be mobilized and moved outside of traditional clinical environments.
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7. Greimel E, Schulte-Ruther M, Kamp-Becker I, Remschmidt H, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Konrad K. {{Impairment in face processing in autism spectrum disorder: a developmental perspective}}. {J Neural Transm};2014 (Apr 16)
Findings on face identity and facial emotion recognition in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are inconclusive. Moreover, little is known about the developmental trajectory of face processing skills in ASD. Taking a developmental perspective, the aim of this study was to extend previous findings on face processing skills in a sample of adolescents and adults with ASD. N = 38 adolescents and adults (13-49 years) with high-functioning ASD and n = 37 typically developing (TD) control subjects matched for age and IQ participated in the study. Moreover, n = 18 TD children between the ages of 8 and 12 were included to address the question whether face processing skills in ASD follow a delayed developmental pattern. Face processing skills were assessed using computerized tasks of face identity recognition (FR) and identification of facial emotions (IFE). ASD subjects showed impaired performance on several parameters of the FR and IFE task compared to TD control adolescents and adults. Whereas TD adolescents and adults outperformed TD children in both tasks, performance in ASD adolescents and adults was similar to the group of TD children. Within the groups of ASD and control adolescents and adults, no age-related changes in performance were found. Our findings corroborate and extend previous studies showing that ASD is characterised by broad impairments in the ability to process faces. These impairments seem to reflect a developmentally delayed pattern that remains stable throughout adolescence and adulthood.
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8. Harrington RA, Lee LC, Crum RM, Zimmerman AW, Hertz-Picciotto I. {{Prenatal SSRI Use and Offspring With Autism Spectrum Disorder or Developmental Delay}}. {Pediatrics};2014 (Apr 14)
OBJECTIVE: To examine associations between prenatal use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and the odds of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other developmental delays (DDs). METHODS: A total of 966 mother-child pairs were evaluated (492 ASD, 154 DD, 320 typical development [TD]) from the Childhood Autism Risks from Genetics and the Environment (CHARGE) Study, a population-based case-control study. Standardized measures confirmed developmental status. Interviews with biological mothers ascertained prenatal SSRI use, maternal mental health history, and sociodemographic information. RESULTS: Overall, prevalence of prenatal SSRI exposure was lowest in TD children (3.4%) but did not differ significantly from ASD (5.9%) or DD (5.2%) children. Among boys, prenatal SSRI exposure was nearly 3 times as likely in children with ASD relative to TD (adjusted odds ratio [OR]: 2.91; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-7.93); the strongest association occurred with first-trimester exposure (OR: 3.22; 95% CI: 1.17-8.84). Exposure was also elevated among boys with DD (OR: 3.39; 95% CI: 0.98-11.75) and was strongest in the third trimester (OR: 4.98; 95% CI: 1.20-20.62). Findings were similar among mothers with an anxiety or mood disorder history. CONCLUSIONS: In boys, prenatal exposure to SSRIs may increase susceptibility to ASD or DD. Findings from published studies on SSRIs and ASD continues to be inconsistent. Potential recall bias and residual confounding by indication are concerns. Larger samples are needed to replicate DD results. Because maternal depression itself carries risks for the fetus, the benefits of prenatal SSRI use should be carefully weighed against potential harms.
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9. Olu-Lafe O, Liederman J, Tager-Flusberg H. {{Is the Ability to Integrate Parts into Wholes Affected in Autism Spectrum Disorder?}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2014 (Apr 16)
There is considerable debate about whether people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are biased toward local information and whether this disrupts their ability to integrate two complex shapes elements into a single figure. Moreover, few have examined the relationship between integration ability and ASD symptom severity. Adolescent/adult males with ASD and age and IQ-matched controls were compared on their performance of a simple silhouette-to-shape matching task and a higher-order shape-integration task. Relative to basic silhouette-to-shape matching, ASD participants were disproportionately slower than controls on shape-integration. Moreover, this relative slowing correlated with increased symptom severity in ASD participants. These findings support the notion that integrating local information is disproportionately more challenging in ASD; this weakness may play a role in ASD symptomatology.
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10. O’Reilly M, Karim K, Lester JN. {{Separating ’emotion’ from ‘the science’: Exploring the perceived value of information for parents and families of children with autistic spectrum disorder}}. {Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry};2014 (Apr 14)
Autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) is a life-long condition. In recent years, there has been a rise in the number of children diagnosed with ASD and a greater recognition that parents need clear, accessible information communicated through different modalities. The objective of this research was to explore the views of stakeholders regarding their information needs, current information modalities and the perceived barriers and complexities of information. Three focus groups with the same stakeholders were conducted with a range of individuals from a variety of backgrounds, all of whom had a personal and/or professional interest in ASD. The same stakeholders were included in all three groups to promote depth of analysis and to facilitate rapport. All focus groups were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. Three main issues were identified, including (1) the value of particular information sources; (2) the vulnerability of families and (3) the need for validated evidence. It was concluded, therefore, that information should be available through a multitude of modalities, accounting for the educational ability and economic status of families. The information should also be communicated in an accessible style, should be presented as trustworthy and clinical professionals may play a key role in translating information. Such information also needs to account for practical problems inherent to having a child with ASD, including time constraints and fatigue.
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11. Raymond LJ, Deth RC, Ralston NV. {{Potential Role of Selenoenzymes and Antioxidant Metabolism in relation to Autism Etiology and Pathology}}. {Autism Res Treat};2014;2014:164938.
Autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are behaviorally defined, but the biochemical pathogenesis of the underlying disease process remains uncharacterized. Studies indicate that antioxidant status is diminished in autistic subjects, suggesting its pathology is associated with augmented production of oxidative species and/or compromised antioxidant metabolism. This suggests ASD may result from defects in the metabolism of cellular antioxidants which maintain intracellular redox status by quenching reactive oxygen species (ROS). Selenium-dependent enzymes (selenoenzymes) are important in maintaining intercellular reducing conditions, particularly in the brain. Selenoenzymes are a family of ~25 genetically unique proteins, several of which have roles in preventing and reversing oxidative damage in brain and endocrine tissues. Since the brain’s high rate of oxygen consumption is accompanied by high ROS production, selenoenzyme activities are particularly important in this tissue. Because selenoenzymes can be irreversibly inhibited by many electrophiles, exposure to these organic and inorganic agents can diminish selenoenzyme-dependent antioxidant functions. This can impair brain development, particularly via the adverse influence of oxidative stress on epigenetic regulation. Here we review the physiological roles of selenoproteins in relation to potential biochemical mechanisms of ASD etiology and pathology.
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12. Ronald A, Larsson H, Anckarsater H, Lichtenstein P. {{Symptoms of autism and adhd: A swedish twin study examining their overlap}}. {J Abnorm Psychol};2014 (Apr 14)
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) show high comorbidity. The following questions were addressed regarding their specific symptoms: What is the factor structure of ASD and ADHD symptoms, to what degree do different symptom domains cluster together, to what extent are these domains caused by the same genetic and environmental influences, and what is the best model of their co-occurrence? A population-based twin cohort of over 17,000 9- and 12-year-olds were assessed using the Autism-Tics, AD/HD, and other Comorbidities parental interview inventory. Principal component analyses were conducted, and symptom domain clustering was assessed. Four multivariate twin models were compared. Factors split into three ASD (social impairments, communication impairments, and restricted repetitive behaviors and interests), and three ADHD (inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity) symptom domains. Some ASD-ADHD symptom domain combinations clustered together often, although others not at all. A two-factor common pathway model fit the data, suggesting that ASD and ADHD symptom domains tap into separate « ASD » and « ADHD » latent factors that showed high genetic overlap. All subdomains also showed significant specific genetic and environmental influences, reflecting the etiological heterogeneity both within and between ASD and ADHD. These findings support the conceptual distinction of ASD and ADHD, and demonstrate the considerable natural co-occurrence of particular ASD/ADHD symptom domains. The results imply that more children with 1 condition show features of the other condition than show complete comorbidity. Emphasis on symptom co-occurrence, rather than complete comorbidity between disorders, may help focus clinical approaches and advance molecular genetic research. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved).
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13. Steiner NJ, Frenette E, Hynes C, Pisarik E, Tomasetti K, Perrin EC, Rene K. {{A Pilot Feasibility Study of Neurofeedback for Children with Autism}}. {Appl Psychophysiol Biofeedback};2014 (Apr 16)
Neurofeedback (NFB) is an emerging treatment for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This pilot study examined the feasibility of NFB for children with ASD. Ten children ages 7-12 with high functioning ASD and attention difficulties received a NFB attention training intervention. A standardized checklist captured feasibility, including focus during exercises and academic tasks, as well as off-task behaviors. Active behaviors and vocalizations were the most frequent off-task behaviors. Positive reinforcement and breaks including calm breathing exercises were the most common supports. Low motivation was associated with higher feasibility challenges, yet parental involvement and accommodations were helpful. This pilot study shows that it is feasible to conduct NFB sessions with children with high functioning autism and attention difficulties.
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14. Vaishnavi V, Manikandan M, Munirajan AK. {{Mining the 3’UTR of Autism-implicated Genes for SNPs Perturbing MicroRNA Regulation}}. {Genomics Proteomics Bioinformatics};2014 (Apr 16)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of childhood neurodevelopmental disorders with polygenic etiology. The expression of many genes implicated in ASD is tightly regulated by various factors including microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of noncoding RNAs approximately 22 nucleotides in length that function to suppress translation by pairing with ‘miRNA recognition elements’ (MREs) present in the 3’untranslated region (3’UTR) of target mRNAs. This emphasizes the role played by miRNAs in regulating neurogenesis, brain development and differentiation and hence any perturbations in this regulatory mechanism might affect these processes as well. Recently, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) present within 3’UTRs of mRNAs have been shown to modulate existing MREs or even create new MREs. Therefore, we hypothesized that SNPs perturbing miRNA-mediated gene regulation might lead to aberrant expression of autism-implicated genes, thus resulting in disease predisposition or pathogenesis in at least a subpopulation of ASD individuals. We developed a systematic computational pipeline that integrates data from well-established databases. By following a stringent selection criterion, we identified 9 MRE-modulating SNPs and another 12 MRE-creating SNPs in the 3’UTR of autism-implicated genes. These high-confidence candidate SNPs may play roles in ASD and hence would be valuable for further functional validation.
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15. Vivanti G, Dissanayake C. {{Propensity to Imitate in Autism Is Not Modulated by the Model’s Gaze Direction: An Eye-Tracking Study}}. {Autism Res};2014 (Apr 16)
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show a diminished propensity to imitate others’ actions, as well as a diminished sensitivity and responsivity to others’ communicative cues, such as a direct gaze. However, it is not known whether failure to appreciate the communicative value of a direct gaze is associated with imitation abnormalities in this population. In this eye-tracking study, we investigated how 25 preschoolers with ASD, compared with 25 developmental and chronological age-matched children, imitate actions that are associated with a model’s direct gaze versus averted gaze. We found that the model’s direct gaze immediately prior to the demonstration increased the attention to the model and the propensity to imitate the demonstrated action in children without ASD. In contrast, preschoolers with ASD showed a similar propensity to look at the model’s face and to imitate the demonstrated actions across the direct gaze and the averted gaze conditions. These data indicate that atypical imitation in ASD might be linked to abnormal processing of the model’s communicative signals (such as a direct gaze) that modulate imitative behaviours in individuals without ASD. Autism Res 2014, : -. (c) 2014 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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16. Vivanti G, Trembath D, Dissanayake C. {{Mechanisms of Imitation Impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Abnorm Child Psychol};2014 (Apr 16)
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have difficulties with imitation, though the nature of these remains unclear. In this study, involving 28 preschoolers with ASD (M age = 48 months; 90 % male), 17 matched children with Global Developmental Delay (GDD group; M age = 44 months; 53 % male) and 17 typically developing children (TD group, M age = 52 months; 65 % male), we found that preschoolers with ASD 1) imitate less frequently than both typically developing children and children with GDD; 2) when they do imitate, their imitation is less accurate than that of TD children but similar to that of children with GDD; 3) unlike participants in both comparison groups, preschoolers with ASD use emulation more often than imitation when copying others’ actions; 4) they spend less time looking at the model’s face and more time looking at her actions; and 5) attentional, social and executive factors underlie different aspects of imitation difficulties in this population. Implications for developmental models of autism are discussed.
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17. White SW, Schry AR, Miyazaki Y, Ollendick TH, Scahill L. {{Effects of Verbal Ability and Severity of Autism on Anxiety in Adolescents With ASD: One-Year Follow-Up After Cognitive Behavioral Therapy}}. {J Clin Child Adolesc Psychol};2014 (Apr 14):1-7.
There is evidence supporting the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy for treatment of anxiety in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), but long-term course of anxiety after treatment and individual predictors of treatment response are unknown. To meet the demands for personalized mental health care, information on the fit between patient and treatment as well as treatment durability is needed. We evaluated change in anxiety symptoms during intervention and 1 year after completion of the treatment, and evaluated predictors of response using an advanced analytical design, with follow-up data from a randomized controlled trial of 22 adolescents (12-17 years) with ASD and 1 or more anxiety disorders. Reduction in anxiety was partially maintained during the year following treatment; greater ASD severity predicted better treatment response. Our finding that brief treatment is associated with sustained gains is promising, given the pervasive and chronic nature of ASD. Implications for the treatment of anxiety in higher functioning adolescents with ASD are considered.
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18. Zamzow RM, Christ SE, Saklayen SS, Moffitt AJ, Bodner KE, Higgins KF, Beversdorf DQ. {{Effect of propranolol on facial scanning in autism spectrum disorder: A preliminary investigation}}. {J Clin Exp Neuropsychol};2014 (Apr 14):1-15.
Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social communication impairments and restricted, repetitive behaviors. Whereas current pharmacological interventions for ASD focus primarily on psychiatric symptoms, including agitation and obsessive behaviors, few agents target core symptomatology. It has been previously hypothesized that abnormalities in facial scanning, such as reduced eye contact or increased mouth fixation, contribute to social communication deficits in ASD. In addition, previous reports have suggested elevated stress and anxiety in ASD, symptoms that are believed to impact facial scanning patterns. Objectives: The present pilot study sought to explore the effects of pharmacological intervention via propranolol, a nonselective beta-adrenergic antagonist and known anxiolytic, on facial scanning in ASD. Specifically, we wished to determine whether there is an increase in eye contact and a decrease in mouth fixation with administration of propranolol. Method: A sample of 14 participants with ASD and 14 matched controls participated in two study sessions in which propranolol and placebo were administered in a counterbalanced, double-blinded manner. At each session, ocular fixation data were collected during presentation of video stimuli of 16 human faces. Fixation time on the eye, nose, and mouth regions of the face stimuli was analyzed. Results: The baseline fixation patterns for the ASD and control groups did not significantly differ; however, administration of propranolol was associated with a significant reduction in mouth fixation for the ASD group. Additionally, mouth fixation was positively related to nonverbal communication impairment in the ASD group. Conclusions: Although eye fixation in ASD appears typical in the present study, the effect of propranolol in reducing mouth fixation suggests an important focus for further research. Future studies are needed to better characterize the relationship between stress and anxiety and facial scanning in ASD, as well as the effects of pharmacological intervention.
