1. Bakare MO, Tunde-Ayinmode MF, Adewuya AO, Bello-Mojeed MA, Sale S, James BO, Yunusa MA, Obindo JT, Igwe MN, Odinka PC, Okafor CJ, Oshodi YO, Okonoda KM, Munir KM, Orovwigho AO. {{Recognition of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms and knowledge about some other aspects of ASD among final year medical students in Nigeria, Sub-Saharan Africa}}. {BMC Res Notes};2015;8(1):454.
BACKGROUND: Earlier studies suggest that knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) among healthcare workers in Nigeria is low. This present study assessed the knowledge of Nigerian final year medical students about symptoms of ASD and some other aspects of ASD. This is a cross sectional descriptive study that drew a total of seven hundred and fifty-seven (757) final year medical students from ten (10) randomly selected fully accredited medical schools out of a total of twenty-seven (27) fully accredited medical schools in Nigeria. Sociodemographic and Knowledge about Childhood Autism among Health Workers (KCAHW) questionnaires were used to assess knowledge of final year medical students about ASD and obtain demographic information. RESULTS: Only few, 218 (28.8 %) of the 757 final year medical students had seen and participated in evaluation and management of at least a child with ASD during their clinical postings in pediatrics and psychiatry. Knowledge and recognition of symptoms of ASD is observed to be better among this group of final year medical students as shown by higher mean scores in the four domains of KCAHW questionnaire. Knowledge about ASD varies across gender and regions. Misconceptions about ASD were also observed among the final year medical students. CONCLUSIONS: More focus needs to be given to ASD in the curriculum of Nigerian undergraduate medical students, especially during their psychiatry and pediatric clinical postings.
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2. Birmingham E, Stanley D, Nair R, Adolphs R. {{Implicit Social Biases in People With Autism}}. {Psychol Sci};2015 (Sep 18)
Implicit social biases are ubiquitous and are known to influence social behavior. A core diagnostic criterion of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is abnormal social behavior. We investigated the extent to which individuals with ASD might show a specific attenuation of implicit social biases, using Implicit Association Tests (IATs) involving social (gender, race) and nonsocial (nature, shoes) categories. High-functioning adults with ASD showed intact but reduced IAT effects relative to healthy control participants. We observed no selective attenuation of implicit social (vs. nonsocial) biases in our ASD population. To extend these results, we supplemented our healthy control data with data collected from a large online sample from the general population and explored correlations between autistic traits and IAT effects. We observed no systematic relationship between autistic traits and implicit social biases in our online and control samples. Taken together, these results suggest that implicit social biases, as measured by the IAT, are largely intact in ASD.
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3. Coyne AN, Yamada SB, Siddegowda BB, Estes PS, Zaepfel BL, Johannesmeyer JS, Lockwood DB, Pham LT, Hart MP, Cassel JA, Freibaum B, Boehringer AV, Taylor JP, Reitz AB, Gitler AD, Zarnescu DC. {{Fragile X protein mitigates TDP-43 toxicity by remodeling RNA granules and restoring translation}}. {Hum Mol Genet};2015 (Sep 18)
RNA dysregulation is a newly recognized disease mechanism in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Here we identify Drosophila Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (dFMRP) as a robust genetic modifier of TDP-43 dependent toxicity in a Drosophila model of ALS. We find that dFMRP overexpression mitigates TDP-43 dependent locomotor defects and reduced lifespan in Drosophila. TDP-43 and FMRP form a complex in flies and human cells. In motor neurons, TDP-43 expression increases the association of dFMRP with stress granules and colocalizes with PolyA Binding Protein (PABP) in a variant dependent manner. Furthermore, dFMRP dosage modulates TDP-43 solubility and molecular mobility with overexpression of dFMRP resulting in a significant reduction of TDP-43 in the aggregate fraction. Polysome fractionation experiments indicate that dFMRP overexpression also relieves the translation inhibition of futsch mRNA, a TDP-43 target mRNA, which regulates neuromuscular synapse architecture. Restoration of futsch translation by dFMRP overexpression mitigates Futsch dependent morphological phenotypes at the neuromuscular junction including synaptic size and presence of satellite boutons. Our data suggest a model whereby dFMRP is neuroprotective by remodeling TDP-43 containing RNA granules, reducing aggregation and restoring the translation of specific mRNAs in motor neurons.
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4. Perreault A, Habak C, Lepore F, Mottron L, Bertone A. {{Behavioral evidence for a functional link between low- and mid-level visual perception in the autism spectrum}}. {Neuropsychologia};2015 (Sep 15)
BACKGROUND: Most investigations of visuo-perceptual abilities in the Autism Spectrum (AS) are level-specific, using tasks that selectively solicit either lower- (i.e., spatial frequency sensitivity), mid- (i.e., pattern discrimination) or higher-level processes (i.e., face identification) along the visual hierarchy. Less is known about how alterations at one level of processing (i.e., low-level) interact with that of another (i.e., mid-level). The aim of this study was to assess whether manipulating the physical properties (luminance vs. texture) of local contour elements of a mid-level, visual pattern interferes with the discrimination of that pattern in a differential manner for individuals with AS. METHODS: Twenty-nine AS individuals and thirty control participants (range 14-27 years) were asked to discriminate between perfect circles and Radial Frequency Patterns (RFP) of two, three, five, and 10 radial frequencies (RF), or deformations along the pattern’s contour. When RFP have few deformations (< five RF), a global, pattern analysis is needed for shape discrimination. Conversely, when RFP contain many deformations (>/= 10 RF), discrimination is dependent on the analysis of local deformations along the RFP contour. The effect of manipulating RF on RFP discrimination was assessed for RFP whose local contour elements were defined by either luminance or texture information, the latter previously found less efficiently processed in AS individuals. RESULTS: Two separate mixed factorial ANOVAs [2 (Group) x 4 (RF)] were conducted on mean deformation thresholds for luminance- and texture-defined conditions. A significant Group x RF interaction was found for the luminance-defined condition where thresholds were higher in the AS group for the two and three RF conditions; no between-group differences were found for the five and 10 RF conditions. A significant main effect of group was identified for the texture-defined condition, where mean thresholds were higher for the AS group across all RF conditions assessed (two, three, five and 10); a Group x RF interaction effect was not found. Performance for each RFP condition was not affected across group by either chronological age or intelligence, as measured by either Weschler scales or Raven Progressive Matrices. CONCLUSIONS: The ability of AS individuals to discriminate a circular pattern is differentially affected by the availability (number of deformations along the RFP contour) and type (luminance versus texture) of local, low-level elements defining its contour. Performance is unaffected in AS when RFP discrimination is dependent on the analysis of local deformations of luminance-defined contour elements, but decreased across all RF conditions when local contour elements are texture-defined. These results suggest that efficient pattern perception in AS is functionally related to the efficacy with which its local elements are processed, indicative of an early origin for altered mid-level, pattern perception in AS.
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5. Pugliese CE, Kenworthy L, Bal VH, Wallace GL, Yerys BE, Maddox BB, White SW, Popal H, Armour AC, Miller J, Herrington JD, Schultz RT, Martin A, Anthony LG. {{Replication and Comparison of the Newly Proposed ADOS-2, Module 4 Algorithm in ASD Without ID: A Multi-site Study}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Sep 18)
Recent updates have been proposed to the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 Module 4 diagnostic algorithm. This new algorithm, however, has not yet been validated in an independent sample without intellectual disability (ID). This multi-site study compared the original and revised algorithms in individuals with ASD without ID. The revised algorithm demonstrated increased sensitivity, but lower specificity in the overall sample. Estimates were highest for females, individuals with a verbal IQ below 85 or above 115, and ages 16 and older. Best practice diagnostic procedures should include the Module 4 in conjunction with other assessment tools. Balancing needs for sensitivity and specificity depending on the purpose of assessment (e.g., clinical vs. research) and demographic characteristics mentioned above will enhance its utility.
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6. Zhou H, Zhang L, Wu L, Zou X, Luo X, Xia K, Wang Y, Xu X, Ge X, Sun C, Deng H, Fombonne E, Jiang YH, Yan W. {{Validity and reliability analysis of the Chinese parent version of the Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (6-18 years)}}. {Psychiatry Res};2015 (Sep 8)
This study aimed to investigate the validity and reliability of the Chinese parent version of the Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS, 6-18 years) for a general sample of Chinese children. The study involved assessing 1625 community-based subjects aged 6-12 years from four sites (Shanghai, Guangzhou, Changsha, and Harbin city) in China and 211 clinic-based participants aged 6-18 with a confirmed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). The internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) ranged from 0.585 to 0.929, and the test-retest reliability (interclass correlations) ranged from 0.542 to 0.749, indicating no significant difference between the two tests at an interval of 2-4 weeks. The construct validity was relatively excellent, and the concurrent validity with the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) (Pearson correlations) was 0.732 between the two total scores. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) analyses showed excellent and comparable discriminant validity of the ASRS with respect to the SRS, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.9507 (95% CI: 0.93-0.97) versus 0.9703 (95% CI: 0.96-0.98), respectively. Our data suggested a cutoff >/=60 for the Chinese version of the ASRS, with good accuracy in screening autism symptoms (sensitivity=94.2%, specificity=77%). The Chinese parent version of the ASRS is therefore a reliable and valid tool for screening autistic symptoms in Chinese children in general.
