Pubmed du 21/10/23
1. Gusso D, Prauchner GRK, Rieder AS, Wyse ATS. Biological Pathways Associated with Vitamins in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Neurotox Res;2023 (Oct 21)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by early-appearing social communication deficits, with genetic and environmental factors potentially playing a role in its etiology, which remains largely unknown. During pregnancy, certain deficiencies in critical nutrients are mainly associated with central nervous system impairment. The vitamin B9 (folate) is primarily related to one-carbon and methionine metabolism, participating in methyl donor generation. In addition, supplementation with folic acid (FA) is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) in the first three gestational months to prevent neural tube defects. Vitamin B12 is related to folate regeneration, converting it into an active form. Deficiencies in this vitamin have a negative impact on cognitive function and brain development since it is involved in myelin synthesis. Vitamin D is intimately associated with Ca(2+) levels, acting in bone development and calcium-dependent signaling. This vitamin is associated with ASD at several levels since it has a relation with ASD genes and oxidative stress environment. This review carries the recent literature about the role of folate, vitamin B12, and vitamin D in ASD. In addition, we discuss the possible impact of nutrient deficiency or hypersupplementation during fetal development. On the other hand, we explore the biases of vitamin supplementation studies such as the loss of participants in retrospective studies, as well as multiple variants that are not considered in the conclusion, like dietary intake or auto-medication during pregnancy. In this regard, we aim to contribute to the discussion about the role of vitamins in ASD currency, but also in pregnancy and fetal development as well. Furthermore, stress during pregnancy can be an ASD predisposition, with cortisol as a regulator. In this view, we propose that cortisol is the bridge of susceptibility between vitamin disorders and ASD prevalence.
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2. Lai MC. Mental health challenges faced by autistic people. Nat Hum Behav;2023 (Oct 20)
Mental health challenges impede the well-being of autistic people. This Review outlines contributing neurodevelopmental and physical health conditions, rates and developmental trajectories of mental health challenges experienced by autistic people, as well as unique clinical presentations. A framework is proposed to consider four contributing themes to aid personalized formulation: social-contextual determinants, adverse life experiences, autistic cognitive features, and shared genetic and early environmental predispositions. Current evidence-based and clinical-knowledge-informed intervention guidance and ongoing development of support are highlighted for specific mental health areas. Tailored mental health support for autistic people should be neurodivergence-informed, which is fundamentally humanistic and compatible with the prevailing bio-psycho-social frameworks. The personalized formulation should be holistic, considering physical health and transdiagnostic neurodevelopmental factors, intellectual and communication abilities, and contextual-experiential determinants and their interplay with autistic cognition and biology, alongside resilience. Supporting family well-being is integral. Mutual empathic understanding is fundamental to creating societies in which people across neurotypes are all empowered to thrive.
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3. Peltier MR, Behbodikhah J, Renna HA, Ahmed S, Srivastava A, Arita Y, Kasselman LJ, Pinkhasov A, Wisniewski T, De Leon J, Reiss AB. EXPRESS: Cholesterol Deficiency as a Mechanism for Autism: A Valproic Acid Model. J Investig Med;2023 (Oct 21):10815589231210521.
Dysregulated cholesterol metabolism represents an increasingly recognized feature of Autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Children with fetal valproate syndrome caused by prenatal exposure to valproic acid (VPA), an anti-epileptic and mood-stabilizing drug, have a higher incidence of developing ASD. However, the role of VPA in cholesterol homeostasis in neurons and microglial cells remains unclear. Therefore, we examined the effect of VPA exposure on regulation of cholesterol homeostasis in the human microglial clone 3 (HMC3) cell line and the human neuroblastoma cell line SH-SY5Y. HMC3 and SH-SY5Y cells were each incubated in increasing concentrations of VPA, followed by quantification of mRNA and protein expression of cholesterol transporters and cholesterol metabolizing enzymes. Cholesterol efflux was evaluated using colorimetric assays. We found that VPA treatment in HMC3 cells significantly reduced ABCA1 mRNA, but increased ABCG1 and CD36 mRNA levels in a dose-dependent manner. However, ABCA1 and ABCG1 protein levels were reduced by VPA in HMC3. Further, similar experiments in SH-SY5Y cells showed increased mRNA levels for ABCA1, ABCG1, CD36 and 27-hydroxylase with VPA treatment. VPA exposure significantly reduced protein levels of ABCA1 in a dose-dependent manner, but increased the ABCG1 protein level at the highest dose in SH-SY5Y cells. In addition, VPA treatment significantly increased cholesterol efflux in SH-SY5Y, but had no impact on efflux in HMC3. VPA differentially controls the expression of ABCA1 and ABCG1, but regulation at the transcriptional and translational levels are not consistent and changes in the expression of these genes do not correlate with cholesterol efflux in vitro.
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4. Shahid S, Javed F, Iqbal MN, Rafiq M. Exploring psychosocial experiences of behavior therapists dealing with children having autism spectrum disorder. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry;2023 (Oct 21):13591045231209363.
Behavior therapists play an important role in the life of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Literature reported that child’s improvement depends on the quality of therapy they receive. Therefore, the current study aims to explore the psychosocial experiences of behavior therapist working with children having ASD, and suggest the coping strategies which they use to deal with those stressors. The study utilizes a qualitative research design with a phenomenological research approach to explore the psychosocial experiences. For this purpose, the researchers conduct semi-structured interviews of 6 behavior therapists, ages ranging from 25 to 35 years. They note the verbatim of the therapists and convert into codes to create themes and categories. Furthermore, the study utilizes Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis for the interpretation of the results. The results of this phenomenological research indicate six superordinate themes emerged from the transcripts. The results demonstrate professional and psychological experiences of behavior therapists along with the social and the health issues faced by the children with ASD, and the coping strategies used by the therapists that is emotion focused coping, problem focused coping and maladaptive copings. Gaining insight into therapists’ psychosocial experiences can pave the way for developing approaches aimed at enhancing their overall welfare. These approaches may encompass initiatives to alleviate stress, mitigate burnout, and boost job satisfaction.
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5. Smits F, Houdmont J, Hill B, Pickles K. Mental wellbeing and psychosocial working conditions of autistic veterinary surgeons in the UK. Vet Rec;2023 (Oct 21);193(8):e3311.
BACKGROUND: Certain autistic characteristics (such as hyper-focus and attention to detail) are valued by veterinary surgeons and autistic adults may disproportionately self-select into the profession. Links between mental wellbeing and retention in the veterinary profession highlight an imperative to profile autistic veterinary surgeons’ mental wellbeing and identify protective factors. The psychosocial work environment may represent one such protective factor. We aimed to assess autistic veterinary surgeons’ mental wellbeing, the extent to which their psychosocial working conditions achieved UK government management standards and links between these. METHODS: Eighty-five autistic veterinary surgeons completed the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and the Health and Safety Executive’s Management Standards Indicator Tool. Descriptive comparisons were drawn with normative data; correlation and linear regression analyses examined relations between mental wellbeing and psychosocial working conditions. RESULTS: Mental wellbeing and psychosocial work environment quality were markedly below veterinary surgeon and general workforce norms. Psychosocial working conditions accounted for 44% of the unique variance in mental wellbeing, with ‘control’ and ‘role’ making a significant contribution. LIMITATION: This exploratory study involved a small self-selecting sample, raising the possibility of response bias. CONCLUSION: Work design centred on the enhancement of control and role clarity would likely support mental wellbeing in this population.
