1. Bringas ME, Carbajal-Flores FN, Lopez-Ramirez TA, Atzori M, Flores G. {{Rearrangement of the dendritic morphology in limbic regions and altered exploratory behavior in a rat model of Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {Neuroscience}. 2013 Mar 24.
Valproic acid (VPA) is a blocker of histone deacetylasewidely used to treat epilepsy, bipolar disorders, and migraine; its administration during pregnancy increases the risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the child. Thus, prenatal VPA exposure has emerged as a rodent model of ASD. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the effect of prenatal administration of VPA (500 mg/kg) at E12.5 on the exploratory behavior and locomotor activity in a novel environment, as well as on neuronal morphological rearrangement in the prefrontal cortex (PFC), in the Hippocampus, in the nucleus accumbens (NAcc), and in the basolateral amygdala (BLA) at three different ages: immediately after weaning (postnatal day 21 [PD21]), pre-pubertal (PD35) and post-pubertal (PD70) ages. Hyperlocomotion was observed in a novel environment in VPA animals at PD21 and PD70. Interestingly, exploratory behavior assessed by the hole board test at PD70 showed a reduced frequency but an increase in the duration of head-dippings in VPA-animals compared to vehicle-treated animals. In addition, the latency to the first head-dip was longer in prenatal VPA-treated animals at PD70. Quantitative morphological analysis of dendritic spine density revealed a reduced number of spines at PD70 in the PFC, dorsal hippocampus and BLA, with an increase in the dendritic spine density in NAcc and ventral hippocampus, in prenatal VPA-treated rats. In addition, at PD70 increases neuronal arborization were observed in the NAcc, layer 3 of the PFC, and BLA, with retracted neuronal arborization in the ventral and dorsal hippocampus. Our results extend the list of altered behaviors (exploratory behavior) detected in this model of ASD, and indicate that the VPA behavioral phenotype is accompanied by previously undescribed morphological re-arrangement in limbic regions.
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2. Byers ES, Nichols S, Voyer SD. {{Challenging Stereotypes: Sexual Functioning of Single Adults with High Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord}. 2013 Mar 24.
This study examined the sexual functioning of single adults (61 men, 68 women) with high functioning autism and Asperger syndrome living in the community with and without prior relationship experience. Participants completed an on-line questionnaire assessing autism symptoms, psychological functioning, and various aspects of sexual functioning. In general participants reported positive sexual functioning. Participants without prior relationship experience were significantly younger and more likely to be male and identify as heterosexual. They reported significantly higher sexual anxiety, lower sexual arousability, lower dyadic desire, and fewer positive sexual cognitions. The men reported better sexual function than did the women in a number of areas. These results counter negative societal perceptions about the sexuality of high functioning individuals on the autism spectrum.
