1. Carter J, Broder-Fingert S, Neumeyer A, Giauque A, Kao A, Iyasere C. {{Brief Report: Meeting the Needs of Medically Hospitalized Adults with Autism: A Provider and Patient Toolkit}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2017 (Feb 17)
In an effort to meet the needs of adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) while hospitalized, a team of experts and providers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH), MGH for Children as well as parents of individuals with ASD was sparked in 2013. This became a multidisciplinary collaborative, the MGH Autism Care Collaborative, to improve adult care for inpatients with ASD. The collaborative was created with three goals in mind: (1) to educate internal medicine adult inpatient providers and staff on the unique needs of adults with ASD when hospitalized; (2) to create ASD specific resources for internal medicine adult inpatient providers; (3) to optimize patient care from admission to discharge among adults with ASD admitted to internal medicine services.
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2. Garcia-Blanco A, Lopez-Soler C, Vento M, Garcia-Blanco MC, Gago B, Perea M. {{Communication deficits and avoidance of angry faces in children with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Res Dev Disabil};2017 (Feb 14)
BACKGROUND: Understanding how emotional faces are processed is important to help characterize the social deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). AIMS: We examined: (i) whether attention is modulated by emotional facial expression; (ii) the time course of the attentional preferences (short vs. long stimulus presentation rates); and (iii) the association between attentional biases and autistic symptomatology. METHOD AND PROCEDURES: We applied a dot-probe experiment with emotional faces (happy, sad, and angry). The sample was composed of ASD children without additional language and/or intellectual impairments (n=29) and age-matched Typically Developing (TD) children (n=29). OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: When compared to the TD group, the ASD group showed an attentional bias away from angry faces at long presentation rates. No differences between groups were found for happy or sad faces. Furthermore, correlational analyses showed that the higher avoidance of angry faces, the greater are the social communication difficulties of ASD children. The attentional bias away from angry faces may be an underlying mechanism of social dysfunction in ASD. We discuss the implications of these findings for current theories of emotional processing in ASD.
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3. Kang JY, Chadchankar J, Vien TN, Mighdoll MI, Hyde TM, Mather RJ, Deeb TZ, Pangalos MN, Brandon NJ, Dunlop J, Moss SJ. {{Deficits in the activity of presynaptic gamma-Aminobutyric acid type B receptors contribute to altered neuronal excitability in Fragile X Syndrome}}. {J Biol Chem};2017 (Feb 17)
The behavioral and anatomical deficits seen in Fragile X syndrome (FXS) are widely believed to result from imbalances in the relative strengths of excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. While modified neuronal excitability is thought to be of significance, the contribution that alterations in GABAergic inhibition play in the pathophysiology of FXS are ill-defined. Slow sustained neuronal inhibition is mediated by gamma-aminobutyric acid type B (GABAB) receptors, which are heterodimeric G-protein coupled receptors constructed from R1a and R2 or R1b and R2 subunits. Via the activation of Gi/o they limit cAMP accumulation, diminish neurotransmitter release and induce neuronal hyperpolarization. Here we reveal selective deficits in R1a subunit expression are seen in Fmr1 knockout mice (KO) mice, a widely used animal model of FXS, but the levels of the respective mRNA was unaffected. Similar trends of R1a expression were seen in a subset of FXS patients. GABABRs exert powerful pre- and postsynaptic inhibitory effects on neurotransmission. R1a containing GABABRs are believed to mediate presynaptic inhibition in principal neurons. In accordance with this result, deficits in the ability of GABABRs to suppress glutamate release were seen in Fmr1-KO mice. In contrast, the ability of GABABRs to suppress GABA release and induce postsynaptic hyperpolarization was unaffected. Significantly, this deficit contributes to the pathophysiology of FXS as the GABABR agonist R-baclofen rescued the imbalances between excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission evident in Fmr1-KO mice. Collectively, our results provided evidence that selective deficits in the activity of presynaptic GABABRs contribute to the pathophysiology of FXS.
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4. Lin IF, Shirama A, Kato N, Kashino M. {{The singular nature of auditory and visual scene analysis in autism}}. {Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci};2017 (Feb 19);372(1714)
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder often have difficulty acquiring relevant auditory and visual information in daily environments, despite not being diagnosed as hearing impaired or having low vision. Resent psychophysical and neurophysiological studies have shown that autistic individuals have highly specific individual differences at various levels of information processing, including feature extraction, automatic grouping and top-down modulation in auditory and visual scene analysis. Comparison of the characteristics of scene analysis between auditory and visual modalities reveals some essential commonalities, which could provide clues about the underlying neural mechanisms. Further progress in this line of research may suggest effective methods for diagnosing and supporting autistic individuals.This article is part of the themed issue ‘Auditory and visual scene analysis’.
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5. Margolis KG. {{A Role for the Serotonin Reuptake Transporter in the Brain and Intestinal Features of Autism Spectrum Disorders and Developmental Antidepressant Exposure}}. {J Chem Neuroanat};2017 (Feb 14)
Many disease conditions considered CNS-predominant harbor significant intestinal comorbidities. Serotonin (5-HT) and the serotonin reuptake transporter (SERT) have increasingly been shown to play important roles in both brain and intestinal development and long-term function. 5-HT and SERT may thus modulate critical functions in the development and perpetuation of brain-gut axis disease. We discuss the potential roles of 5-HT and SERT in the brain and intestinal manifestations of autism spectrum disorders and developmental antidepressant exposure. The potential therapeutic value of 5-HT4 modulation in the subsequent treatment of these conditions is also addressed.
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6. Masataka N. {{Autism, its cultural modulation and niche construction in societies: Reply to comments on: « Implications of the idea of neurodiversity for understanding the origins of developmental disorders »}}. {Phys Life Rev};2017 (Feb 10)
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7. Masi A, DeMayo MM, Glozier N, Guastella AJ. {{An Overview of Autism Spectrum Disorder, Heterogeneity and Treatment Options}}. {Neurosci Bull};2017 (Feb 17)
Since the documented observations of Kanner in 1943, there has been great debate about the diagnoses, the sub-types, and the diagnostic threshold that relates to what is now known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Reflecting this complicated history, there has been continual refinement from DSM-III with ‘Infantile Autism’ to the current DSM-V diagnosis. The disorder is now widely accepted as a complex, pervasive, heterogeneous condition with multiple etiologies, sub-types, and developmental trajectories. Diagnosis remains based on observation of atypical behaviors, with criteria of persistent deficits in social communication and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior. This review provides a broad overview of the history, prevalence, etiology, clinical presentation, and heterogeneity of ASD. Factors contributing to heterogeneity, including genetic variability, comorbidity, and gender are reviewed. We then explore current evidence-based pharmacological and behavioral treatments for ASD and highlight the complexities of conducting clinical trials that evaluate therapeutic efficacy in ASD populations. Finally, we discuss the potential of a new wave of research examining objective biomarkers to facilitate the evaluation of sub-typing, diagnosis, and treatment response in ASD.
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8. Mazza M, Mariano M, Peretti S, Masedu F, Pino MC, Valenti M. {{The Role of Theory of Mind on Social Information Processing in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Mediation Analysis}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2017 (Feb 18)
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show significant impairments in social skills and theory of mind (ToM). The aim of this study was to evaluate ToM and social information processing abilities in 52 children with ASD compared to 55 typically developing (TD) children. A mediation analysis evaluated whether social information processing abilities can be mediated by ToM competences. In our results, children with autism showed a deficit in social skills and ToM components. The innovative results of our study applying mediation analysis demonstrate that ToM plays a key role in the development of social abilities, and the lack of ToM competences in children with autism impairs their competent social behavior.
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9. Neil L, Green D, Pellicano E. {{The Psychometric Properties of a New Measure of Sensory Behaviors in Autistic Children}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2017 (Feb 17)
Unusual reactions to sensory input became part of the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder in the DSM-5. Measures accurately assessing these symptoms are important for clinical decisions. This study examined the reliability and validity of the Sensory Behavior Questionnaire, a parent-report scale designed to assess frequency and impact of sensory behaviors in autistic children. The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency and concurrent validity, and was a better predictor of autistic symptoms than the Short Sensory Profile within a group of 66 school-age autistic children. The scale also successfully discriminated between autistic and typical children of similar age and ability. The Sensory Behavior Questionnaire has potential as a measure of sensory behaviors in children on the autism spectrum.
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10. Sabatino DiCriscio A, Troiani V. {{Brief Report: Autism-like Traits are Associated With Enhanced Ability to Disembed Visual Forms}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2017 (Feb 17)
Atypical visual perceptual skills are thought to underlie unusual visual attention in autism spectrum disorders. We assessed whether individual differences in visual processing skills scaled with quantitative traits associated with the broader autism phenotype (BAP). Visual perception was assessed using the Figure-ground subtest of the Test of visual perceptual skills-3rd Edition (TVPS). In a large adult cohort (n = 209), TVPS-Figure Ground scores were positively correlated with autistic-like social features as assessed by the Broader autism phenotype questionnaire. This relationship was gender-specific, with males showing a correspondence between visual perceptual skills and autistic-like traits. This work supports the link between atypical visual perception and autism and highlights the importance in characterizing meaningful individual differences in clinically relevant behavioral phenotypes.
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11. Sartorato F, Przybylowski L, Sarko DK. {{Improving therapeutic outcomes in autism spectrum disorders: Enhancing social communication and sensory processing through the use of interactive robots}}. {J Psychiatr Res};2017 (Feb 07);90:1-11.
For children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), social robots are increasingly utilized as therapeutic tools in order to enhance social skills and communication. Robots have been shown to generate a number of social and behavioral benefits in children with ASD including heightened engagement, increased attention, and decreased social anxiety. Although social robots appear to be effective social reinforcement tools in assistive therapies, the perceptual mechanism underlying these benefits remains unknown. To date, social robot studies have primarily relied on expertise in fields such as engineering and clinical psychology, with measures of social robot efficacy principally limited to qualitative observational assessments of children’s interactions with robots. In this review, we examine a range of socially interactive robots that currently have the most widespread use as well as the utility of these robots and their therapeutic effects. In addition, given that social interactions rely on audiovisual communication, we discuss how enhanced sensory processing and integration of robotic social cues may underlie the perceptual and behavioral benefits that social robots confer. Although overall multisensory processing (including audiovisual integration) is impaired in individuals with ASD, social robot interactions may provide therapeutic benefits by allowing audiovisual social cues to be experienced through a simplified version of a human interaction. By applying systems neuroscience tools to identify, analyze, and extend the multisensory perceptual substrates that may underlie the therapeutic benefits of social robots, future studies have the potential to strengthen the clinical utility of social robots for individuals with ASD.
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12. Shah RR, Bird AP. {{MeCP2 mutations: progress towards understanding and treating Rett syndrome}}. {Genome Med};2017 (Feb 17);9(1):17.
Rett syndrome is a profound neurological disorder caused by mutations in the MECP2 gene, but preclinical research has indicated that it is potentially treatable. Progress towards this goal depends on the development of increasingly relevant model systems and on our improving knowledge of MeCP2 function in the brain.
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13. Shtayermman O. {{Fred R. Volkmar, Brian Reichow, and James McPartland (Eds): Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder : Springer International Publishing, 2014, 337pp, ISBN: 978-1-4939-0506-5, $59.99 (hardcover)}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2017 (Feb 17)
