1. Chonchaiya W, Nuntnarumit P, Pruksananonda C. {{Comparison of television viewing between children with autism spectrum disorder and controls}}. {Acta Paediatr};2011 (Jan 18)
Aim: To examine the pattern and extent of television viewing in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with typically developing controls and those with delayed language development (DLD). Methods: Fifty-four individuals with ASD (mean age 2.56 +/- 0.66 years) and eighty-four controls (mean age 2.43 +/- 0.81 years) were enrolled. Fifty-six individuals with DLD, who had language developmental levels similar to those with ASD, were enrolled in our previous study. Main outcome measures included onset and frequency of television viewing, in addition to the type of program and whether a caregiver co-watched television. Results: Those with ASD began to watch television significantly earlier than controls (6.44 +/- 6.35 vs. 12.41 +/- 6.00 months of age, p = <0.0001*), and spent more time watching television than those with DLD (4.60 +/- 1.91 vs. 3.05 +/- 1.90 hours/day, p = <0.0001*), and controls (4.60 +/- 1.91 vs. 2.06 +/- 1.21 hours/day, p = <0.0001*). Those with ASD appeared to watch more adult programs than normal controls and they were less likely to watch television with caregivers than both control groups. Conclusion: There is an earlier onset and higher frequency of television viewing in autistic children compared with children with typical development.
2. Good P. {{Does Fever Relieve Autistic Behavior by Improving Brain Blood Flow?}}. {Neuropsychol Rev};2011 (Jan 20)
3. Miller CG. {{Time trends in autism}}. {Isr Med Assoc J};2010 (Nov);12(11):711-712.
4. Pelphrey KA, Shultz S, Hudac CM, Vander Wyk BC. {{Research Review: Constraining heterogeneity: the social brain and its development in autism spectrum disorder}}. {J Child Psychol Psychiatry};2011 (Jan 19)
The expression of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is highly heterogeneous, owing to the complex interactions between genes, the brain, and behavior throughout development. Here we present a model of ASD that implicates an early and initial failure to develop the specialized functions of one or more of the set of neuroanatomical structures involved in social information processing (i.e., the ‘social brain’). From this early and primary disruption, abnormal brain development is canalized because the individual with an ASD must develop in a highly social world without the specialized neural systems that would ordinarily allow him or her to partake in the fabric of social life, which is woven from the thread of opportunities for social reciprocity and the tools of social engagement. This brain canalization gives rise to other characteristic behavioral deficits in ASD including deficits in communication, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. We propose that focused efforts to explore the brain mechanisms underlying the core, pathognomic deficits in the development of mechanisms for social engagement in ASD will greatly elucidate our understanding and treatment of this complex, devastating family of neurodevelopmental disorders. In particular, developmental studies (i.e., longitudinal studies of young children with and without ASD, as well as infants at increased risk for being identified with ASD) of the neural circuitry supporting key aspects of social information processing are likely to provide important insights into the underlying components of the full-syndrome of ASD. These studies could also contribute to the identification of developmental brain endophenotypes to facilitate genetic studies. The potential for this kind of approach is illustrated via examples of functional neuroimaging research from our own laboratory implicating the posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS) as a key player in the set of neural structures giving rise to ASD.
5. Soulieres I, Zeffiro TA, Girard ML, Mottron L. {{Enhanced mental image mapping in autism}}. {Neuropsychologia};2011 (Jan 20)
The formation and manipulation of mental images represents a key ability for successfully solving visuospatial tasks like Wechsler’s Block Design or visual reasoning problems, tasks where autistics perform at higher levels than predicted by their Wechsler IQ. Visual imagery can be used to compare two mental images, allowing judgment of their relative properties. To examine higher visual processes in autism, and their possible role in explaining autistic visuospatial peaks, we carried out two mental imagery experiments in 23 autistic and 14 age and IQ matched, non-autistic adolescents and adults. Among autistics, 11 had significantly higher Block Design scores than predicted by their IQ. Experiment 1 involved imagining a letter inside a circle, followed by a decision concerning which of two highlighted portions of the circle would contain the greater proportion of the letter. Experiment 2 involved four classic mental rotation tasks utilizing two- and three-dimensional geometric figures, hands and letters. Autistics were more accurate in the formation and comparison of mental images than non-autistics. Autistics with a Block Design peak outperformed other participants in both speed and accuracy of mental rotation. Also, Performance IQ and Block Design scores were better predictors of mental rotation accuracy in autistic compared to non-autistic participants. The ability to form, access and manipulate visual mental representations may be more developed in autistics. We propose two complementary mechanisms to explain these processing advantages: (1) a global advantage in perceptual processing, discussed in the framework of the Enhanced Perceptual Functioning Model, and (2) particular strengths in veridical mapping, the ability to efficiently detect isomorphisms among entities and then to use these mappings to process stimulus characteristics, thereby facilitating judgments about their differences.
