1. Chung YS, Barch D, Strube M. {{A Meta-Analysis of Mentalizing Impairments in Adults With Schizophrenia and Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Schizophr Bull};2013 (May 17)
Mentalizing has been examined both in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and schizophrenia (SCZ) primarily by either cognitive-linguistic (referred to as verbal) or emotion recognition from eyes (referred to as visual) mentalizing tasks. Each type of task is thought to measure different aspects of mentalizing. Differences in clinical features and developmental courses of each disorder may predict distinct patterns of mentalizing performance across dis orders on each type of task. To test this, a meta-analysis was conducted using 37 studies that assessed mentalizing either verbally or visually in adults with SCZ or ASD. We found that the estimated effect sizes of impairments in verbal and visual mentalizing tasks for both clinical groups were statistically large and at a similar level (overall Hedges’ g = 0.73-1.05). For each disorder, adults with SCZ showed a trend towards larger impairments on verbal (overall Hedges’ g = 0.99) than on visual mentalizing task (overall Hedges’ g = 0.73; Qbet = 3.45, p =.06, df =1). Adults with ASD did not show different levels of impairment on the verbal versus visual tasks (Qbet = 0.08, p =.78, df =1). These results suggest that both clinical groups share, at least in part, some common cognitive processing deficits associated with mentalizing impairments.
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2. Doyle-Thomas KA, Duerden EG, Taylor MJ, Lerch JP, Soorya LV, Wang AT, Fan J, Hollander E, Anagnostou E. {{Effects of age and symptomatology on cortical thickness in autism spectrum disorders}}. {Res Autism Spectr Disord};2013 (Jan);7(1):141-150.
Several brain regions show structural and functional abnormalities in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but the developmental trajectory of abnormalities in these structures and how they may relate to social and communicative impairments are still unclear. We assessed the effects of age on cortical thickness in individuals with ASD, between the ages of 7 and 39 years in comparison to typically developing controls. Additionally, we examined differences in cortical thickness in relation to symptomatology in the ASD group, and their association with age. Analyses were conducted using a general linear model, controlling for sex. Social and communication scores from the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) were correlated with the thickness of regions implicated in those functions. Controls showed widespread cortical thinning relative to the ASD group. Within regions-of-interest, increased thickness in the rostral anterior cingulate cortex was associated with poorer social scores. Additionally, a significant interaction between age and social impairment was found in the orbitofrontal cortex, with more impaired younger children having decreased thickness in this region. These results suggest that differential neurodevelopmental trajectories are present in individuals with ASD and some differences are associated with diagnostic behaviours.
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3. Grzadzinski R, Huerta M, Lord C. {{DSM-5 and autism spectrum disorders (ASDs): an opportunity for identifying ASD subtypes}}. {Mol Autism};2013 (May 15);4(1):12.
The heterogeneity in the clinical presentations of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) poses a significant challenge for sample characterization and limits the interpretability and replicability of research studies. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) diagnostic criteria for ASD, with its dimensional approach, may be a useful framework to increase the homogeneity of research samples. In this review, we summarize the revisions to the diagnostic criteria for ASD, briefly highlight the literature supporting these changes, and illustrate how DSM-5 can improve sample characterization and provide opportunities for researchers to identify possible subtypes within ASD.
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4. Knight V, McKissick BR, Saunders A. {{Erratum to: A Review of Technology-Based Interventions to Teach Academic Skills to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2013 (May 17)
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5. Lasalle JM. {{Epigenomic strategies at the interface of genetic and environmental risk factors for autism}}. {J Hum Genet};2013 (May 16)
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been increasing in prevalence over the last two decades, primarily because of increased awareness and diagnosis. However, autism is clearly a complex human genetic disorder that involves interactions between genes and environment. Epigenetic mechanisms, such as DNA methylation, act at the interface of genetic and environmental risk and protective factors. Advancements in genome-wide sequencing has broadened the view of the human methylome and revealed the organization of the human genome into large-scale methylation domains that footprint over neurologically important genes involved in embryonic development. Future integrative epigenomic analyses of genetic risk factors with environmental exposures and methylome analyses are expected to be important for understanding the complex etiology of ASD.Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 16 May 2013; doi:10.1038/jhg.2013.49.
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6. Murray ML, Hsia Y, Glaser K, Simonoff E, Murphy DG, Asherson PJ, Eklund H, Wong IC. {{Pharmacological treatments prescribed to people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in primary health care}}. {Psychopharmacology (Berl)};2013 (May 17)
RATIONALE: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) affect 1 % of children, having significant impact on health and social outcomes. Psychotropic medication use by individuals with ASD in the USA increased over time, and polypharmacy occurred in >50 % of those prescribed. In the UK, no psychotropic drugs are approved in ASDs, and little is known about patterns of pharmacological treatment in the ASD population and associated co-morbidities. METHODS: We used The Health Improvement Network, a nationally representative primary care database, to assess the prevalence of ASD diagnoses, psychotropic drug prescribing and neuropsychiatric co-morbidities of 0-24 year olds between 1992 and 2008. RESULTS: ASD prevalence increased 65-fold from 0.01 % (1992) to 0.50 % (2008). Psychotropic drugs were prescribed to 29 % (1,619/5,651) of the ASD cohort; the most prescribed drugs were sleep medication (9.7 % of prescribed patients), psychostimulants (7.9 %) and antipsychotics (7.3 %). More patients were given psychostimulants and sleep medications over time from 1.5-6.3 % and 2.2-5.9 % respectively. Thirty-seven per cent of the cohort had >/=1 record of a neuropsychiatric co-morbidity, the most common being developmental difficulties and learning disabilities (12.6 %), behavioural, conduct and personality disorders (11.1 %) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (7.5 %). CONCLUSIONS: British physicians are more conservative in prescribing practice than American colleagues. However, use of psychostimulants and antipsychotics is much higher in those with ASD than in the general population. Polypharmacy was seen in 34 % of prescribed patients in 2008. Additional studies examining use, efficacy, and long-term safety of antipsychotics and psychostimulants in autistic individuals are warranted.
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7. Vismara LA, McCormick C, Young GS, Nadhan A, Monlux K. {{Preliminary Findings of a Telehealth Approach to Parent Training in Autism}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2013 (May 17)
Telehealth or online communication technologies may lessen the gap between intervention requirements for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and the available resources to provide these services. This study used a video conferencing and self-guided website to provide parent training in the homes of children with ASD. The first eight families to complete the 12-week online intervention and three-month follow up period served as pilot data. Parents’ intervention skills and engagement with the website, as well as children’s verbal language and joint attention skills were assessed. Preliminary research suggests telehealth may support parental learning and improve child behaviors for some families. This initial assessment of new technologies for making parent training resources available to families with ASD merits further, in-depth study.
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8. Volkmar FR, Reichow B. {{Autism in DSM-5: progress and challenges}}. {Mol Autism};2013 (May 15);4(1):13.
BACKGROUND: Since Kanner’s first description of autism there have been a number of changes in approaches to diagnosis with certain key continuities . Since the Fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) appeared in 1994 there has been an explosion in research publications. The advent of changes in DSM-5 presents some important moves forward as well as some potential challenges. METHODS: The various relevant studies are summarized. RESULTS: If research diagnostic instruments are available, many (but not all) cases with a DSM-IV diagnosis of autism continue to have this diagnosis. The overall efficiency of this system falls if only one source of information is available and, particularly, if the criteria are used outside the research context. The impact is probably greatest among the most cognitively able cases and those with less classic autism presentations. CONCLUSIONS: Significant discontinuities in diagnostic practice raise significant problems for both research and clinical services. For DSM-5, the impact of these changes remains unclear.
