1. Breece E, Moreno RJ, Azzam Y, Rogers SJ, Ashwood P. Profiling of activated monocyte populations in autism and associations with increased severity and comorbid behaviors. Brain Behav Immun. 2024; 125: 111-6.

Immune dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been widely reported and is associated with increased impairments in social interactions, communication, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and gastrointestinal problems. Several lines of evidence point towards increased activation of the innate immune system including activation of microglia, increases in innate inflammatory cytokines/chemokines in blood, brain tissue and CSF, activated dendritic cells and macrophages, and abnormal peripheral monocyte cell function. Monocytes are major players in innate immunity and have important functions in the phagocytosis of pathogens or debris, immune defense and cytokine/chemokine production. However, little is known about the frequencies of different circulating monocytes populations in ASD compared with similarly aged typically developing (TD) controls. In this study, the profile of circulating monocytes exhibiting different markers of activation were assessed in 77 children with ASD, and 49 TD controls who were enrolled as part of the Autism Phenome Project and were of a similar age, 2-4 years old. The frequencies of monocytes expressing the activation marker CD137 (4-1BB) were significantly increased in children with ASD and associated with greater behavioral impairments. In addition, although the frequencies of non-classical monocytes (CD14(+)CD16(+)) were not significantly different across groups, they were linked to worse behaviors in both the context of ASD and TD. Conversely classical monocytes were associated with better behavioral outcomes. These data further implicate monocytes and innate immune cells in the complex pathophysiology of ASD. Monocyte cells play key roles in modulating immune responses and differences in the activation profiles of these cells may result in immune dysfunction in children with ASD.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

2. Chesani FH, Bossardi CN, Sandri JVA, Gouvea PB, Hens K. How do autistic people, professionals, and caregivers think about the origins and environments of autism. Autism Dev Lang Impair. 2024; 9: 23969415241308428.

Understanding what people believe the causes of autism to be has implications for experiences of familial guilt and stigma. Using a qualitative approach, we investigated how Brazilian healthcare professionals, parents of young and adult autistic people and young and adult autistic people consider the origins of autism and the interaction between the biological and social environment concerning the challenges autistic people encounter. Eight health professionals who assist autistic people, five young autistic people, six family members of young autistic people, five autistic adults, and four parents of autistic adults participated in the research. After analysis, two major coding themes emerged from the interviews: (T1) Perceived origins of autism: genetic, environmental, or both, (T2) The impact of the structured family environment. Our respondents consider autism in Brazil strongly related to genetic origins and little to environmental and social origins. At the same time, the context of the structured social and family environment can influence challenges and opportunities for autistic people.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

3. Farbin M, Hejazi A, Fakhraei N, Azizi Y, Mehrabi S, Hajisoltani R. Neuroprotective effects of Apigenin on prenatal Valproic acid-induced autism spectrum disorder in rats. IBRO Neurosci Rep. 2024; 17: 493-502.

Valproic acid (VPA) demonstrates teratogenic effects during pregnancy. Prenatal exposure to VPA may result in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) -like phenotypes. Apigenin, a natural flavonoid, has been shown to have neuroprotective impacts due to its antioxidant properties. This study aimed to investigate the protective effects of apigenin in prenatal Valproic acid-induced autism in rats. Female rats (220-240 g, 2-3 months) received a single dose of VPA (600 mg/kg, i.p.) on the 12.5th day of gestational. The male offspring were given oral apigenin (50 mg/kg, p.o.) or the vehicle for 30 days. Behavioral tests, biochemical assessments for oxidative stress markers and pro-inflammatory cytokines were performed. VPA-treated rats exhibited increased anxiety-like behavior, and repetitive behavior. Social interaction was reduced, and detection of the novel object was impaired. Also, VPA-treated rats have shown higher levels of oxidative stress malondialdehyde (MDA) and lower GPX and superoxide dismutase (SOD) levels. Furthermore, IL-6 and TNF-α increased in the prefrotalcortex decreased. On the other hand, apigenin-treated rats restored the cognitive consequences and lowered oxidative stress and inflammation in the prefrotalcortex. CONCLUSION: Chronic apigenin treatment restored the behavioral and biochemical abnormalities caused by prenatal VPA exposure.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

4. Khudiakova V, Alexandrovsky M, Ai W, Lai MC. What We Know and Do Not Know About Camouflaging, Impression Management, and Mental Health and Wellbeing in Autistic People. Autism Res. 2024.

Camouflaging is an impression management strategy employed by some autistic people, widely seen as a response to the pervasive stigma surrounding autism in society. Autistic narratives and lived experiences consistently link camouflaging to anxiety, depression, suicide risks, and autistic burnout. Quantitative research is yet to determine the nature of these relationships, with a significant portion of recent studies providing inconsistent evidence. While camouflaging can be a compelled survival strategy in social environments, it might also contribute to positive outcomes such as securing employment and forming positive social relationships, implicating a complex interrelationship with mental health and wellbeing. We advocate for using a transactional impression management framework to understand camouflaging and wellbeing and address the inconsistencies in research. Through examining the transactions among a person’s individual and cognitive characteristics, behavior modification strategies, and the particular social contexts they find themselves in, this framework guides new empirical research directions to delineate the relationships between camouflaging, impression management, mental health, and wellbeing. There is a need to develop multiple measures of camouflaging that delineate the motivations, ability, effortfulness, and perceived effectiveness of camouflaging and examine how a person’s social behaviors are perceived in different social environments. Research should also focus on intersectionality, sociocultural influences, and diverse autistic voices to study context-sensitive camouflaging experiences across the autistic population.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

5. Komatsu H, Sato Y, Tomimoto K, Onoguchi G, Matsuki T, Hamaie Y, Sakuma A, Ohmuro N, Katsura M, Ito F, Ono T, Matsumoto K, Tomita H. Autistic symptoms and clinical features of individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis and first-episode psychosis. Asian J Psychiatr. 2024; 103: 104345.

INTRODUCTION: Autistic symptoms in schizophrenia are reportedly associated with cognitive and social functions. However, few studies have investigated the association between autistic symptoms and clinical features in individuals with a clinical high risk for psychosis (CHR-P) and first-episode psychosis (FEP). We aimed to determine the association between autistic symptoms and clinical features in a cohort of individuals with CHR-P or FEP. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 111 participants (CHR-P: 61, FEP: 50). Autistic symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale for Schizophrenia Autism Severity Scale. We assessed the association between autistic symptoms and global and social functioning, and cognitive function in individuals with CHR-P or EFP. Multiple regression analysis was also performed using age and sex as covariates to determine the association between autistic symptoms and global functioning. RESULTS: The participants with FEP had more severe autistic symptoms than those with CHR-P. The results of bivariate correlation analysis showed a significantly negative association of autistic symptoms with global and cognitive functions in both participants with CHR-P and those with FEP. Multiple regression analysis showed that sex, autistic symptoms, and positive symptoms were significant predictors of overall functioning in those participants. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that autistic symptoms are associated with lower global functioning with both individuals at CHR-P and those with FEP. Further longitudinal analysis is needed to characterize the association between autistic symptoms and global functioning in CHR-P and FEP.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

6. Poole D, Linden A, Sedgewick F, Allchin O, Hobson H. A systematic review of pre-registration in autism research journals. Autism. 2024: 13623613241308312.

When researchers write down their plans for a study ahead of time and make this public, this is called pre-registration. Pre-registration allows others to see if the researchers stuck to their original plan or changed as they went along. Pre-registration is growing in popularity but we do not know how widely it is used in autism research. In this study, we looked at papers published in six major autism journals between 2011 and 2022. We found that only 2.23% of papers published in autism journals had been pre-registered. We also took a close look at a selection of the pre-registrations to check how good they were and if researchers stuck to their plans. We found that the pre-registrations generally lacked specifics, particularly about how the study was designed and the data would be analysed. We also found that only 28% of the papers closely followed the pre-registered plans or reported the changes.Based on these findings, we recommend that autism researchers consider pre-registering their work and transparently report any changes from their original plans. We have provided some recommendations for researchers and journals on how pre-registration could be better used in autism research.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)

7. Saleh SR, Alaoufi HM, Eltantawy MM. Parental satisfaction with the quality of services provided to persons with autism spectrum disorder and their families in Saudi Arabia. Front Psychiatry. 2024; 15: 1469513.

The services provided to persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families are considered the basic factors that help families meet their needs and those of their children. These services help persons with ASD attain an appropriate level of independence within the society. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the Parents’ satisfaction with the quality of services related to family guidance and education, diagnostic and evaluation services, support and intervention services, and services that aim to improve equal opportunities and life quality among persons with ASD and their parents in Saudi Arabia. This study also aimed to identify the differences in the quality of these services with regard to the age stage of the person with ASD. The study sample consisted of 301 parents of persons with ASD, including 93 fathers and 208 mothers. In this study, a quantitative approach through a questionnaire was used to collect data. Results of this study showed that the parents participating in the study reported the availability of services at an unsatisfactory level with regard to family guidance and education services, support and intervention services, and services that help to improve life quality and equal opportunities. Although the quality of diagnostic and evaluation services was satisfactory, the results indicated no differences in the quality of these services based on the ages of the persons with ASD. The results of this study indicated the importance of developing these services and subjecting them to international quality standards.

Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)