1. Bhandari R, Kuhad A. {{Neuropsychopharmacotherapeutic efficacy of curcumin in experimental paradigm of autism spectrum disorders}}. {Life Sci};2015 (Sep 23)
AIM: Neuroinflammatory response triggered by the stimulation of matrix metalloproteinases plays a pivotal role in the development of autistic phenotype. MMPs stimulate inflammatory cytokines release along with mitochondrial deficits that ultimately lead to neuronal dysfunction and precipitate autistic symptoms. The aim of the present study was to explore the neuropsychopharmacotherapeutic efficacy of curcumin in the experimental paradigm of autism spectrum disorders. MATERIALS AND METHODS: 1M propanoic acid (4mul) was infused over 10min into the anterior portion of the caudoputamen to induce autistic behavior in rats. Curcumin (50, 100 and 200mg/kg) was administered per orally starting from 2nd day of surgery and continued up to 28th day. Rats were tested for various neurobehavioural paradigms like social interaction, stereotypy, locomotor activity, anxiety, novelty, depression, spatial learning and memory as well as for repetitive and pervasive behavior. In addition, biochemical tests for oxidative stress, mitochondrial complexes, TNF-alpha and MMP-9 were also carried out. KEY FINDINGS: Intracerebroventricular injection of propanoic acid produced neurological, sensory, behavioral, biochemical and molecular deficits which were assessed as endophenotype of autism spectrum disorders. Regular treatment with curcumin for four weeks significantly and dose dependently restored neurological, behavioral, biochemical and molecular changes associated with autistic phenotype in rats. SIGNIFICANCE: The major finding of the study is that curcumin restored the core and associated symptoms of autistic phenotype by suppressing oxidative-nitrosative stress, mitochondrial dysfunction, TNF-alpha and MMP-9 in PPA-induced autism in rats. Therefore, curcumin can be developed as a potential neuropsychopharmacotherapeutic adjunct for autism spectrum disorders (ASD).
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
2. Carper RA, Solders S, Treiber JM, Fishman I, Muller RA. {{Corticospinal Tract Anatomy and Functional Connectivity of Primary Motor Cortex in Autism}}. {J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry};2015 (Oct);54(10):859-867.
OBJECTIVE: Growing evidence indicates that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) stems from abnormal structural and functional connectivity of neural networks. Although diagnostic symptoms are sociocommunicative, motor-related functions (beyond repetitive mannerisms) are also impaired. However, evidence on connectivity at the level of basic motor execution is limited, which we address here. METHOD: We compared right-handed children and adolescents (aged 7-18 years) with ASD (n = 44) to matched typically developing participants (TD, n = 36) using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Diffusion-weighted imaging and probabilistic tractography measured microstructure of the corticospinal tract (CST). Intrinsic functional connectivity MRI examined whole-brain voxelwise correlations, both with identical precentral gyrus (PCG) seeds. RESULTS: In the group with ASD, radial and mean diffusivity were increased bilaterally in the CST, particularly in superior segments, and a leftward asymmetry of CST volume detected in the TD group was reversed. Functionally, overconnectivity was found for both left and right PCG with prefrontal, parietal, medial occipital, and cingulate cortices. The group with ASD also showed significantly reduced asymmetry of functional connectivity for both left and right PCG seeds. Finally, in the group with ASD, significant correlations were found for functional overconnectivity of the right PCG seed with anisotropy and mean diffusivity in the right CST. CONCLUSION: The findings, implicating both functional and anatomical connectivity of the primary motor cortex, suggest that network anomalies in ASD go well beyond sociocommunicative domains, affecting basic motor execution. They also suggest that even in right-handed adolescents with ASD, typical left hemisphere dominance is reduced, both anatomically and functionally, with an unusual degree of right hemisphere motor participation.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
3. Holmes LG, Himle MB, Strassberg DS. {{Parental romantic expectations and parent-child sexuality communication in autism spectrum disorders}}. {Autism};2015 (Sep 25)
This study examined the relationship between core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder, parental romantic expectations, and parental provision of sexuality and relationship education in an online sample of 190 parents of youth 12-18 years of age with a parent-reported diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Regression analyses were conducted separately for youth with autism spectrum disorder + parent-reported average or above IQ and youth with autism spectrum disorder + parent-reported below average IQ. For youth with autism spectrum disorder + parent-reported average or above IQ, autism spectrum disorder severity predicted parental romantic expectations, but not parental provision of sexuality and relationship education. For youth with autism spectrum disorder + parent-reported below average IQ, parental romantic expectations mediated the relationship between autism spectrum disorder severity and parent provision of sexuality and relationship education. This supports the importance of carefully considering intellectual functioning in autism spectrum disorder sexuality research and suggests that acknowledging and addressing parent expectations may be important for parent-focused sexuality and relationship education interventions.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
4. Jure R, Pogonza R, Rapin I. {{Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in Blind Children: Very High Prevalence, Potentially Better Outlook}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Sep 25)
Autism spectrum disorders affected 19 of 38 unselected children at a school for the blind in Cordoba, Argentina. Autism was linked to total congenital blindness, not blindness’ etiology, acquired or incomplete blindness, sex, overt brain damage, or socioeconomic status. Autism « recovery, » had occurred in 4 verbal children. Congenital blindness causes profoundly deviant sensory experience and massive reorganization of brain connectivity. Its >/=30 times greater prevalence than in sighted children suggests a distinct pathogenesis. Unawareness of autism’s high prevalence in blind individuals includes blindness’ rarity, misunderstanding of autism as « disease » rather than dimensional behavioral diagnosis, reluctance to diagnose it in blind children, and ignorance of its potentially more favorable outcome. Future investigation may suggest interventions to prevent or mitigate it.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
5. Plesa Skwerer D, Jordan SE, Brukilacchio BH, Tager-Flusberg H. {{Comparing methods for assessing receptive language skills in minimally verbal children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders}}. {Autism};2015 (Sep 25)
This research addresses the challenges of assessing receptive language abilities in minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder by comparing several adapted measurement tools: a standardized direct assessment of receptive vocabulary (i.e. Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test-4); caregiver report measures including scores on the Vineland-II Communication domain and a vocabulary questionnaire consisting of a list of words ranging from simple, developmentally early, to more advanced words expected to be understood by at least some older children and adolescents; an eye-tracking test of word comprehension, using a word-image pair matching paradigm similar to that often used in studies of infant language acquisition; and a computerized assessment using a touch screen for directly measuring word comprehension with the same stimuli used in the eye-tracking experiment. Results of this multiple-method approach revealed significant heterogeneity in receptive language abilities across participants and across assessment methods. Our findings underscore the need to find individualized approaches for capturing the potential for language comprehension of minimally verbal children with autism spectrum disorder who remain otherwise untestable, using several types of assessment that may include methods based on eye-tracking or touch-screen responding.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
6. Qi X, Zaroff CM, Bernardo AB. {{Autism spectrum disorder etiology: Lay beliefs and the role of cultural values and social axioms}}. {Autism};2015 (Sep 25)
Recent research examining the explanations given by the public (i.e. lay beliefs) for autism spectrum disorder often reveals a reasonably accurate understanding of the biogenetic basis of the disorder. However, lay beliefs often manifest aspects of culture, and much of this work has been conducted in western cultures. In this study, 215 undergraduate university students in Macau, a Special Administrative Region of China, completed self-report measures assessing two beliefs concerning autism spectrum disorder etiology: (1) a belief in parental factors and (2) a belief in genetic factors. Potential correlates of lay beliefs were sought in culture-specific values, and more universal social axioms. Participants were significantly more likely to endorse parenting, relative to genetic factors, as etiological. A perceived parental etiology was predicted by values of mind-body holism. Beliefs in a parental etiology were not predicted by values assessing collectivism, conformity to norms, a belief in a family’s ability to obtain recognition through a child’s achievement, or interpersonal harmony, nor by the social axioms measured (e.g. social cynicism, reward for application, social complexity, fate control, and religiosity). Beliefs in a genetic etiology were not predicted by either culture-specific values or social axioms. Implications of the current results are discussed.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
7. Scheeren AM, Banerjee R, Koot HM, Begeer S. {{Self-Presentation and the Role of Perspective Taking and Social Motivation in Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2015 (Sep 25)
We compared self-presentation abilities of 132 children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) to those of 41 typically developing (TD) peers, and examined the potential link with their social motivation and perspective taking. Participants introduced themselves to an interviewer in a baseline condition (without incentive) and a self-promotion condition (with incentive). Children with ASD (6-12 years) were just as likely as or even more likely than TD children to highlight personal characteristics that would increase their chances of obtaining the incentive. Thus, they were strategic in their self-presentation. However, adolescents with ASD (12-19 years) were less strategic than TD adolescents as well as children with ASD. We discuss the role of social motivation and perspective taking in children’s self-presentation.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
8. Sealey LA, Hughes BW, Steinemann A, Pestaner JP, Gene Pace D, Bagasra O. {{Environmental factors may contribute to autism development and male bias: Effects of fragrances on developing neurons}}. {Environ Res};2015 (Sep 23);142:731-738.
BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are developmental conditions characterized by deficits in social interaction, impairments in verbal and nonverbal communication, and stereotyped patterns of behavior. Previous studies have implicated environmental factors in the development of ASD. Although no reliable neurophysiological network is associated with ASD, low levels of plasma oxytocin (OXY) and arginine vasopressin (AVP) have been reported. The « twin » nonapeptides OXY and AVP are mainly produced in the brain of mammals, and dysregulation of these neuropeptides has been associated with changes in behavior, especially social interactions. METHODS: Previously, we analyzed 91 commonly used fragrances and reported significant mutagenic, neurocytotoxic, and stimulatory effects on fetal neuroblastoma cell lines (NBC). In this study, we analyzed the neuromodifications of three selected fragrances on male and female human fetal brain neurons, utilizing immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: We show that exposure to femtomolar concentrations of fragrances results in morphological changes by light microscopy in the NBC. Importantly, these fragrances significantly reduced the OXY- and AVP-receptor positive (OXYR+ and AVPR+) neurons in male NBC but not in female NBC, possibly contributing to the development of male bias in ASD. CONCLUSION: This study is the first to show a potential link between fragrance exposure, depletion of OXYR+ and AVPR+ neurons, and a male bias in autism.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
9. Varadinova M, Boyadjieva N. {{Epigenetic mechanisms: A possible link between autism spectrum disorders and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders}}. {Pharmacol Res};2015 (Sep 23)
The etiology of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) still remains unclear and seems to involve a considerable overlap between polygenic, epigenetic and environmental factors. We have summarized the current understanding of the interplay between gene expression dysregulation via epigenetic modifications and the potential epigenetic impact of environmental factors in neurodevelopmental deficits. Furthermore, we discuss the scientific controversies of the relationship between prenatal exposure to alcohol and alcohol-induced epigenetic dysregulations, and gene expression alterations which are associated with disrupted neural plasticity and causal pathways for ASDs. The review of the literature suggests that a better understanding of developmental epigenetics should contribute to furthering our comprehension of the etiology and pathogenesis of ASDs and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
10. Virk J, Liew Z, Olsen J, Nohr EA, Catov JM, Ritz B. {{Preconceptional and prenatal supplementary folic acid and multivitamin intake and autism spectrum disorders}}. {Autism};2015 (Sep 25)
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether early folic acid supplementation during pregnancy prevents diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders in offspring. METHODS: Information on autism spectrum disorder diagnosis was obtained from the National Hospital Register and the Central Psychiatric Register. We estimated risk ratios for autism spectrum disorders for children whose mothers took folate or multivitamin supplements from 4 weeks prior from the last menstrual period through to 8 weeks after the last menstrual period (-4 to 8 weeks) by three 4-week periods. RESULTS: We did not find an association between early folate or multivitamin intake for autism spectrum disorder (folic acid-adjusted risk ratio: 1.06, 95% confidence interval: 0.82-1.36; multivitamin-adjusted risk ratio: 1.00, 95% confidence interval: 0.82-1.22), autistic disorder (folic acid-adjusted risk ratio: 1.18, 95% confidence interval: 0.76-1.84; multivitamin-adjusted risk ratio: 1.22, 95% confidence interval: 0.87-1.69), Asperger’s syndrome (folic acid-adjusted risk ratio: 0.85, 95% confidence interval: 0.46-1.53; multivitamin-adjusted risk ratio: 0.95, 95% confidence interval: 0.62-1.46), or pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (folic acid-adjusted risk ratio: 1.07, 95% confidence interval: 0.75-1.54; multivitamin: adjusted risk ratio: 0.87, 95% confidence interval: 0.65-1.17) compared with women reporting no supplement use in the same period. CONCLUSION: We did not find any evidence to corroborate previous reports of a reduced risk for autism spectrum disorders in offspring of women using folic acid supplements in early pregnancy.
