1. Ball G, Beare R, Seal ML. {{Network component analysis reveals developmental trajectories of structural connectivity and specific alterations in autism spectrum disorder}}. {Hum Brain Mapp};2017 (May 31)
The structural organization of the brain can be characterized as a hierarchical ensemble of segregated modules linked by densely interconnected hub regions that facilitate distributed functional interactions. Disturbances to this network may be an important marker of abnormal development. Recently, several neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD), have been framed as disorders of connectivity but the full nature and timing of these disturbances remain unclear. In this study, we use non-negative matrix factorization, a data-driven, multivariate approach, to model the structural network architecture of the brain as a set of superposed subnetworks, or network components. In an openly available dataset of 196 subjects scanned between 5 and 85 years we identify a set of robust and reliable subnetworks that develop in tandem with age and reflect both anatomically local and long-range, network hub connections. In a second experiment, we compare network components in a cohort of 51 high-functioning ASD adolescents to a group of age-matched controls. We identify a specific subnetwork representing an increase in local connection strength in the cingulate cortex in ASD (t = 3.44, P < 0.001). This work highlights possible long-term implications of alterations to the developmental trajectories of specific cortical subnetworks. Hum Brain Mapp, 2017. (c) 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
2. Garcia-Villamisar D, Dattilo J, Muela C. {{Effects of B-Active2 on Balance, Gait, Stress, and Well-Being of Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorders and Intellectual Disability: A Controlled Trial}}. {Adapt Phys Activ Q};2017 (Apr);34(2):125-140.
Effects of B-Active2 (Enjoy Being Physically Active by Walking Safely: A Leisure Education Program) on the risk of falls, stress, and well-being of a sample of 44 adults with ASD (ages M = 36.88; SD =7.31) were examined using a controlled experimental trial. Given the relationship between physical activity and stress reduction to individual well-being, B-Active2 was developed as a multidimensional program involving leisure education and walking designed to create an enjoyable context in which adults with ASD learn about and engage in physical activity. All participants were evaluated on balance, gait, well-being, and stress at baseline and at 1 month postintervention by a team of therapists blind to study objectives. There was a significant difference postintervention on balance, F(1, 40) = 55.63, p < .001, eta2 = .58; gait, F(1, 40) = 23.58, p < .001, eta 2 =.37; and well-being, F(1, 40) = 34.16, p < .001, eta 2 = .47). No statistically significant effect was found for level of stress reduction, F(1, 40) = 0.27, n.s. Results of this study support the conclusion that B-Active2 is a viable leisure education program that promotes physical activity of adults with ASD and has positive effects on their well-being and risk of falls. Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
3. Gudenas BL, Srivastava AK, Wang L. {{Integrative genomic analyses for identification and prioritization of long non-coding RNAs associated with autism}}. {PLoS One};2017;12(5):e0178532.
Genetic studies have identified many risk loci for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) although causal factors in the majority of cases are still unknown. Currently, known ASD risk genes are all protein-coding genes; however, the vast majority of transcripts in humans are non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) which do not encode proteins. Recently, long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) were shown to be highly expressed in the human brain and crucial for normal brain development. We have constructed a computational pipeline for the integration of various genomic datasets to identify lncRNAs associated with ASD. This pipeline utilizes differential gene expression patterns in affected tissues in conjunction with gene co-expression networks in tissue-matched non-affected samples. We analyzed RNA-seq data from the cortical brain tissues from ASD cases and controls to identify lncRNAs differentially expressed in ASD. We derived a gene co-expression network from an independent human brain developmental transcriptome and detected a convergence of the differentially expressed lncRNAs and known ASD risk genes into specific co-expression modules. Co-expression network analysis facilitates the discovery of associations between previously uncharacterized lncRNAs with known ASD risk genes, affected molecular pathways and at-risk developmental time points. In addition, we show that some of these lncRNAs have a high degree of overlap with major CNVs detected in ASD genetic studies. By utilizing this integrative approach comprised of differential expression analysis in affected tissues and connectivity metrics from a developmental co-expression network, we have prioritized a set of candidate ASD-associated lncRNAs. The identification of lncRNAs as novel ASD susceptibility genes could help explain the genetic pathogenesis of ASD.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
4. Ring M, Derwent CLT, Gaigg SB, Bowler DM. {{Structural Learning Difficulties Implicate Altered Hippocampal Functioning in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Abnorm Psychol};2017 (May 29)
Structural learning is fundamental to the formation of cognitive maps that are necessary for learning, memory, and spatial navigation. It also enables successful navigation of the social world, which is something that individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) find particularly difficult. To master these situations, a person needs to bind pieces of information to one another and to consider the context in which experiences happen. Such binding is a capacity of the hippocampus. Although altered hippocampal function has for long been suspected to play a role in the etiology of ASD, the relevant evidence has remained inconclusive because few behavioral tests that are known to specifically necessitate preserved hippocampal function have been employed in studies of ASD. To address this gap in the literature, a total sample of 57 pairs of age and ability matched ASD and comparison participants was divided into 3 subsamples who were asked either to complete structural learning, or 1 of 2 configural learning control tasks (biconditional discrimination and transverse patterning) drawn from animal research. As predicted, ASD adults demonstrated specific difficulty with structural learning but not with other forms of configural learning. These differences were not attributable to decreased attentional shifting or increased perseveration, which would have indicated atypical frontal modulation of hippocampal processes. Instead, the observations implicate atypical hippocampal functioning as the source of structural learning difficulties in ASD. The data suggest that disturbances in domain-general cognitive processes such as structural learning, caused by altered hippocampal function, play a critical role in the etiology of ASD. (PsycINFO Database Record
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
5. Siragusa M, Giusto S, Ferri R, Centofanti A, Schepis C. {{Plica neuropathica (matting hair) in an autistic patient}}. {J Dermatol};2017 (May 31)
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
6. Sreckovic MA, Hume K, Able H. {{Examining the Efficacy of Peer Network Interventions on the Social Interactions of High School Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2017 (May 31)
Developing positive peer relationships is important. Unfortunately, due to challenges in social communication and increased complexity of peer groups during adolescence, many secondary students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) engage in limited positive social interactions with peers. This study examined the effects of a peer network intervention implemented with three high school students with ASD. A multiple-baseline across participants design was used to evaluate the intervention on initiations and responses to and from students with ASD. The impact on frequency of victimization of students with ASD was also explored. Results indicate peer networks are effective at increasing social interactions of secondary students with ASD and provide preliminary support for the use of peer networks to reduce rates of bullying victimization.
Lien vers le texte intégral (Open Access ou abonnement)
7. Zuckerman KE, Lindly OJ, Reyes NM, Chavez AE, Macias K, Smith KN, Reynolds A. {{Disparities in Diagnosis and Treatment of Autism in Latino and Non-Latino White Families}}. {Pediatrics};2017 (May);139(5)
OBJECTIVES: To compare barriers to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis and current ASD-related service use among non-Latino white (NLW) families and Latino families with English proficiency (L-EP) or limited English proficiency (L-LEP). METHODS: We conducted a mixed-mode survey of families of children with confirmed ASD seen at specialty clinics in 3 United States cities. Bivariate and multivariate analyses compared barriers to ASD diagnosis, current service use, and unmet therapy need among NLW, L-EP, and L-LEP families. RESULTS: Overall, barriers to ASD diagnosis were prevalent: families (n = 352) experienced a mean of 8 of 15 barriers to ASD diagnosis. The most prevalent barriers overall were « stress of diagnostic process, » « parent knowledge about ASD, » and « understanding medical system. » Compared with NLW families, L-LEP families were more likely to experience barriers related to knowledge about ASD and trust in providers. Children in L-LEP families also had fewer current therapy hours and more unmet therapy needs than children in NLW families. L-EP families’ barriers and treatment services use profile was more similar to NLW than to L-LEP families. CONCLUSIONS: English proficiency was an important marker for barriers to ASD diagnosis and treatment in Latinos. Increasing ASD-related knowledge and provider trust may decrease disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of ASD among US Latinos.
