1. {{Parent Training Curriculum for Children With Autism}}. {Adapt Phys Activ Q};2016 (Oct);33(4):393-394.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
2. Abubakar A, Ssewanyana D, Newton CR. {{A Systematic Review of Research on Autism Spectrum Disorders in Sub-Saharan Africa}}. {Behav Neurol};2016;2016:3501910.
The burden of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is not well known. We carried out a systematic review of the literature to identify published work from SSA. We have systematically searched four databases, namely, Medline, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Child Development & Adolescent Studies, through EBSCO and identified studies from across SSA. Based on predefined inclusion criteria, 47 studies were included in this review. Most of the identified studies (74%) were conducted in only 2 African countries, that is, South Africa and Nigeria. Additionally, most of these studies (83%) were carried out in the last decade. These studies had four major themes: development of measurement tools of ASD in Africa, examining the prevalence of ASD, identifying risk factors and risk markers, and examining psychosocial issues. We identified only a single population level study aimed at documenting the prevalence of ASD and could not identify a single case-control study aimed at examining a comprehensive set of potential risk factors. All intervention studies were based on very small sample sizes. Put together, our findings suggest that current evidence base is too scanty to provide the required information to plan adequately for effective intervention strategies for children with ASD in Africa.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
3. Anninos P, Chatzimichael A, Adamopoulos A, Kotini A, Tsagas N. {{A combined study of MEG and pico-Tesla TMS on children with autism disorder}}. {J Integr Neurosci};2016 (Nov 23):1-17.
Magnetoencephalographic (MEG) recordings from the brain of 10 children with autism (6 boys and 4 girls, with ages range from 5-12 years, mean[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]SD: 8.3[Formula: see text][Formula: see text][Formula: see text]2.1) were obtained using a whole-head 122-channel MEG system in a magnetically shielded room of low magnetic noise. A double-blind experimental design was used in order to look for possible effect of external pico-Tesla Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (pT-TMS). The pT-TMS was applied on the brain of the autistic children with proper field characteristics (magnetic field amplitude: 1-7.5[Formula: see text]pT, frequency: the alpha – rhythm of the patient 8-13[Formula: see text]Hz). After unblinding it was found a significant effect of an increase of frequencies in the range of 2-7[Formula: see text]Hz across the subjects followed by an improvement and normalization of their MEG recordings. The statistical analysis of our results shown a statistical significance at 6 out of 10 patients (60%). It is also observed an increase of alpha activity in autistic children at the end of one month after pT-TMS treatment at home. In conclusion, the application of pT-TMS has the prospective to be a noninvasive, safe and important modality in the management of autism children.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
4. Bhandari P, Khanal P. {{Pride in autistic diversity: against treatment or for inclusion?}}. {Lancet};2016 (Nov 19);388(10059):2477.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
5. Borue X, Mazefsky C, Rooks BT, Strober M, Keller MB, Hower H, Yen S, Gill MK, Diler RS, Axelson DA, Goldstein BI, Goldstein TR, Ryan N, Liao F, Hunt JI, Dickstein DP, Birmaher B. {{Longitudinal Course of Bipolar Disorder in Youth With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry};2016 (Dec);55(12):1064-1072 e1066.
OBJECTIVE: To provide the first longitudinal characterization of mood and psychosocial functioning in youth with comorbid bipolar (BD) and autism spectrum (ASD) disorders. METHOD: The Course and Outcome of Bipolar Youth study followed 368 youth (aged 7-17 years) with DSM-IV bipolar I (BP-I), BP-II, or Not Otherwise Specified (NOS) for, on average, 9 years using the Longitudinal Interval Follow-up Evaluation. This subgroup analysis compared youth with and without ASD on clinical presentation, percentage of time with mood symptomatology, and psychosocial functioning. RESULTS: Thirty youth ( approximately 8%) met DSM-IV criteria for Asperger’s disorder or pervasive developmental disorder-NOS (referred to here as ASD). Lifetime worst episode severity was similar in both groups, but youth with both BD and ASD (BD+ASD) had elevated rates of comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity and obsessive-compulsive disorders, were younger at intake, and had an earlier onset of mood symptoms. Over time, in both groups, the proportion of predominantly euthymic youth increased, and episode recurrence decreased. Compared to youth with BD, the clinical presentation of youth with BD+ASD more frequently involved distractibility, racing thoughts, depressed mood, social withdrawal, and low reactivity of negative mood states. ASD-related symptomatic differences were generally strongest early and decreased over time. Youth with BD+ASD had significantly greater impairment in friendships throughout follow-up. CONCLUSION: Youth with BD+ASD exhibit typical BD mood symptoms but with earlier onset, mixed symptom presentation, and additive functional impairments. Significant amelioration of clinical symptoms occurred over time, suggesting that early recognition and treatment of mood disorders in youth with ASD may improve clinical outcomes.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
6. Carper RA, Treiber JM, DeJesus SY, Muller RA. {{Reduced Hemispheric Asymmetry of White Matter Microstructure in Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry};2016 (Dec);55(12):1073-1080.
OBJECTIVE: Many past studies have suggested atypical functional and anatomical hemispheric asymmetries in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, almost all of these have examined only language-related asymmetries. Here, we conduct a comprehensive investigation of microstructural asymmetries across a large number of fiber tracts in ASD. METHOD: We used diffusion tensor imaging for a comprehensive investigation of anatomical white matter asymmetries across the entire white matter skeleton, using tract-based spatial statistics in 41 children and adolescents with ASD and a matched group of 44 typically developing (TD) participants. RESULTS: We found significant asymmetries in the TD group, being rightward for fractional anisotropy and leftward for mean diffusivity (with concordant asymmetries for radial and axial diffusivity). These asymmetries were significantly reduced in the group with ASD: in whole brain analysis for fractional anisotropy, and in a region where several major association and projection tracts travel in close proximity within occipital white matter for mean diffusivity, axial diffusivity, and radial diffusivity. No correlations between global white matter asymmetry and age or socio-communicative abilities were detected. CONCLUSION: Our findings in TD children and adolescents can be interpreted as reflecting different processing modes (more integrative in the right and more specialized in the left hemisphere). These asymmetries and the « division of labor » between hemispheres implied by them appear to be diminished in autism spectrum disorder.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
7. Connolly S, Anney R, Gallagher L, Heron EA. {{A genome-wide investigation into parent-of-origin effects in autism spectrum disorder identifies previously associated genes including SHANK3}}. {Eur J Hum Genet};2016 (Nov 23)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is known to be a heritable neurodevelopmental disorder affecting more than 1% of the population but in the majority of ASD cases, the genetic cause has not been identified. Parent-of-origin effects have been highlighted as an important mechanism in the pathology of neurodevelopmental disorders such as Prader-Willi and Angelman syndrome, with individuals with these syndromes often exhibiting ASD symptoms. Consequently, systematic investigation of these effects in ASD is clearly an important line of investigation in elucidating the underlying genetic mechanisms. Using estimation of maternal, imprinting and interaction effects using multinomial modelling (EMIM), we simultaneously investigated imprinting, maternal genetic effects and associations in the Autism Genome Project and Simons Simplex Consortium genome-wide association data sets. To avoid using the overly stringent genome-wide association study significance level, we used a Bayesian threshold that takes into account the sample size, allele frequency and any available prior knowledge. Between the two data sets, we identified a total of 18 imprinting effects and 68 maternal genetic effects that met this Bayesian threshold criteria, but none met the threshold in both data sets. We identified imprinting and maternal genetic effects for regions that have previously shown evidence for parent-of-origin effects in ASD. Together with these findings, we have identified maternal genetic effects not previously identified in ASD at a locus in SHANK3 on chromosome 22 and a locus in WBSCR17 on chromosome 7 (associated with Williams syndrome). Both genes have previously been associated with ASD.European Journal of Human Genetics advance online publication, 23 November 2016; doi:10.1038/ejhg.2016.153.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
8. Corbett JE, Venuti P, Melcher D. {{Perceptual Averaging in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Front Psychol};2016;7:1735.
There is mounting evidence that observers rely on statistical summaries of visual information to maintain stable and coherent perception. Sensitivity to the mean (or other prototypical value) of a visual feature (e.g., mean size) appears to be a pervasive process in human visual perception. Previous studies in individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) have uncovered characteristic patterns of visual processing that suggest they may rely more on enhanced local representations of individual objects instead of computing such perceptual averages. To further explore the fundamental nature of abstract statistical representation in visual perception, we investigated perceptual averaging of mean size in a group of 12 high-functioning individuals diagnosed with ASD using simplified versions of two identification and adaptation tasks that elicited characteristic perceptual averaging effects in a control group of neurotypical participants. In Experiment 1, participants performed with above chance accuracy in recalling the mean size of a set of circles (mean task) despite poor accuracy in recalling individual circle sizes (member task). In Experiment 2, their judgments of single circle size were biased by mean size adaptation. Overall, these results suggest that individuals with ASD perceptually average information about sets of objects in the surrounding environment. Our results underscore the fundamental nature of perceptual averaging in vision, and further our understanding of how autistic individuals make sense of the external environment.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
9. Dubey I, Ropar D, de CHAF. {{Brief Report: A Comparison of the Preference for Viewing Social and Non-social Movies in Typical and Autistic Adolescents}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Nov 23)
The recently proposed Social Motivation theory (Chevallier et al., Trends in cognitive sciences 16(4):231-239, 2012) suggests that social difficulties in Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC) might be caused by a difference in the motivation to engage with other people. Here we compared adolescents with (N = 31) and without (N = 37) ASC on the Choose-a-Movie paradigm that measures the social seeking. The results showed a preference for viewing objects over smiling faces in ASC, which is in line with the theory of low social motivation. However, typical adolescents did not show any stimuli preferences, raising questions about developmental changes in social motivation. Age was found to play a significant role in moderating the choice behaviour of the participants. We discuss the implications of these findings in detail.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
10. Gao Y, Sheng C, Xie RH, Sun W, Asztalos E, Moddemann D, Zwaigenbaum L, Walker M, Wen SW. {{New Perspective on Impact of Folic Acid Supplementation during Pregnancy on Neurodevelopment/Autism in the Offspring Children – A Systematic Review}}. {PLoS One};2016;11(11):e0165626.
It has been conclusively established that folic acid supplementation prior to and during early pregnancy (up to 12 weeks of gestation) can prevent neural tube defects (NTDs). We hypothesized that folate effects may extend from neuro-structural defects to alterations in neuro-behavioural and emotional skills including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and other developmental disorders. The objective of this review was to comprehensively evaluate evidence on the impact of folic acid on neurodevelopment other than NTDs. We conducted an online search of relevant literature compiled by the National Library of Medicine from Medline and EMBASE (searched on Dec 31, 2014: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query/fcgi and http://www.elsevier.com/online-tools/embase). We first created 3 files (search restricted to English literature) using the following key words: 1) folate or folic acid (171322 papers identified by this search); 2) maternal or pregnancy or pregnant or gestation or gestational or prenatal or antenatal or periconception or periconceptional (1349219 papers identified by this search); and 3) autism or autism spectrum disorders or developmental delay or development or neurodevelopment or mental or cognitive or language or personal-social or gross motor or fine motor or behaviour or intellectual or intelligence or Bayley Scale (8268145 papers identified by this search). We then merged the 3 files and reviewed the papers that addressed these three issues simultaneously. A total of 22 original papers that examined the association between folic acid supplementation in human pregnancy and neurodevelopment/autism were identified after the screening, with 15 studies showing a beneficial effect of folic acid supplementation on neurodevelopment/autism, 6 studies showed no statistically significant difference, while one study showed a harmful effect in > 5 mg folic acid supplementation/day during pregnancy. Folic acid supplementation in pregnancy may have beneficial effects on the neurodevelopment of children beyond its proven effect on NTDs.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
11. Glidden D, Bouman WP, Jones BA, Arcelus J. {{Gender Dysphoria and Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of the Literature}}. {Sex Med Rev};2016 (Jan);4(1):3-14.
INTRODUCTION: There is a growing clinical recognition that a significant proportion of patients with gender dysphoria have concurrent autism spectrum disorder (ASD). AIM: The purpose of this review is to systematically appraise the current literature regarding the co-occurrence of gender dysphoria and ASD. METHODS: A systematic literature search using Medline and PubMed, PsycINFO, and Embase was conducted from 1966 to July 2015. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Fifty-eight articles were generated from the search. Nineteen of these publications met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: The literature investigating ASD in children and adolescents with gender dysphoria showed a higher prevalence rate of ASD compared with the general population. There is a limited amount of research in adults. Only one study showed that adults attending services for gender dysphoria had increased ASD scores. Another study showed a larger proportion of adults with atypical gender identity and ASD. CONCLUSION: Although the research is limited, especially for adults, there is an increasing amount of evidence that suggests a co-occurrence between gender dysphoria and ASD. Further research is vital for educational and clinical purposes.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
12. Gonzalez-Barlatay F, Fournier A, Raboisson MJ, Dahdah N. {{Atrial Septal Defect Closure with Occlutech(R) ASD Fenestrated Device in a Child with Severe Pulmonary Hypertension}}. {Pediatr Cardiol};2016 (Nov 21)
We report a 5-year-old patient with severe pulmonary hypertension and a large secundum atrial septal defect who benefited from a percutaneous closure of the defect with an Occlutech(R) custom-made fenestrated device. Whereas the closure is technically identical to standard atrial defect closure, the immediate and midterm beneficial results are presented.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
13. Gulati S, Hossain S, Squires J. {{Editorial: Autism – Hype and Hope}}. {Indian J Pediatr};2016 (Nov 22)
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
14. Gunes S, Ekinci O, Ekinci N, Toros F. {{Coexistence of 9p Deletion Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Nov 23)
Deletion or duplication of the short arm of chromosome 9 may lead to a variety of clinical conditions including craniofacial and limb abnormalities, skeletal malformations, mental retardation, and autism spectrum disorder. Here, we present a case report of 5-year-old boy with 9p deletion syndrome and autism spectrum disorder.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
15. Havdahl KA, Hus Bal V, Huerta M, Pickles A, Oyen AS, Stoltenberg C, Lord C, Bishop SL. {{Multidimensional Influences on Autism Symptom Measures: Implications for Use in Etiological Research}}. {J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry};2016 (Dec);55(12):1054-1063 e1053.
OBJECTIVE: Growing awareness that symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) transcend multiple diagnostic categories, and major advances in the identification of genetic syndromes associated with ASD, have led to widespread use of ASD symptom measures in etiologic studies of neurodevelopmental disorders. Insufficient consideration of potentially confounding factors such as cognitive ability or behavior problems can have important negative consequences in interpretation of findings, including erroneous estimation of associations between ASD and etiologic factors. METHOD: Participants were 388 children 2 to 13 years old with diagnoses of ASD or another neurodevelopmental disorder without ASD. Receiver operating characteristics methods were used to assess the influence of IQ and emotional and behavioral problems on the discriminative ability of 3 widely used ASD symptom measures: the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS), the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS). RESULTS: IQ influenced the discriminative thresholds of the SRS and ADI-R, and emotional and behavioral problems affected the discriminative thresholds of the SRS, ADI-R, and ADOS. This resulted in low specificity of ASD cutoffs on the SRS and ADI-R for children with intellectual disability without ASD (27-42%) and low specificity across all 3 instruments for children without ASD with increased emotional and behavioral problems (36-59%). Adjustment for these characteristics resulted in improved discriminative ability for all of the ASD measures. CONCLUSION: The findings indicate that scores on ASD symptom measures reflect far more than ASD symptoms. Valid interpretation of scores on these measures requires steps to account for the influences of IQ and emotional and behavioral problems.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
16. Keisling BL, Bishop EA, Kube DA, Roth JM, Palmer FB. {{Long-term pediatrician outcomes of a parent led curriculum in developmental disabilities}}. {Res Dev Disabil};2016 (Nov 19);60:16-23.
Previous research has demonstrated high satisfaction and perceived relevance of Project DOCC (Delivery of Chronic Care), a parent led curriculum in developmental disabilities, across a sample of medical residents. AIMS: The influence of such a training program on the clinical practices and professional activities of these residents once they are established in their careers as physicians, however, has not been studied; this was the aim of the present study. METHODS: An anonymous follow-up survey was designed and disseminated to physicians who participated in Project DOCC during their one-month developmental disabilities rotation as part of their pediatrics or medicine/pediatric residency between 2002 and 2010. Fifty-eight physicians completed the survey. RESULTS: The findings suggest that participation in a parent led curriculum during medical residency had a lasting impact on physicians’ relationships with families. Specifically, a majority of the physicians espoused a family-centered approach to care, a sensitivity to the interactional effect that caring for a Child with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN) has on family members, the need for physicians to have a prominent role in community resource coordination, and the importance of an integrated approach to health care provision. CONCLUSIONS: Use of a parent led curriculum as a means to increase the provision of family-centered care by physicians is supported.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
17. Kiep M, Spek AA. {{Executive functioning in men and women with an autism spectrum disorder}}. {Autism Res};2016 (Nov 22)
Executive functioning (EF) is thought to be linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASD) specific symptoms. The majority of research has focused on children and adolescents with ASD and, therefore, little is known about EF in adults. Furthermore, little is known about gender differences. Ninety-nine men and forty women with ASD were compared with and 35 neurotypical men 25 neurotypical women. Participants were matched on age, total intelligence, and verbal ability. The following instruments were used to measure executive functioning: digit span and letter and number sequencing of the WAIS-III, Tower of Hanoi, WCST, and Verbal fluency. Multiple analysis of variance was conducted to determine group differences. Women with ASD performed worse on the working memory tasks of the WAIS-III than neurotypical women. Furthermore, women with ASD had more perseverations on the WCST than neurotypical women. The gender comparison in the ASD group showed differences in performance on mental flexibility (WCST), working memory (WAIS-III), generativity and self-monitoring (Verbal fluency). However, these differences were unequivocal and no gender specific cognitive profile could be pinpointed. Individual strengths and frailties should be highlighted in clinical practice, as impairments in EF can be under influence of the overall cognitive abilities of the individual. Furthermore, gender differences were found. This could explain differences in representation of ASD symptoms in both groups. These differences show how important thorough diagnostics are. Autism Res 2016. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
18. Kim H, Lee Y, Park JY, Kim JE, Kim TK, Choi J, Lee JE, Lee EH, Kim D, Kim KS, Han PL. {{Loss of Adenylyl Cyclase Type-5 in the Dorsal Striatum Produces Autistic-Like Behaviors}}. {Mol Neurobiol};2016 (Nov 23)
Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are a heterogeneous group of psychiatric illness characterized by common core symptoms including sociability deficits and stereotyped behaviors. ASD is caused by various genetic and non-genetic factors. The genetic effects of autism-related genes are usually global and are presented with multiple symptoms, which hamper understanding of the mechanism through which the diverse causes of ASD produce common symptoms. In the present study, we demonstrate that genetic or molecular disruption of an array of molecular networks centered on adenylyl cyclase type-5 (AC5 or ADCY5) in the dorsal striatum produces autistic-like behaviors. AC5 knockout (KO) mice exhibit increased repetitive behaviors and sociability deficits, the two core domains of ASD, and that siRNA-mediated suppression of AC5 within the dorsal striatum is sufficient to replicate these behavioral phenotypes. Notably, the autistic-like behaviors of AC5 KO mice are rescued by blocking mGluR5 glutamate receptors within the dorsal striatum. Furthermore, pharmacological or siRNA-mediated inhibition of mGluR3, GluA and GluN glutamate receptors in the dorsal striatum in wildtype mice also induces autistic-like behaviors. Optogenetic inhibition of the prelimbic cortical neurons projecting to the dorsal striatum in AC5 KO mice rescues the deficits in social and object novelty preferences. Our results suggest that AC5 mutation produces autistic-like symptoms through the upregulation of mGluR5 functions in the dorsal striatum and that the dorsal striatum regulated by AC5 is a neural correlate responsible for core ASD symptoms.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
19. Lai CL, Lau Z, Lui SS, Lok E, Tam V, Chan Q, Cheng KM, Lam SM, Cheung EF. {{Meta-analysis of neuropsychological measures of executive functioning in children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder}}. {Autism Res};2016 (Nov 22)
Existing literature on the profile of executive dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder showed inconsistent results. Age, comorbid attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and cognitive abilities appeared to play a role in confounding the picture. Previous meta-analyses have focused on a few components of executive functions. This meta-analysis attempted to delineate the profile of deficit in several components of executive functioning in children and adolescents with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD). Ninety-eight English published case-control studies comparing children and adolescents with HFASD with typically developing controls using well-known neuropsychological measures to assess executive functions were included. Results showed that children and adolescents with HFASD were moderately impaired in verbal working memory (g = 0.67), spatial working memory (g = 0.58), flexibility (g = 0.59), planning (g = 0.62), and generativity (g = 0.60) except for inhibition (g = 0.41). Subgroup analysis showed that impairments were still significant for flexibility (g = 0.57-0.61), generativity (g = 0.52-0.68), and working memory (g = 0.49-0.56) in a sample of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) subjects without comorbid ADHD or when the cognitive abilities of the ASD group and the control group were comparable. This meta-analysis confirmed the presence of executive dysfunction in children and adolescents with HFASD. These deficits are not solely accounted for by the effect of comorbid ADHD and the general cognitive abilities. Our results support the executive dysfunction hypothesis and contribute to the clinical understanding and possible development of interventions to alleviate these deficits in children and adolescents with HFASD. Autism Res 2016. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
20. Lushin V, O’Brien KH. {{Parental Mental Health: Addressing the Unmet Needs of Caregivers for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry};2016 (Dec);55(12):1013-1015.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
21. Maule J, Stanworth K, Pellicano E, Franklin A. {{Ensemble perception of color in autistic adults}}. {Autism Res};2016 (Nov 22)
Dominant accounts of visual processing in autism posit that autistic individuals have an enhanced access to details of scenes [e.g., weak central coherence] which is reflected in a general bias toward local processing. Furthermore, the attenuated priors account of autism predicts that the updating and use of summary representations is reduced in autism. Ensemble perception describes the extraction of global summary statistics of a visual feature from a heterogeneous set (e.g., of faces, sizes, colors), often in the absence of local item representation. The present study investigated ensemble perception in autistic adults using a rapidly presented (500 msec) ensemble of four, eight, or sixteen elements representing four different colors. We predicted that autistic individuals would be less accurate when averaging the ensembles, but more accurate in recognizing individual ensemble colors. The results were consistent with the predictions. Averaging was impaired in autism, but only when ensembles contained four elements. Ensembles of eight or sixteen elements were averaged equally accurately across groups. The autistic group also showed a corresponding advantage in rejecting colors that were not originally seen in the ensemble. The results demonstrate the local processing bias in autism, but also suggest that the global perceptual averaging mechanism may be compromised under some conditions. The theoretical implications of the findings and future avenues for research on summary statistics in autism are discussed. Autism Res 2016,. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
22. McCarthy MM, Wright CL. {{Convergence of Sex Differences and the Neuroimmune System in Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Biol Psychiatry};2016 (Oct 11)
The male bias in autism spectrum disorder incidence is among the most extreme of all neuropsychiatric disorders, yet the origins of the sex difference remain obscure. Developmentally, males are exposed to high levels of testosterone and its byproduct, estradiol. Together these steroids modify the course of brain development by altering neurogenesis, cell death, migration, differentiation, dendritic and axonal growth, synaptogenesis, and synaptic pruning, all of which can be deleteriously impacted during the course of developmental neuropsychiatric disorders. Elucidating the cellular mechanisms by which steroids modulate brain development provides valuable insights into how these processes may go awry. An emerging theme is the role of inflammatory signaling molecules and the innate immune system in directing brain masculinization, the evidence for which we review here. Evidence is also emerging that the neuroimmune system is overactivated in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. These combined observations lead us to propose that the natural process of brain masculinization puts males at risk by moving them closer to a vulnerability threshold that could more easily be breached by inflammation during critical periods of brain development. Two brain regions are highlighted: the preoptic area and the cerebellum. Both are developmentally regulated by the inflammatory prostaglandin E2, but in different ways. Microglia, innate immune cells of the brain, and astrocytes are also critical contributors to masculinization and illustrate the importance of nonneuronal cells to the health of the developing brain.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
23. Monterrey JC, Philips J, Cleveland S, Tanaka S, Barnes P, Hallmayer JF, Reiss AL, Lazzeroni LC, Hardan AY. {{Incidental brain MRI findings in an autism twin study}}. {Autism Res};2016 (Nov 22)
Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies suggest the prevalence of asymptomatic « incidental » findings (IF) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is similar to that of neurotypically developing (NT) controls. However, given the causes of IF may include both genetic and environmental factors, a twin study would facilitate comparing brain IF between ASD and NT subjects. MRI scans were examined to assess the prevalence of brain IF in twin « case pairs » (at least one twin with diagnosis of ASD) and twin « control pairs » (NT). Fifty case pairs and thirty-two control pairs were analyzed. IF were found in 68% of subjects with ASD, 71% of unaffected ASD siblings, and in 58% of control subjects (P = 0.4). IF requiring clinical follow-up occurred more frequently in subjects with ASD compared to NT controls (17% vs. 5%, respectively; P = 0.02). The concordance rate of IF in twins was 83%. A mixed effects model found younger age, male sex, and « family environment » to be significantly associated with IF. There was no difference in the prevalence rate of IF between ASD subjects and NT controls. More IF required clinical follow-up in ASD subjects compared to NT controls. The prevalence rate of IF observed in this twin study was higher than rates previously reported in singleton studies. Our results suggest the shared environment of twins – perhaps in utero – increases the risk of brain IF. Brain MRI in the initial work-up of ASD may be indicated in twins, especially in males. Autism Res 2016. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
24. Procyshyn TL, Hurd PL, Crespi BJ. {{Association testing of vasopressin receptor 1a microsatellite polymorphisms in non-clinical autism spectrum phenotypes}}. {Autism Res};2016 (Nov 22)
Variation in the arginine vasopressin receptor 1a (AVPR1a) gene is associated with autism risk in clinical populations and with variation in social behavior in non-clinical populations. However, whether a relationship exists between AVPR1a polymorphisms and non-clinical manifestations of autism spectrum phenotypes has not been established. In this study, 873 Caucasian university students were administered the Autism-spectrum Quotient (AQ) questionnaire and genotyped for the RS1 and RS3 microsatellites. A significant association was found between RS3 microsatellite variation and AQ score, with the long/long RS3 genotype associated with higher AQ score. Analysis by sex revealed that the association was only significant for females. Significantly higher AQ scores were also observed for individuals with a specific RS3 allele (« target allele »), which previous researchers have associated with increased autism risk, impaired bonding, and reduced altruistic behavior. Analyses excluding carriers of target alleles indicated that the findings were driven by their presence or absence. Examination of AQ questionnaire subscales indicated that associations with RS3 were mediated predominantly by variation in attention switching, a cognitive function commonly impaired in autism. Effects on attention may thus mediate these relationships and represent one direction for future research. The findings also indicate, for AVPR1a, the importance of testing for sex differences and effects of target alleles. No associations were observed between RS1 microsatellite variation and AQ score. Overall, this work supports the idea that autism risk genes contribute to behavioral variation in the general population, with AVPR1a polymorphisms relating to a healthy individual’s location on the autism phenotype continuum. Autism Res 2016. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
25. Shaffer RC, Pedapati EV, Shic F, Gaietto K, Bowers K, Wink LK, Erickson CA. {{Brief Report: Diminished Gaze Preference for Dynamic Social Interaction Scenes in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Nov 23)
In this study, we present an eye-tracking paradigm, adapted from previous work with toddlers, for assessing social-interaction looking preferences in youth ages 5-17 with ASD and typically-developing controls (TDC). Videos of children playing together (Social Scenes, SS) were presented side-by-side with animated geometric shapes (GS). Participants with ASD demonstrated reduced SS preferences compared to TDC, results also represented continuously by associations between higher SS preferences and fewer social difficulties across the combined sample. Exploratory analyses identified associations between increased SS preferences and higher Vineland Daily Living Skills in ASD and suggested SS preferences in TDC females might drive ASD versus TDC between-group differences. These findings describe potentially sex-linked couplings between preferences for social information and social functioning in school-aged children.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
26. Spann MN, Sourander A, Surcel HM, Hinkka-Yli-Salomaki S, Brown AS. {{Prenatal toxoplasmosis antibody and childhood autism}}. {Autism Res};2016 (Nov 22)
There is evidence that some maternal infections during the prenatal period are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as childhood autism. However, the association between autism and Toxoplasma gondii (T. gondii), an intracellular parasite, remains unclear. The authors examined whether serologically confirmed maternal antibodies to T. gondii are associated with odds of childhood autism in offspring. The study is based on a nested case-control design of a large national birth cohort (N = 1.2 million) and the national psychiatric registries in Finland. There were 874 cases of childhood autism and controls matched 1:1 on date of birth, sex, birthplace and residence in Finland. Maternal sera were prospectively assayed from a national biobank for T. gondii IgM and IgG antibodies; IgG avidity analyses were also performed. High maternal T. gondii IgM antibody was associated with a significantly decreased odds of childhood autism. Low maternal T. gondii IgG antibody was associated with increased offspring odds of autism. In women with high T. gondii IgM antibodies, the IgG avidity was high for both cases and controls, with the exception of three controls. The findings suggest that the relationship between maternal T. gondii antibodies and odds of childhood autism may be related to the immune response to this pathogen or the overall activation of the immune system. Autism Res 2016. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
27. Sperandio I, Unwin KL, Landry O, Chouinard PA. {{Size Constancy is Preserved but Afterimages are Prolonged in Typical Individuals with Higher Degrees of Self-Reported Autistic Traits}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Nov 23)
Deficits in perceptual constancies from early infancy have been proposed to contribute to autism and exacerbate its symptoms (Hellendoorn et al., Frontiers in Psychology 6:1-16, 2015). Here, we examined size constancy in adults from the general population (N = 106) with different levels of self-reported autistic traits using an approach based on negative afterimages. The afterimage strength, as indexed by duration and vividness, was also quantified. In opposition to the Hellendoorn and colleagues’ model, we were unable to demonstrate any kind of relationship between abilities in size constancy and autistic traits. However, our results demonstrated that individuals with higher degrees of autistic traits experienced more persistent afterimages. We discuss possible retinal and post-retinal explanations for prolonged afterimages in people with higher levels of autistic traits.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
28. Vohra R, Madhavan S, Sambamoorthi U. {{Comorbidity prevalence, healthcare utilization, and expenditures of Medicaid enrolled adults with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Autism};2016 (Oct 20)
A retrospective data analysis using 2000-2008 three state Medicaid Analytic eXtract was conducted to examine the prevalence and association of comorbidities (psychiatric and non-psychiatric) with healthcare utilization and expenditures of fee-for-service enrolled adults (22-64 years) with and without autism spectrum disorders (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision-clinical modification code: 299.xx). Autism spectrum disorder cases were 1:3 matched to no autism spectrum disorder controls by age, gender, and race using propensity scores. Study outcomes were all-cause healthcare utilization (outpatient office visits, inpatient hospitalizations, emergency room, and prescription drug use) and associated healthcare expenditures. Bivariate analyses (chi-square tests and t-tests), multinomial logistic regressions (healthcare utilization), and generalized linear models with gamma distribution (expenditures) were used. Adults with autism spectrum disorders (n = 1772) had significantly higher rates of psychiatric comorbidity (81%), epilepsy (22%), infections (22%), skin disorders (21%), and hearing impairments (18%). Adults with autism spectrum disorders had higher mean annual outpatient office visits (32ASD vs 8noASD) and prescription drug use claims (51ASD vs 24noASD) as well as higher mean annual outpatient office visits (US$4375ASD vs US$824noASD), emergency room (US$15,929ASD vs US$2598noASD), prescription drug use (US$6067ASD vs US$3144noASD), and total expenditures (US$13,700ASD vs US$8560noASD). The presence of a psychiatric and a non-psychiatric comorbidity among adults with autism spectrum disorders increased the annual total expenditures by US$4952 and US$5084, respectively.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
29. Vohra R, Madhavan S, Sambamoorthi U, StPeter C, Poe S, Dwibedi N, Ajmera M. {{Prescription Drug Use and Polypharmacy Among Medicaid-Enrolled Adults with Autism: A Retrospective Cross-Sectional Analysis}}. {Drugs Real World Outcomes};2016 (Nov 21)
BACKGROUND: A lack of gold standard treatment for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), no clear ASD management guidelines, and lack of evidence-based pharmacological interventions other than aripiprazole and risperidone elevate the risk of off-label prescribing and adverse effects among individuals with ASD, more so among adults. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to identify and compare the types of prescription drug use, rates of polypharmacy, and characteristics associated with polypharmacy among adults with and without ASD in a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of a three-state Medicaid Analytic eXtract database (2000-2008). METHODS: Adults aged 22-64 years with ASD (ICD9-CM code: 299.xx) were propensity score-matched to ‘no ASD’ controls by age, sex, and race. General polypharmacy (>/=6 unique classes of prescription drugs in a year) and psychotropic polypharmacy (>/=3 unique prescription drug classes of psychotropic medications within a 90-day period) were the main study outcomes. Chi-square tests for rates, t tests for mean number of claims, and multivariate logistic regressions for likelihood of prescription drug use and polypharmacy were run. RESULTS: Annually, almost 75% of adults with ASD had >20 prescription drug claims compared with 33% of adults without ASD. Around 85% of adults with ASD used at least one psychotropic drug class compared with 42% of adults without ASD. Highly common psychotropics were antipsychotics (66%ASD vs 20%noASD), anticonvulsants (59%ASD vs 20%noASD), and anxiolytics/hypnotics/sedatives (21%ASD vs 11%noASD). Other than psychotropics, many adults with ASD used medical prescription drugs such as antimicrobials (47%), dermatologic agents (48%), respiratory agents (38%), gastrointestinal agents (31%), alternative medications (25%), antiparkinsonian agents (22.6%), antihyperlipidemics/statins (7.3%), and immunologics (2.0%). Rates of general (48%ASD vs 32%noASD) and psychotropic polypharmacy (19%ASD vs 6%noASD) were significantly higher in the ASD group. CONCLUSION: Prescription drug use and polypharmacy rates among adults with ASD are substantially higher than those in an age-, sex-, and race-matched cohort of adults without ASD. Adults with ASD frequently use therapeutic treatments other than psychotropics. Healthcare providers, who usually report low confidence in treating patients with ASD, should play an active role in constant monitoring of prescription drug use patterns and patient response to interventions. Prescribers and caregivers are encouraged to make decisions after weighing the benefits and risks associated with a pharmacological treatment. Further investigations into the common use of any alternative treatments that can affect a patient’s response to core treatments should also be conducted.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
30. Wallace GL, Dudley K, Anthony L, Pugliese CE, Orionzi B, Clasen L, Lee NR, Giedd JN, Martin A, Raznahan A, Kenworthy L. {{Divergence of Age-Related Differences in Social-Communication: Improvements for Typically Developing Youth but Declines for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2016 (Nov 23)
Although social-communication difficulties and repetitive behaviors are hallmark features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and persist across the lifespan, very few studies have compared age-related differences in these behaviors between youth with ASD and same-age typically developing (TD) peers. We examined this issue using SRS-2 (Social Responsiveness Scale-Second Edition) measures of social-communicative functioning and repetitive behaviors in a stratified cross-sectional sample of 324 youth with ASD in the absence of intellectual disability, and 438 TD youth (aged 4-29 years). An age-by-group interaction emerged indicating that TD youth exhibited age-related improvements in social-communication scores while the ASD group demonstrated age-related declines in these scores. This suggests that adolescents/adults with ASD may fall increasingly behind their same-age peers in social-communicative skills.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
31. Wilson J, Wright B, Jost S, Smith R, Pearce H, Richardson S. {{Can urinary indolylacroylglycine (IAG) levels be used to determine whether children with autism will benefit from dietary intervention?}}. {Pediatr Res};2016 (Nov 23)
BACKGROUND: An increase in urinary indolyl-3-acryloylglycine (IAG) has been reported in children with ASD who suffer with bowel problems in comparison to ASD children without gastrointestinal (GI) problems. The case for dietary intervention for ASD children with GI symptoms might be strengthened were such a difference to be autism-specific. METHODS: Quantitative analysis of urinary IAG levels was performed for 53 children on the autism spectrum and 146 age-matched controls. The parents of each child were asked to provide information on bowel symptoms experienced by the child and their eating habits over a period of two weeks. RESULTS: We find no significant difference in urinary IAG levels between the ASD children with GI problems and ASD children without GI problems. Although we see some difference between ASD children with GI problems and controls in mainstream schools with GI problems, the difference between non-autistic children with other developmental disorders and controls in mainstream schools is more significant so that any difference is not autism-specific. We find a strong correlation between bowel symptoms and diet problems in ASD children, especially idiosyncratic feeding behavior and we show that ASD children suffering from multiple bowel symptoms tend to be those who also have dietary problems. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence to support the hypothesis that children with ASD who suffer with bowel problems have increased levels of urinary indolyl-3-acryloylglycine in comparison to children with ASD who do not have gastrointestinal problems.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
32. Xiao X, Fang H, Wu J, Xiao C, Xiao T, Qian L, Liang F, Xiao Z, Chu KK, Ke X. {{Diagnostic model generated by MRI-derived brain features in toddlers with autism spectrum disorder}}. {Autism Res};2016 (Nov 22)
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with core symptoms of atypical social interaction, communication, and restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities. Although the pathophysiologic mechanism of ASD is unclarified yet, the neuroanatomical features are considered as valuable predictors for discriminating ASD from others. But there has been relatively little scientific study about predictive power of different neuroanatomical features of early age ASD. A total of 85 participants, 46 (mean age 27 +/- 4 months) with ASD and 39 (mean age 28 +/- 4 months) with development delay (DD), were included in the present study. The predictive models generated by support vector machines, naive bayes, and random forest was compared based on the regional average cortical surface area. Features like regional cortical thickness, cortical volume, and cortical surface area were evaluated between the models generated by Random Forest, and the classification performance of the predictive models, generated by the top 10, top 20, or top 30 factors in RF classifiers, was compared. The predictive model generated by regional average cortical thickness of regions with top 20 highest importance of random forest classifier showed best accuracy (ACC) (80.9 +/- 1.5), specificity (81 +/- 4), sensitivity (81.3 +/- 1.2), and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (0.88 +/- 0.01). Overall, thickness-based classification, outperforming the volume-based classification and surface area-based classification in ASD and random forest, is the optimal approach for of neuroimaging data mining in this small size set. Autism Res 2016,. (c) 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
