1. Armstrong A, Knapp VM, McAdam DB. {{Functional analysis and treatment of the diurnal bruxism of a 16-year-old girl with autism}}. {J Appl Behav Anal};2014 (Apr 17)
Bruxism is defined as the clenching and grinding of teeth. This study used a functional analysis to examine whether the bruxism of a 16-year-old girl with autism was maintained by automatic reinforcement or social consequences. A subsequent component analysis of the intervention package described by Barnoy, Najdowski, Tarbox, Wilke, and Nollet (2009) showed that a vocal reprimand (e.g., « stop grinding ») effectively reduced the participant’s bruxism. Results were maintained across time, and effects extended to novel staff members.
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2. 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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3. 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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4. Foley KA, Macfabe DF, Vaz A, Ossenkopp KP, Kavaliers M. {{Sexually dimorphic effects of prenatal exposure to propionic acid and lipopolysaccharide on social behavior in neonatal, adolescent, and adult rats: Implications for autism spectrum disorders}}. {Int J Dev Neurosci};2014 (Apr 18)
Emerging evidence suggests that the gut microbiome plays an important role in immune functioning, behavioral regulation and neurodevelopment. Altered microbiome composition, including altered short chain fatty acids, and/or immune system dysfunction, may contribute to neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASD), with some children with ASD exhibiting both abnormal gut bacterial metabolite composition and immune system dysfunction. This study describes the effects of prenatal propionic acid (PPA), a short chain fatty acid and metabolic product of many antibiotic resistant enteric bacteria, and of prenatal lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial mimetic and microbiome component, on social behavior in male and female neonatal, adolescent and adult rats. Pregnant Long-Evans rats were injected once a day with either a low level of PPA (500mg/kg SC) on gestation days G12-16, LPS (50mug/kg SC) on G12, or vehicle control on G12 or G12-16. Sex- and age-specific, subtle effects on behavior were observed. Both male and female PPA treated pups were impaired in a test of their nest seeking response, suggesting impairment in olfactory-mediated neonatal social recognition. As well, adolescent males, born to PPA treated dams, approached a novel object more than control animals and showed increased levels of locomotor activity compared to prenatal PPA females. Prenatal LPS produced subtle impairments in social behavior in adult male and female rats. These findings raise the possibility that brief prenatal exposure to elevated levels of microbiome products, such as PPA or LPS, can subtly influence neonatal, adolescent and adult social behavior.
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5. 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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6. Gevarter C, O’Reilly MF, Rojeski L, Sammarco N, Sigafoos J, Lancioni GE, Lang R. {{Comparing Acquisition of AAC-Based Mands in Three Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using iPad Applications with Different Display and Design Elements}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2014 (Apr 17)
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) applications may differ in their use of display and design elements. Using a multielement design, this study compared mand acquisition in three preschool-aged males with autism spectrum disorder, across three different displays in two iPad(R) AAC applications. Displays included a Widgit symbol button (GoTalk), a photographical hotspot (Scene and Heard), and a Widgit symbol button along with a photograph (Scene and Heard). Applications had additional design differences. Two participants showed more rapid and consistent acquisition with the photographical hotspot than with the symbol button format, but did not master the combined format. The third participant mastered all three conditions at comparable rates. Results suggest that AAC display and design elements may influence mand acquisition.
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7. Kobari-Wright VV, Miguel CF. {{The effects of listener training on the emergence of categorization and speaker behavior in children with autism}}. {J Appl Behav Anal};2014 (Apr 17)
We evaluated the effects of listener training on the emergence of categorization and speaker behavior (i.e., tacts) using a nonconcurrent multiple baseline design. Four children with autism learned to select pictures given their dictated category names. We assessed whether they could match and tact pictures by category. After training, 3 participants tacted and categorized all pictures, and 1 participant failed both tests. After tact training, this participant categorized. These results suggest that listener training may be an efficient way to produce speaker behavior and categorization in children who have been diagnosed with autism.
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8. Loughrey TO, Betz AM, Majdalany LM, Nicholson K. {{Using instructive feedback to teach category names to children with autism}}. {J Appl Behav Anal};2014 (Apr 17)
We evaluated the effects of instructive feedback (IF) on the emergence of spoken category names with 2 children who had been diagnosed with autism. IF stimuli were presented during listener discrimination training and consisted of presenting the category name associated with each target stimulus. Results suggest that participants acquired the speaker relations in the absence of prompting and reinforcement. Clinical implications and future research on the use of IF as a teaching procedure for children with autism are discussed.
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9. Siniscalco D, Bradstreet JJ, Cirillo A, Antonucci N. {{The in vitro GcMAF effects on endocannabinoid system transcriptionomics, receptor formation, and cell activity of autism-derived macrophages}}. {J Neuroinflammation};2014 (Apr 17);11(1):78.
BACKGROUND: Immune system dysregulation is well-recognized in autism and thought to be part of the etiology of this disorder. The endocannabinoid system is a key regulator of the immune system via the cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB2R) which is highly expressed on macrophages and microglial cells. We have previously published significant differences in peripheral blood mononuclear cell CB2R gene expression in the autism population. The use of the Gc protein-derived Macrophage Activating Factor (GcMAF), an endogenous glycosylated vitamin D binding protein responsible for macrophage cell activation has demonstrated positive effects in the treatment of autistic children. In this current study, we investigated the in vitro effects of GcMAF treatment on the endocannabinoid system gene expression, as well as cellular activation in blood monocyte-derived macrophages (BMDMs) from autistic patients compared to age-matched healthy developing controls. METHODS: To achieve these goals, we used biomolecular, biochemical and immunocytochemical methods. RESULTS: GcMAF treatment was able to normalize the observed differences in dysregulated gene expression of the endocannabinoid system of the autism group. GcMAF also down-regulated the over-activation of BMDMs from autistic children. CONCLUSIONS: This study presents the first observations of GcMAF effects on the transcriptionomics of the endocannabinoid system and expression of CB2R protein. These data point to a potential nexus between endocannabinoids, vitamin D and its transporter proteins, and the immune dysregulations observed with autism.
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10. Takahashi S. {{[Clinical features in Rett syndrome: MECP2-, CDKL5- and FOXG1- related disorders]}}. {No To Hattatsu};2014 (Mar);46(2):117-120.
11. 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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12. Yamagata T, Matsumoto A, Nagata K. {{[Genetic analysis and genes relating synaptic function for autism spectrum disorder]}}. {No To Hattatsu};2014 (Mar);46(2):125-130.
13. Yamamoto T. {{[Disease susceptibility genes and genome structural abnormalities associated with developmental disabilities]}}. {No To Hattatsu};2014 (Mar);46(2):131-135.
14. Yashoda R, Puranik MP. {{Oral health status and parental perception of child oral health related quality-of-life of children with autism in Bangalore, India}}. {J Indian Soc Pedod Prev Dent};2014 (Apr-Jun);32(2):135-139.
Background: Children with autism present with the physical-mental impairments and oral problems, which may have an impact on their quality-of-life (QoL). The aim of the following study was to assess oral health status and parental perception of child oral health related quality of life (OHRQoL) among children with autism. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in 4-15-year-old children with autism (n = 135) and children without autism (n = 135). Oral health status was evaluated using Oral Hygiene Index-Simplified (OHI-S), its Miglani’s modification for deciduous teeth, Decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT/dmft) and Decayed, missing and filled surface (DMFS/dmfs) indices. Parents answered the Parental-Caregivers Perception Questionnaire for assessing children’s OHRQoL. Mann-Whitney U, Chi-square test and Pearson’s correlation analysis were performed. Results: Mean OHI-S, DMFT, dmft scores were significantly high among children with autism (2.07 +/- 0.83; 0.86 +/- 1.22, 1.40 +/- 2.48) when compared to children without autism (0.46 +/- 0.58; 0.46 +/- 1.06, 0.59 +/- 1.28) respectively. Out of all domains of OHRQoL, mean score of functional limitations related to teeth problem was significantly higher among children with autism (8.87 +/- 5.65) as compared to non-autism group (6.66 +/- 4.97). Conclusion: Functional limitations may have a negative impact on oral health status that might influence OHRQoL.
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15. Zalla T, Amsellem F, Chaste P, Ervas F, Leboyer M, Champagne-Lavau M. {{Individuals with autism spectrum disorders do not use social stereotypes in irony comprehension}}. {PLoS One};2014;9(4):e95568.
Social and communication impairments are part of the essential diagnostic criteria used to define Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). Difficulties in appreciating non-literal speech, such as irony in ASDs have been explained as due to impairments in social understanding and in recognizing the speaker’s communicative intention. It has been shown that social-interactional factors, such as a listener’s beliefs about the speaker’s attitudinal propensities (e.g., a tendency to use sarcasm, to be mocking, less sincere and more prone to criticism), as conveyed by an occupational stereotype, do influence a listener’s interpretation of potentially ironic remarks. We investigate the effect of occupational stereotype on irony detection in adults with High Functioning Autism or Asperger Syndrome (HFA/AS) and a comparison group of typically developed adults. We used a series of verbally presented stories containing ironic or literal utterances produced by a speaker having either a « sarcastic » or a « non-sarcastic » occupation. Although individuals with HFA/AS were able to recognize ironic intent and occupational stereotypes when the latter are made salient, stereotype information enhanced irony detection and modulated its social meaning (i.e., mockery and politeness) only in comparison participants. We concluded that when stereotype knowledge is not made salient, it does not automatically affect pragmatic communicative processes in individuals with HFA/AS.
