1. Baarsma ME, Boonmann C, t Hart-Kerkhoffs LA, de Graaf H, Doreleijers TA, Vermeiren RR, Jansen LM. {{Sexuality and Autistic-Like Symptoms in Juvenile Sex Offenders: A Follow-Up After 8 Years}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2016 May 18.
Juveniles who have committed a sexual offense (JSOs) are thought to have abnormal sexual development, as well as increased ASD symptoms. In the current study, sexual development and behavior, as well as stability of ASD-like symptoms were assessed in a sample of 44 male JSOs (mean age 24.7 +/- 1.5 years) 8 years after their sexual offence. JSOs exhibited less knowledge of sexuality, less positive attitudes towards pornography and more often reported having been a victim of verbal sexual intimidation than a matched normal population sample. ASD symptoms were relatively stable over the 8 years follow-up, indicating that social difficulties in JSOs may be part of life-long autistic-like traits. However, ASD symptoms were not related to alterations in sexual development or behavior.
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2. Bail CA. {{Emotional Feedback and the Viral Spread of Social Media Messages About Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {American journal of public health}. 2016 May 19:e1-e8.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether exchanges of emotional language between health advocacy organizations and social media users predict the spread of posts about autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). METHODS: I created a Facebook application that tracked views of ASD advocacy organizations’ posts between July 19, 2011, and December 18, 2012. I evaluated the association between exchanges of emotional language and viral views of posts, controlling for additional characteristics of posts, the organizations that produced them, the social media users who viewed them, and the broader social environment. RESULTS: Exchanges of emotional language between advocacy organizations and social media users are strongly associated with viral views of posts. CONCLUSIONS: Social media outreach may be more successful if organizations invite emotional dialogue instead of simply conveying information about ASDs. Yet exchanges of angry language may contribute to the viral spread of misinformation, such as the rumor that vaccines cause ASDs. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print May 19, 2016: e1-e8. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303181).
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3. Bishop-Fitzpatrick L, Hong J, Smith LE, Makuch RA, Greenberg JS, Mailick MR. {{Characterizing Objective Quality of Life and Normative Outcomes in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder: An Exploratory Latent Class Analysis}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2016 May 20.
This study aims to extend the definition of quality of life (QoL) for adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, n = 180, ages 23-60) by: (1) characterizing the heterogeneity of normative outcomes (employment, independent living, social engagement) and objective QoL (physical health, neighborhood quality, family contact, mental health issues); and (2) identifying predictors of positive normative outcomes and good objective QoL. Findings of an exploratory latent class analysis identified three groups of adults with ASD-Greater Dependence, Good Physical and Mental Health, and Greater Independence. Findings indicate that better daily living skills, better executive function, and more maternal warmth are associated with assignment to better outcome groups. Findings have implications for interventions designed to enhance achievement of normative outcomes and objective QoL.
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4. Di Giorgio E, Frasnelli E, Rosa Salva O, Maria Luisa S, Puopolo M, Tosoni D, Network N, Simion F, Vallortigara G. {{Difference in Visual Social Predispositions Between Newborns at Low- and High-risk for Autism}}. {Scientific reports}. 2016;6:26395.
Some key behavioural traits of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have been hypothesized to be due to impairments in the early activation of subcortical orienting mechanisms, which in typical development bias newborns to orient to relevant social visual stimuli. A challenge to testing this hypothesis is that autism is usually not diagnosed until a child is at least 3 years old. Here, we circumvented this difficulty by studying for the very first time, the predispositions to pay attention to social stimuli in newborns with a high familial risk of autism. Results showed that visual preferences to social stimuli strikingly differed between high-risk and low-risk newborns. Significant predictors for high-risk newborns were obtained and an accurate biomarker was identified. The results revealed early behavioural characteristics of newborns with familial risk for ASD, allowing for a prospective approach to the emergence of autism in early infancy.
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5. Fitzgerald J, Gallagher L, McGrath J. {{Widespread Disrupted White Matter Microstructure in Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2016 May 20.
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are characterised by impaired social communication and restricted repetitive behaviours. Researchers posit that these core features may be underpinned by disrupted structural connectivity. A tract based spatial statistical analysis of diffusion MRI data was performed to investigate white matter organisation (an indication of structural connectivity) in a well-defined cohort of 45 ASD and 45 age and IQ matched control participants. Aberrant structural connectivity characterised by reduced fractional anisotropy was observed in several fiber pathways in ASD relative to controls. Disrupted white matter organisation was associated with social deficits and restricted repetitive behaviours in ASD. Abnormal structural connectivity is apparent in ASD and may be linked to the core behavioural features of the disorder.
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6. Jao Keehn RJ, Sanchez SS, Stewart CR, Zhao W, Grenesko-Stevens EL, Keehn B, Muller RA. {{Impaired downregulation of visual cortex during auditory processing is associated with autism symptomatology in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research}. 2016 May 20.
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are pervasive developmental disorders characterized by impairments in language development and social interaction, along with restricted and stereotyped behaviors. These behaviors often include atypical responses to sensory stimuli; some children with ASD are easily overwhelmed by sensory stimuli, while others may seem unaware of their environment. Vision and audition are two sensory modalities important for social interactions and language, and are differentially affected in ASD. In the present study, 16 children and adolescents with ASD and 16 typically developing (TD) participants matched for age, gender, nonverbal IQ, and handedness were tested using a mixed event-related/blocked functional magnetic resonance imaging paradigm to examine basic perceptual processes that may form the foundation for later-developing cognitive abilities. Auditory (high or low pitch) and visual conditions (dot located high or low in the display) were presented, and participants indicated whether the stimuli were « high » or « low. » Results for the auditory condition showed downregulated activity of the visual cortex in the TD group, but upregulation in the ASD group. This atypical activity in visual cortex was associated with autism symptomatology. These findings suggest atypical crossmodal (auditory-visual) modulation linked to sociocommunicative deficits in ASD, in agreement with the general hypothesis of low-level sensorimotor impairments affecting core symptomatology. Autism Res 2016. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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7. Lin IF, Agus TR, Suied C, Pressnitzer D, Yamada T, Komine Y, Kato N, Kashino M. {{Fast response to human voices in autism}}. {Scientific reports}. 2016;6:26336.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are reported to allocate less spontaneous attention to voices. Here, we investigated how vocal sounds are processed in ASD adults, when those sounds are attended. Participants were asked to react as fast as possible to target stimuli (either voices or strings) while ignoring distracting stimuli. Response times (RTs) were measured. Results showed that, similar to neurotypical (NT) adults, ASD adults were faster to recognize voices compared to strings. Surprisingly, ASD adults had even shorter RTs for voices than the NT adults, suggesting a faster voice recognition process. To investigate the acoustic underpinnings of this effect, we created auditory chimeras that retained only the temporal or the spectral features of voices. For the NT group, no RT advantage was found for the chimeras compared to strings: both sets of features had to be present to observe an RT advantage. However, for the ASD group, shorter RTs were observed for both chimeras. These observations indicate that the previously observed attentional deficit to voices in ASD individuals could be due to a failure to combine acoustic features, even though such features may be well represented at a sensory level.
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8. Long Z, Duan X, Mantini D, Chen H. {{Alteration of functional connectivity in autism spectrum disorder: effect of age and anatomical distance}}. {Scientific reports}. 2016;6:26527.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with disruption of local- and long-range functional connectivity (FC). The direction of those changes in FC (increase or decrease), however, is inconsistent across studies. Further, age-dependent changes of distance-specific FC in ASD remain unclear. In this study, we used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from sixty-four typical controls (TC) and sixty-four patients with ASD, whom we further classified into child (<11 years), adolescent (11-18 years) and adult cohorts (>18 years). Functional connectivity (FC) analysis was conducted at voxel level. We employed a three-way analysis of covariance on FC to conduct statistical analyses. Results revealed that patients with ASD had lower FC than TC in cerebellum, fusiform gyrus, inferior occipital gyrus and posterior inferior temporal gyrus. Significant diagnosis-by-distance interaction was observed in ASD patients with reduced short-range and long-range FC in posterior cingulate cortex and medial prefrontal cortex. Importantly, we found significant diagnosis-by-age-by-distance interaction in orbitofrontal cortex with short-range FC being lower in autistic children, but -to a less extent- higher in autistic adults. Our findings suggest a major role of connection length in development changes of FC in ASD. We hope our study will facilitate deeper understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying ASD.
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9. Maisel ME, Stephenson KG, South M, Rodgers J, Freeston MH, Gaigg SB. {{Modeling the Cognitive Mechanisms Linking Autism Symptoms and Anxiety in Adults}}. {Journal of abnormal psychology}. 2016 May 19.
Emotional acceptance, alexithymia, and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) contribute to anxiety disorders in neurotypical populations. Their association with anxiety in people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has not been studied. We aimed to model the contributions of these constructs on the relationship between dimensional measures of autism and anxiety. Participants were 151 adults recruited from 2 sites, including those diagnosed with ASD (n = 76) and a matched comparison group (n = 75). All participants completed a battery of questionnaires measuring core autism symptoms, anxiety, emotional acceptance, alexithymia, and intolerance of uncertainty. Structural equation modeling with mediation was used to examine directional relationships among these variables. Autism symptoms directly predicted less emotional acceptance and increased alexithymia and IU. Alexithymia and acceptance were shown to explain 64% of the effect between autism symptom severity and anxiety level. This suggests that people with ASD experience increased levels of anxiety because they are more likely to react aversively to their emotional experiences, while lacking the ability to identify and understand their emotions. Developing and implementing mindfulness-based interventions aimed at assuaging alexithymia and IU, while increasing emotional acceptance, may be especially helpful in treating anxiety in ASD. (PsycINFO Database Record
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10. Mercado E, 3rd, Church BA. {{Brief Report: Simulations Suggest Heterogeneous Category Learning and Generalization in Children with Autism is a Result of Idiosyncratic Perceptual Transformations}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2016 May 18.
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) sometimes have difficulties learning categories. Past computational work suggests that such deficits may result from atypical representations in cortical maps. Here we use neural networks to show that idiosyncratic transformations of inputs can result in the formation of feature maps that impair category learning for some inputs, but not for other closely related inputs. These simulations suggest that large inter- and intra-individual variations in learning capacities shown by children with ASD across similar categorization tasks may similarly result from idiosyncratic perceptual encoding that is resistant to experience-dependent changes. If so, then both feedback- and exposure-based category learning should lead to heterogeneous, stimulus-dependent deficits in children with ASD.
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11. Schonewolf-Greulich B, Stahlhut M, Larsen JL, Syhler B, Bisgaard AM. {{Functional abilities in aging women with Rett syndrome – the Danish cohort}}. {Disability and rehabilitation}. 2016 May 20:1-8.
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a neurodevelopmental disorder, which mainly affects females and results in multiple disabilities. Many clinical descriptions of the symptoms and functional abilities have been made medically, though mainly in children with RTT. Previous reports have established that even though the syndrome causes severe psychomotor disability, women with RTT can live long into adulthood. PURPOSE: We aim to describe what to expect from aging women with RTT regarding some of the basic functional abilities that are used in daily activities and that could have an impact on quality of life in these women. METHODS: A team of two medical doctors, a physiotherapist and an educational psychological adviser, performed clinical evaluations of 27 women with RTT in Denmark above 30 years of age and confirmed MECP2 mutation. RESULTS: We found that 63% of the women were able to walk outside their homes and only 11% were not able to walk at all. However, 67% could not transfer from sitting to standing position without support. There was profound difficulties communicating, but 85.1% of the women could either consistently point with their hand or eyes to things of their interest. CONCLUSIONS: Women with RTT are very dependent on caregivers who maintain and rehabilitate their functional abilities. They can often walk short distances unassisted, but do have trouble transferring and thus getting up from a chair on their own. They have severe problems communicating and they often perform subtle signs that can be difficult to recognize. Implications for rehabilitation 3/4 of aging RTT women are household ambulators – daily training of motor functions and focus on assisting the initiation of movements are needed lifelong to maintain walking ability and participation in daily activities More than half of aging women with RTT can grab on to things – persons with hand function should be motivated to use this ability in the context of eating Communication is a difficult task especially for the aging RTT women – Communicative signs, their meaning and how to react to them should be written down for every woman in an easy accessible way to all caregivers The majority of aging RTT women can point out things of interest – they should be given the opportunity to participate in choice making.
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12. Simsek S, Cetin I, Cim A, Kaya S. {{Elevated levels of tissue plasminogen activator and E-selectin in male children with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research}. 2016 May 19.
Although the etiopathology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is not clear, immune dysfunction has been proposed as a mechanism for the pathophysiology of ASD. The purpose of this study is to examine serum levels of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and some adhesion molecules in children with ASD that have not been investigated previously in detail. The study group included 35 male children aged from 2 to 9 diagnosed with ASD according to DSM-V criteria. Soluble platelet endothelial adhesion molecule-1 (sPECAM-1), P-selectin, E-selectin, and t-PA in the serum were determined with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Autism behavior check list (ABC) is used for the assessment of ASD severity. The levels of t-PA (P = 0.025) and E-selectin (P = 0.007) was detected significantly higher in children with ASD than control group. Serum levels of sPECAM-1 showed statistically significant negative correlation with sensory, body and object-use, language, social, and self-help and total scores in the patient group (r = -0.349, P = 0.04; r = -0.411, P = 0.01; r = -0.412, P = 0.01; r = -0.417, P = 0.01, and r = -0.531, P < 0.01, respectively). Serum levels of P-selectin levels showed statistically significant negative correlation with ABC total score in the patient group (r = -0.378, P = 0.03). It may be suggested that t-PA, E-selectin, P-selectin, and sPECAM-1 a crucial role in inflammatory conditions in children with ASD. Autism Res 2016. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
13. Smith CJ, Rozga A, Matthews N, Oberleitner R, Nazneen N, Abowd G. {{Investigating the Accuracy of a Novel Telehealth Diagnostic Approach for Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Psychological assessment}. 2016 May 19.
Research indicates that a substantial amount of time elapses between parents’ first concerns about their child’s development and a formal diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Telehealth presents an opportunity to expedite the diagnostic process. This project compared a novel telehealth diagnostic approach that utilizes clinically guided in-home video recordings to the gold standard in-person diagnostic assessment. Participants included 40 families seeking an ASD evaluation for their child and 11 families of typically developing children. Children were between the ages of 18 months and 6 years 11 months; mean adaptive behavior composite = 75.47 (SD = 15.94). All parent participants spoke English fluently. Families completed the Naturalistic Observation Diagnostic Assessment (NODA) for ASD, which was compared to an in-person assessment (IPA). Agreement between the 2 methods, as well as sensitivity, specificity, and interrater reliability, were calculated for the full sample and the subsample of families seeking an ASD evaluation. Diagnostic agreement between NODA and the IPA was 88.2% (kappa = 0.75) in the full sample and 85% (kappa = 0.58) in the subsample. Sensitivity was 84.9% in both, whereas specificity was 94.4% in the full sample and 85.7% in the subsample. Kappa coefficients for interrater reliability indicated 85% to 90% accuracy between raters. NODA utilizes telehealth technology for families to share information with professionals and provides a method to inform clinical judgment for a diagnosis of ASD. Due to the high level of agreement with the IPA in this sample, NODA has potential to improve the efficiency of the diagnostic process for ASD. (PsycINFO Database Record
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14. Strunz S, Schermuck C, Ballerstein S, Ahlers CJ, Dziobek I, Roepke S. {{Romantic Relationships and Relationship Satisfaction Among Adults With Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism}}. {Journal of clinical psychology}. 2016 May 16.
OBJECTIVE: Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience difficulties in maintaining romantic relationships. In this study high-functioning adults with ASD were examined concerning their romantic relationship interest and experience. METHOD: Participants, 31 recruited via an outpatient clinic and 198 via an online survey, were asked to answer a number of self-report questionnaires. The total sample comprised 229 high-functioning adults with ASD (40% males, average age: 35 years). RESULTS: Of the total sample, 73% indicated romantic relationship experience and only 7% had no desire to be in a romantic relationship. ASD individuals whose partner was also on the autism spectrum were significantly more satisfied with their relationship than those with neurotypical partners. Severity of autism, schizoid symptoms, empathy skills, and need for social support were not correlated with relationship status. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the vast majority of high-functioning adults with ASD are interested in romantic relationships.
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15. Suma K, Adamson LB, Bakeman R, Robins DL, Abrams DN. {{After Early Autism Diagnosis: Changes in Intervention and Parent-Child Interaction}}. {Journal of autism and developmental disorders}. 2016 May 18.
This study documents the relation between an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis, increases in intervention, and changes in parent-child interaction quality. Information about intervention and observations of interaction were collected before diagnosis and a half year after diagnosis for 79 low-risk toddlers who had screened positive for ASD risk during a well-baby checkup. Children diagnosed with ASD (n = 44) were 2.69 times more likely to increase intervention hours. After ASD diagnosis, the relation between intervention and interaction quality was complex: although increases in intervention and interaction quality were only modestly related, the overall amount of intervention after diagnosis was associated with higher quality interactions. Moreover, lower quality interactions before diagnosis significantly increased the likelihood that intervention would increase post-diagnosis.
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16. Zupan B, Sharma A, Frazier A, Klein S, Toth M. {{Programming social behavior by the maternal fragile X protein}}. {Genes, brain, and behavior}. 2016 May 20.
The developing fetus and neonate are highly sensitive to maternal environment. Besides the well-documented effects of maternal stress, nutrition and infections, maternal mutations, by altering the fetal, perinatal and/or early postnatal environment, can impact the behavior of genetically normal offspring. Mutation/premutation in the X linked FMR1 (encoding the translational regulator FMRP) in females, although primarily responsible for causing fragile X syndrome (FXS) in their children, may also elicit such maternal effects. We demonstrated in mice that a deficit in maternal FMRP results in hyperactivity in the genetically normal offspring. To test if maternal FMRP has a broader intergenerational effect, we measured social behavior, a core dimension of neurodevelopmental disorders, in males of FMRP-deficient dams. We found that male offspring of Fmr1+/- mothers, independent of their own Fmr1 genotype, exhibit increased approach and reduced avoidance toward conspecific strangers, reminiscent of « indiscriminate friendliness », or the lack of stranger anxiety, diagnosed in neglected children and in patients with Asperger’s and Williams syndrome. Furthermore, social interaction failed to activate mesolimbic/amygdala regions, encoding social aversion, in these mice, providing a neurobiological basis for the behavioral abnormality. This work identifies a novel role for FMRP that extends its function beyond the well-established genetic function into intergenerational non-genetic inheritance/programming of social behavior and the corresponding neuronal circuit. As FXS premutation and some psychiatric conditions that can be associated with reduced FMRP expression are more prevalent in mothers than full FMR1 mutation, our findings potentially broaden the significance of FMRP-dependent programming of social behavior beyond the FXS population.
