1. Alghamdi K, Alahmadi S, Sayedahmad A, Mosleh H. Psychological Well-Being of Mothers of Children With Autism in Saudi Arabia. Cureus. 2022; 14(3): e23284.

Introduction Previous studies reported that parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience higher levels of stress than parents of children with typical development. Methods This study conducted a quantitative cross-sectional survey to evaluate the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress among mothers of children with ASD compared with mothers of children with typical development. In addition, we assessed whether the perception of social support is correlated to psychological well-being. The study recruited a non-probability sample of 143 mothers of children with ASD and a comparison group of 143 mothers of children with typical development. For data collection, an online questionnaire was used to investigate the levels of depression, anxiety, and stress using the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) and examine social support for mothers using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Results No significant difference was observed in the levels of depression and anxiety between both groups. Nevertheless, extremely severe levels of depression and anxiety were observed in 23.1% and 27.3% of mothers in the ASD group compared with 11.9% and 16.8% for the control group, respectively. Alternatively, a significant difference exists between the two groups in the levels of stress. Extremely severe stress was identified in 17.5% of mothers of children with ASD compared with only 6.3% in the control group (p = 0.04). Lastly, the study found a significant correlation among the scores for stress, anxiety, and depression and for MSPSS. Conclusion Providing mental health services for mothers in need and investigating the underlying factors of extremely severe levels of depression and anxiety are recommended initiatives.

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2. Bovery M, Dawson G, Hashemi J, Sapiro G. A Scalable Off-the-Shelf Framework for Measuring Patterns of Attention in Young Children and its Application in Autism Spectrum Disorder. IEEE transactions on affective computing. 2021; 12(3): 722-31.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is associated with deficits in the processing of social information and difficulties in social interaction, and individuals with ASD exhibit atypical attention and gaze. Traditionally, gaze studies have relied upon precise and constrained means of monitoring attention using expensive equipment in laboratories. In this work we develop a low-cost off-the-shelf alternative for measuring attention that can be used in natural settings. The head and iris positions of 104 16-31 months children, an age range appropriate for ASD screening and diagnosis, 22 of them diagnosed with ASD, were recorded using the front facing camera in an iPad while they watched on the device screen a movie displaying dynamic stimuli, social stimuli on the left and nonsocial stimuli on the right. The head and iris position were then automatically analyzed via computer vision algorithms to detect the direction of attention. Children in the ASD group paid less attention to the movie, showed less attention to the social as compared to the nonsocial stimuli, and often fixated their attention to one side of the screen. The proposed method provides a low-cost means of monitoring attention to properly designed stimuli, demonstrating that the integration of stimuli design and automatic response analysis results in the opportunity to use off-the-shelf cameras to assess behavioral biomarkers.

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3. Chiri G, Bergey M, Mackie TI. Deserving but not entitled: The social construction of autism spectrum disorder in federal policy. Social science & medicine (1982). 2022; 301: 114974.

Public policies play an influential role in shaping public opinion about health conditions, who is affected by them, and potential pathways for identification and intervention. This study draws upon a social constructionist perspective of policy design and disability to examine how autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been framed in United States federal legislation. Qualitative content analysis of autism legislation passed between 1973 and 2019 indicates that policies reinforced ASD as a largely medicalized, neurobiological condition of childhood; this was reflected in both the policy aims, sources of knowledge and groups prioritized to address ASD; and the symbolic or material resources committed (or not committed) by enacted federal legislation to specific constituencies. Policy aims of early ASD legislation were symbolic in nature, focusing predominantly on framing children with ASD as a group worthy of public recognition. More recent legislation, in contrast, conferred material resources – albeit in targeted ways. Funding for surveillance and medical research on causation, early detection, treatment, and health professional training were prioritized with little attention to either service delivery needs of individuals with ASD and their families, supports over the lifecourse, or the social factors influencing ASD.

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4. Gao Y, Aljazi MB, He J. Neural Hyperactivity Is a Core Pathophysiological Change Induced by Deletion of a High Autism Risk Gene Ash1L in the Mouse Brain. Frontiers in behavioral neuroscience. 2022; 16: 873466.

ASH1L is one of the highest risk genes associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). Our recent studies demonstrate that loss of Ash1l in the mouse brain is sufficient to induce ASD/ID-like behavioral and cognitive deficits, suggesting that disruptive ASH1L mutations are likely to have a positive correlation with ASD/ID genesis. However, the core pathophysiological changes in the Ash1l-deficient brain remain largely unknown. Here we show that loss of Ash1l in the mouse brain causes locomotor hyperactivity, high metabolic activity, and hyperactivity-related disturbed sleep and lipid metabolic changes. In addition, the mutant mice display lower thresholds for the convulsant reagent-induced epilepsy and increased neuronal activities in multiple brain regions. Thus, our current study reveals that neural hyperactivity is a core pathophysiological change in the Ash1l-deficient mouse brain, which may function as a brain-level mechanism leading to the Ash1l-deletion-induced brain functional abnormalities and autistic-like behavioral deficits.

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5. Laditka JN, Laditka SB, Hoyle JN. Identifying developmental disability in national surveys: Addressing the knowledge gap with special education histories. Disability and health journal. 2022: 101324.

BACKGROUND: In the United States nearly 20% of children ages 12-17 have developmental disorders. Some attain population-based developmental milestones after a delay, or increase functioning through special education, medication, technology, or therapy. Others have severe lasting impairments. An indicator identifying those groups in surveys of adults could help shape policies to improve lives. HYPOTHESES: We hypothesized that survey histories of special education could indicate functional status levels. METHODS: Data were from the nationally representative Panel Study of Income Dynamics (1997-2017, n = 2745). With measures of diagnoses, behaviors, functional status, service use, and adult outcomes, we tested three special education groups as indicators of: (1) no impairment (no special education), (2) disorders, developmental diagnoses that adversely affect educational performance, but with development after a period of delay or only moderate disability, indicated by transfer from special education; and (3) severe lasting disability, the diagnoses combined with life-long needs for supports or services, with limitations in areas including self-care, mobility, and capacity for independent living, indicated by special education in the individual’s final year of school. RESULTS: Across the special education groups, from no impairment to severe lasting disability, there were trends of: increasing severe and lasting disability (respectively 4.8%, 35.6%, 76.4%); increasing special services use (13.5%, 43.1%, 83.7%); increasing severe emotional disorders (2.3%, 11.3%, 17.9%); lower percentages attaining at least an associate’s degree by age 25 (42.1%, 20.7%, and 8.9%); and more chronic diseases. CONCLUSIONS: Special education histories provide a useful indicator of developmental disability impairment levels in adults.

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6. Luhach K, Kulkarni GT, Singh VP, Sharma B. Vinpocetine ameliorates developmental hyperserotonemia induced behavioral and biochemical changes: role of neuronal function, inflammation, and oxidative stress. Acta neurobiologiae experimentalis. 2022; 82(1): 35-51.

Hyperserotonemia, during the early developmental phase, generates behavioral and biochemical phenotypes associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in rats. Phosphodiesterase‑1 (PDE1) inhibitors are known to provide benefits in various brain conditions. We investigated the role of a selective PDE1 inhibitor, vinpocetine on ASD‑related behavioral phenotypes (social behavioral deficits, repetitive behavior, anxiety, and hyperlocomotion) in a developmental hyperserotonemia (DHS) rat model. Also, effects on biochemical markers related with neuronal function brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and phosphorylated cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB), inflammation interleukins (IL‑6 and IL‑10) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF‑α), and oxidative stress (TBARS and GSH) were studied in important brain areas (frontal cortex, cerebellum, hippocampus, and striatum). Administration of 5‑methoxytryptamine (5‑MT) to rats prenatally (gestational day 12) and in early developmental stages postnatal day (PND 0 – PND 20), resulted in impaired behavior and brain biochemistry. Administration of vinpocetine daily (10 and 20 mg/kg) to 5‑MT rats from PND 21 to PND 48 resulted in an improvement of behavioral deficits. Also, vinpocetine administration significantly increased the levels of BDNF, ratio of pCREB/ CREB, IL‑10, and GSH, and significantly decreased TNF‑α, IL‑6, and TBARS levels in different brain areas. Finally, our correlation analysis indicated that behavioral outcomes were significantly associated with the biochemical outcome. Vinpocetine, a selective PDE1 inhibitor, rectified important behavioral phenotypes related with ASD, possibly by improving markers of neuronal function, brain inflammation, and brain oxidative stress. Thus, PDE1 could be a potential target for pharmacological interventions and furthering our understanding of ASD pathogenesis.

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7. Palffy Z, Farkas K, Polner B. [What Connects Bayes’s Rule to Mental Health?]. Neuropsychopharmacologia Hungarica : a Magyar Pszichofarmakologiai Egyesulet lapja = official journal of the Hungarian Association of Psychopharmacology. 2022; 24(1): 4-16.

A branch of computational psychiatry aims to handle the problems which arose due to the heterogeneity and comorbidity of mental illnesses by capturing phenotypic differences behind symptoms. In order to more accurately describe the mechanisms of the mind and its disturbances, it uses the tools and methods of computational cognitive science. In this paper, we introduce the reader to the (mathematical) language in which (Bayesian) predictive coding was written, which holds one of the possible explanations of the perceptual differences found on the autism or the psychosis spectrum. By representing prior knowledge and sampled sensory information as (prior and likelihood, respectively) distributions, the Bayes-rule allows us to calculate the inferred posterior distribution. The aforementioned terms are introduced through simple examples, such as coin tosses (inferring how biased it is) or making a diagnosis, however, this framework might also help us understand the more complex mechanisms of the mind. Studies show that visual perception can be examined following Bayesian formalization. The likelihood information can be manipulated with bistable or noisy stimuli, whereas through instructions and/or cues, prior expectations are formed. With the use of perceptual and response models fitted to cognitive task performance, it becomes possible to identify parameters which shed light on the features of information processing that characterize the perceptual alterations in certain clinical populations. At the end of the paper we draw attention to the limitations of computational modelling.

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8. Shiohama T, Tsujimura K. Quantitative Structural Brain Magnetic Resonance Imaging Analyses: Methodological Overview and Application to Rett Syndrome. Frontiers in neuroscience. 2022; 16: 835964.

Congenital genetic disorders often present with neurological manifestations such as neurodevelopmental disorders, motor developmental retardation, epilepsy, and involuntary movement. Through qualitative morphometric evaluation of neuroimaging studies, remarkable structural abnormalities, such as lissencephaly, polymicrogyria, white matter lesions, and cortical tubers, have been identified in these disorders, while no structural abnormalities were identified in clinical settings in a large population. Recent advances in data analysis programs have led to significant progress in the quantitative analysis of anatomical structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and diffusion-weighted MRI tractography, and these approaches have been used to investigate psychological and congenital genetic disorders. Evaluation of morphometric brain characteristics may contribute to the identification of neuroimaging biomarkers for early diagnosis and response evaluation in patients with congenital genetic diseases. This mini-review focuses on the methodologies and attempts employed to study Rett syndrome using quantitative structural brain MRI analyses, including voxel- and surface-based morphometry and diffusion-weighted MRI tractography. The mini-review aims to deepen our understanding of how neuroimaging studies are used to examine congenital genetic disorders.

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9. Shuffrey LC, Pini N, Potter M, Springer P, Lucchini M, Rayport Y, Sania A, Firestein M, Brink L, Isler JR, Odendaal H, Fifer WP. Aperiodic electrophysiological activity in preterm infants is linked to subsequent autism risk. Developmental psychobiology. 2022; 64(4): e22271.

Approximately 7% of preterm infants receive an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Yet, there is a significant gap in the literature in identifying prospective markers of neurodevelopmental risk in preterm infants. The present study examined two electroencephalography (EEG) parameters during infancy, absolute EEG power and aperiodic activity of the power spectral density (PSD) slope, in association with subsequent autism risk and cognitive ability in a diverse cohort of children born preterm in South Africa. Participants were 71 preterm infants born between 25 and 36 weeks gestation (34.60 ± 2.34 weeks). EEG was collected during sleep between 39 and 41 weeks postmenstrual age adjusted (40.00 ± 0.42 weeks). The Bayley Scales of Infant Development and Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) were administered at approximately 3 years of age adjusted (34 ± 2.7 months). Aperiodic activity, but not the rhythmic oscillatory activity, at multiple electrode sites was associated with subsequent increased autism risk on the BITSEA at three years of age. No associations were found between the PSD slope or absolute EEG power and cognitive development. Our findings highlight the need to examine potential markers of subsequent autism risk in high-risk populations other than infants at familial risk.

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10. Stevanovic D, Wentz E, Nasic S, Knez R. ASD with ADHD vs. ASD and ADHD alone: a study of the QbTest performance and single-dose methylphenidate responding in children and adolescents. BMC psychiatry. 2022; 22(1): 282.

BACKGROUND: The continuous performance task (CPT) may help identify coexistent attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Quantified behavior Test (QbTest) combines a CPT and motion-tracking data to assess ADHD symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the QbTest performance of children and adolescents with ASD plus ADHD, including estimating the effects of single-dose methylphenidate (MPH). To achieve these aims, (1) the QbTest performances were evaluated in ASD alone, ASD plus ADHD, and ADHD alone, and (2) the effects on the QbTest performance of single-dose MPH before and after intake were estimated across the groups. It was assumed that the ASD plus ADHD performance, including the MPH response, would preferably resemble the performance in ADHD alone, rather than ASD alone. METHODS: Retrospective data were analyzed for 482 children and adolescents: 69 with ASD alone, 142 with ASD plus ADHD (ASD/ADHD), and 271 with ADHD alone. For 343 subjects, the QbTest was performed before and up to four hours after a single-dose MPH intake. A summary index of the CPT and motion-capture data was provided for QbTest cardinal parameters. RESULTS: Of 12 QbTest parameters assessed before given MPH, the ASD/ADHD group had scores in line with the ASD group regarding four parameters and the ADHD group regarding nine parameters. Significant differences between groups were seen with respect to QbInattention (p > 0.05); the lowest scores in ASD and the highest in ADHD. Those with ASD/ADHD and ADHD had similar QbActivity and QbImpulsivity scores, but significantly higher than those with ASD. After MPH intake, scores for QbActivity decreased similarly in ASD/ADHD and ADHD, as well as scores for QbImpulsivity. QbImpulsivity increased in ASD. QbInattention scores decreased similarly in all groups after MPH intake. CONCLUSIONS: Children and adolescents with ASD plus ADHD exhibited more atypical QbTest performances than those with ASD alone, while most of their performances were similar to those observed in ADHD alone. In addition, a single dose of MPH mitigated attention deficits and decreased hyperactivity while improved impulsivity in these children. Prospective studies should further clarify the role of the QbTest in the diagnostic and therapeutic interventions in ASD with ADHD.

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11. Tassini SCV, Melo MC, Bueno OFA, de Mello CB. Weak central coherence in adults with ASD: Evidence from eye-tracking and thematic content analysis of social scenes. Applied neuropsychology Adult. 2022: 1-12.

Central Coherence Weakness has been defined as a tendency for local rather than global processing that may underlie core deficits in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). In social contexts it may be expressed in difficulties to integrate social cues arising from the recognition of emotions in faces or from the environment in order to understand people’s interactions. A sample of 28 adults diagnosed with ASD Level 1 and 25 controls was submitted to a cartoon-like task with the instruction to describe social scenes and to Navon letter stimuli. Both quantitative measures and qualitative (thematic content analysis) procedures were used to assess performance. Heatmap and fixation preferences according to the stimuli quadrants were used to investigate eye-tracking patterns. A tendency to local processing, independently of the stimuli type, in the ASD participants was observed. Data from visual tracking by quadrants and from verbal reports suggest loss of social cues important for understanding context. Their reaction time and response duration were increased in relation to controls. The findings corroborate the idea that weak central coherence may be part of the cognitive phenotype in ASD. Autistic adults often report difficulties in interpreting social situations. These difficulties are commonly associated with a tendency to visually focus on specific parts of the situation (known as local processing) to the detriment of the whole situation. This way of looking at things has been given the name “weak central coherence,” and may result in difficulties in understanding a situation or other people’s behaviors. A group of ASD and controls were asked to describe two different types of image, one showing a common social situation, the other Navon figure. Eye-tracking technology was used to analyze how the participants looked at the images (which part of the image and for how long) and asked about what they had seen. The results showed that in the group of autistic participants there was a tendency to focus on the details in both types of images. The analysis of the verbal reports revealed that the interpretation of the social contexts by those with ASD was not what was expected, associated with a specific focus on details. These findings may be useful for a better understanding of some difficulties experienced by ASD in social contexts and contribute to therapeutic treatments. eng.

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