1. Hoffman L. {{Asperger’s Syndrome and Autistic Disorder: Clearly Differentiating the Diagnostic Criteria}}. {Am J Psychiatry};2009 (Feb);166(2):235.
2. Horska A, Farage L, Bibat G, Nagae LM, Kaufmann WE, Barker PB, Naidu S. {{Brain metabolism in rett syndrome: Age, clinical, and genotype correlations}}. {Ann Neurol};2009 (Feb 4);65(1):90-97.
OBJECTIVE: Brain metabolism, as studied by magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), has been previously shown to be abnormal in Rett syndrome (RTT). This study reports the relation of MRS findings to age, disease severity, and genotype. METHODS: Forty RTT girls (1-14 years old) and 12 age-matched control subjects were examined. Single-voxel proton MRS of left frontal white matter was performed. RESULTS: NAA/Cr ratios decreased and myoinositol/Cr ratios increased with age in RTT patients (both p < 0.03), whereas these ratios were stable in control. The mean glutamate and glutamine/Cr ratio was 36% greater in RTT patients than in control (p = 0.043). The mean NAA/Cr ratio was 12.6% lower in RTT patients with seizures compared with those without seizures (p = 0.017). NAA/Cr ratios decreased with increasing clinical severity score (p = 0.031). Compared with patients with T158X, R255X, and R294X mutations, and C-terminal deletions, patients with the R168X mutation tended to have the greatest severity score (0.01 </= p </= 0.11) and the lowest NAA/Cr ratio (0.029 </= p < 0.14). INTERPRETATION: Decreasing NAA/Cr and increasing myoinositol/Cr with age are suggestive of progressive axonal damage and astrocytosis in RTT, respectively, whereas increased glutamate and glutamine/Cr ratio may be secondary to increasing glutamate/glutamine cycling at the synaptic level. The relations between NAA/Cr, presence or absence of seizures, and disease severity suggest that MRS provides a noninvasive measure of cerebral involvement in RTT. Ann Neurol 2009;65:90-97.
3. Kanne SM, Abbacchi AM, Constantino JN. {{Multi-informant Ratings of Psychiatric Symptom Severity in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: The Importance of Environmental Context}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2009 (Feb 4)
The present study examines co-occurring psychiatric syndromes in a well-characterized sample of youths with autism spectrum disorders (ASD; n = 177) and their siblings (n = 148), reported independently by parents and teachers. In ASD, parents reported substantial comorbidity with affective (26%), anxiety (25%), attentional (25%), conduct (16%), oppositional (15%), and somatic problems (6%). Teachers reported a much lower prevalence. Autistic severity scores for children with ASD exhibited moderate correlations with general psychopathology within- but not across-informants, whereas, sibling correlations were significant both within- and across-informants. Results support the role of environmental context in psychiatric symptom expression in children affected by autism and suggest that informant discrepancies may more provide critical cues for these children via specific environmental modifications.
4. Stichter JP, Randolph JK, Kay D, Gage N. {{The Use of Structural Analysis to Develop Antecedent-based Interventions for Students with Autism}}. {J Autism Dev Disord};2009 (Feb 4)
Evidence continues to maintain that the use of antecedent variables (i.e., instructional practices, and environmental characteristics) increase prosocial and adaptive behaviors of students with disabilities (e.g., Kern et al. in J Appl Behav Anal 27(1):7-19, 1994; Stichter et al. in Behav Disord 30:401-418, 2005). This study extends the literature by systematically utilizing practitioner-implemented structural analyzes within school settings to determine antecedent variables affecting the prosocial behavior of students with autism. Optimal antecedents were combined into intervention packages and assessed utilizing a multiple baseline design across settings. All three students demonstrated improvement across all three settings. Rates of engagement and social interaction were obtained from classroom peers to serve as benchmark data. Findings indicate that practitioners can implement structural analyzes and design corresponding interventions for students with ASD within educational settings.
