1. DelaCuesta-Barrutia J, Peñagarikano O, Ramos-Miguel A, Erdozain AM. Polymorphisms in GPCR genes: Their role in schizophrenia, autism diseases and response to antipsychotic treatment – A systematic review. Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry. 2026: 111669.

Albeit different in their clinical presentations, schizophrenia (SZ) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) share different features, with mounting evidence supporting a neurodevelopmental origin for both disorders and a common genetic susceptibility. Among associated genes, G protein-coupled receptors (GPCR) have frequently been related to both disorders. The aim of this systematic review is to gather evidence of the association between GPCR polymorphisms and the manifestation of SZ and ASD, and the potential effect of GPCR polymorphisms in treatment response to antipsychotics, the main pharmacological therapy used in both disorders. A total number of 301 polymorphisms within GPCR coding loci were reported as risk variants for SZ and/or ASD. Among these, association studies identified 171 polymorphisms associated with SZ, most frequently in DRD2 and DRD3 genes and 55 polymorphisms associated with ASD, mainly in OXTR and AVPR1A. GPCR variants have been shown to affect antipsychotic treatment response. In our analysis of the SZ population, mutations in the DRD2 gene were most frequently associated with clozapine and risperidone treatment response, whereas HTR2A mutations were more commonly linked to olanzapine response. In contrast, for antipsychotic treatment in ASD, response to risperidone appeared to be more strongly influenced by mutations in the HTR2C gene. Additionally, a further literature search was conducted to determine whether these polymorphisms had any known functional consequences affecting gene or protein expression, signalling, activity, binding, structure, or chemical properties. Functional biological mechanisms have been described for 59 polymorphisms, with DRD2 being the most extensively studied. In conclusion, this systematic review brings together compelling evidence highlighting the genetic influence of GPCRs in these two mental disorders.

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2. Doyumğaç İ, Söner O, Arslan G. Autism, Belief, and Society: Voices of Families in Cultural and Religious Contexts. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

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3. Harripaul R, Rabia A, Vasli N, Mikhailov A, Rodrigues A, Pastore SF, Muhammad T, Madanagopal TT, Hashmi AN, Tran C, Stan C, Aw K, Zai CC, Azam M, Mahmood S, Heidari A, Qamar R, French L, Tripathy S, Agha Z, Iqbal M, Ghadami M, Santangelo SL, Bozorgmehr B, Al Ayadhi L, Sasanfar R, Maqbool S, Hassan A, Knowles JA, Ayub M, Vincent JB. Autism spectrum disorder trios from consanguineous populations are enriched for rare homozygous variants, identifying 32 new candidate genes. Sci Rep. 2026.

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4. Kim S, Kim H, Pelayo JP, Alvarez S, Jang G, Kim J, Kim B, Hoelscher VM, Calleja-Pérez B, Jung H, Yang Y, Lee HJ, Lee J, Kim S, de la Peña MJ, Lee Y, Kim S, Han AR, Lee DS, Ji S, Yu W, Kim HM, An JY, Oh WC, Kwon SK, Kim JY, Um JW, Fernández-Jaén A, Ko J. Bazedoxifene reverses sexually dimorphic autistic-like abnormalities in biallelic MDGA1-mutant mice. EMBO Mol Med. 2026.

MDGA1 reportedly suppresses GABAergic synaptic inhibition and may be associated with schizophrenia. However, it has been unclear whether and how MDGA1 dysfunction causes neurodevelopmental disorders. Here, we describe two patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) carrying missense mutations in MDGA1: p.Val116Met/p.Ala688Val and p.Tyr635Cys/p.Glu756Gln. Murine in utero overexpression of MDGA1 p.Val116Met/p.Ala688Val alters normal cortical neuron migration and impairs ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs). The p.Tyr635Cys/p.Glu756Gln substitution disrupts the triangular extracellular structure of MDGA1 and renders it unable to impact GABAergic synapses in hippocampal CA1 neurons. Male Mdga1 knock-in (KI) mouse pups and adults harboring the p.Tyr636Cys/p.Glu751Gln mutation exhibit impaired USVs and sensorimotor gating, similar to male Mdga1 conditional knockout (cKO) mice. No behavioral deficits were seen in female counterparts. Bazedoxifene (a selective estrogen receptor modulator) treatment of male Mdga1(Y636C/E751Q) KI mice rescues the changes in the expression and phosphorylation of a subset of GABAergic synaptic proteins, as well as behavioral performance and GABAergic synaptic strength. Thus, different MDGA1 mutations manifest as distinct MDGA1 dysfunctions and are likely to cause ASD via sexually dimorphic loss-of-function and/or gain-of-function mechanisms.

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5. Kisecik Sengul Z, Salik H, Berk S. Life beyond diagnosis: The psychosocial experiences of individuals with a sibling with autism: A qualitative study. J Pediatr Nurs. 2026; 88: 460-6.

AIM: This study aims to explore the psychosocial experiences of siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) residing in the Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia regions of Türkiye. METHODS: A qualitative approach grounded in interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA) was employed. The sample comprised 27 siblings from these regions. Data were gathered through in-person, semi-structured interviews following a criterion sampling strategy. RESULTS: Five primary themes were identified: (1) daily interaction and experiences, (2) future concerns and responsibilities, (3) family dynamics and support, (4) social perceptions and external reactions, and (5) personal developments and values. CONCLUSIONS: Siblings of children with ASD encounter complex, multifaceted psychosocial challenges. While fostering positive attributes such as resilience and empathy, they simultaneously shoulder emotional burdens and anxiety, necessitating targeted support. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: Structured psychosocial programs are essential to address the emotional needs and future anxieties of siblings. Interventions enhancing family communication and societal awareness may facilitate better adjustment and promote overall family balance.

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6. Li Y, Zhong J, Shen Y, Gong J, Feng Y, Lan W, Hou X. Voluntary wheel running exercise attenuates VPA-induced ASD-like behaviors in male rats: implication of the vagal pathway of the gut-brain axis. NPJ Biofilms Microbiomes. 2026.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder with elusive pathogenesis and lack of targeted therapies. While exercise can ameliorate ASD-like behaviors, its underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Recent studies have identified dysbiosis of gut microbiota and altered levels of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), as critical contributors to ASD-associated behavioral abnormalities. This study investigated the potential role of the gut-brain axis, specifically the vagal pathway, in mediating the therapeutic effects of voluntary wheel running exercise in a valproic acid (VPA)-induced ASD-like rat models. We demonstrated that six weeks of voluntary wheel running exercise attenuated ASD-like behavioral deficits. Exercise restructured gut microbial communities and elevated SCFA levels, notably butyrate, in feces and plasma. Concurrently, exercise normalized imbalances of neuroactive substances in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex and suppressed neuroinflammation, evidenced by reduced microglial/astrocytic reactivity and a shift in microglial polarization toward an anti-inflammatory phenotype. Critically, subdiaphragmatic vagotomy attenuated these exercise-induced improvements, including the restoration of neuroactive substance homeostasis, resolution of neuroinflammation, and the amelioration of behavioral deficits. Our findings suggest that intact vagal signaling plays a critical role in coordinating gut-derived microbial and metabolic signals with central neuroadaptations to mediate the benefits of voluntary exercise on ASD-like behaviors.

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7. Lu H, Zhang H, Yi L. Autistic children sample costly information with increased variability due to inflexible updating. Commun Psychol. 2026.

Efficient information sampling is crucial for human inference and decision-making even for young children. It is also closely associated with the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), since both the social interaction difficulties and repetitive behaviors suggest that autistic people may sample information from the environment distinctively. However, the specific ways in which autistic children sample information, especially when facing explicit costs and adapting to environmental changes, remain unclear. Thirty-two autistic and 41 IQ-matched neurotypical children aged five to eight participated in a computerized bead task, where children decided to gather samples sequentially from an unknown target to infer which of the two options was the target. Autistic children showed lower sampling efficiency under costly conditions compared to neurotypical peers, resulting from increased variability in sample numbers across trials, rather than solely systematic sampling bias. Computational models indicated that while both groups shared a similar decision process, autistic children’s sampling decisions were less influenced by dynamic changes and more by recently gathered evidence. This led to higher sampling variation and lowered the efficiency of autistic children. These findings offer valuable insights into the cognitive mechanisms underlying fundamental behaviors in autistic children.

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8. Neto FR, Andreis LM, Gazola E, Fernandes S, Germano AMC. Impact of Autism Spectrum Disorder on Motor Development of Brazilian Preschool and School-Age Children. Autism Res. 2026: e70200.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be identified in early childhood, often manifesting through motor delays, stereotyped behaviors, and atypical developmental profiles, with motor impairments frequently being among the earliest observable indicators. This study aimed to assess the motor development in preschool and school-age children, comparing those with ASD to neurotypical peers. The research focuses on evaluating the overall impact of ASD on motor development and examining specific motor domains. The study included 292 children (73% boys and 27% girls), aged 3 to 10 years. The sample was divided into two groups: the ASD and the neurotypical (NT) groups, with a ratio of 3:1, with three neurotypical children selected for every child with ASD. Motor development was assessed using the Motor Development Scale III (MDS III), which evaluates six specific domains: fine motor skills (FM), gross motor skills (GM), balance (BL), body schema (BS), spatial organization (SO), and temporal organization (TO). Children with ASD, both in the preschool and school-age groups, exhibited a significantly higher incidence of motor impairments across all evaluated motor domains compared to their neurotypical peers. Motor impairments in children with ASD are not only prominent during the preschool years but also tend to intensify as children transition into school age. These findings highlight the need for early identification and targeted interventions to address motor challenges in children with ASD. This study investigates the impact of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) on the motor skills of Brazilian children aged 3 to 10. The findings show that children with ASD experience significant delays in motor development compared to their neurotypical peers, particularly in areas like coordination, balance, and spatial awareness. These motor challenges worsen as children grow older, highlighting the need for early intervention to support their overall development. eng.

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9. Scherer N, Nemerimana M, Nanyunja C, Kitema GF, Sadoo S, Iradukunda F, Munyuzangabo M, Lassman R, Rotenberg S, Bagahirwa I, Greenland K, Chen S, Carew M, Davey C, Greco G, Banks LM, Musendo DJ, Uwinkindi F, Kuper H, Webb EL, Baganizi E, Tann CJ. Early childhood intervention for children at risk of developmental disabilities and their caregivers in Rwanda: study protocol for the PDC/Baby Ubuntu cluster randomised trial. Trials. 2026.

BACKGROUND: Early childhood intervention strategies have the potential to promote health, participation and quality of life for young children at risk of developmental disabilities and their caregivers, however evidence on the impact of integrated care strategies in sub-Saharan Africa is lacking. Access to early intervention is crucial for affected children and families, particularly in resource-constrained settings with limited access to specialised services. This trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness and implementation of a bundle of early identification, care and support, integrated into government health systems in Rwanda: the Pediatric Development Clinic (PDC)/Baby Ubuntu programme. METHODS: The study is a single-blind, effectiveness implementation-hybrid (type II) cluster randomised controlled trial with two arms (1:1 ratio). At cluster level, all community health centres in the three trial districts will be eligible for inclusion. At the participant level, at risk children aged ≤ 59 months will be eligible where ‘at risk’ is defined as being a survivor of a newborn condition that is a recognised risk factor for developmental disability (neonatal encephalopathy, prematurity, meningitis, severe jaundice, cerebral malaria, suspected genetic and chromosomal conditions and seizures), and/or not meeting age-specific developmental milestones. Those receiving inpatient hospital treatment or in institutional care will not be eligible. Primary outcomes will be family health-related quality of life (PedsQL) and child participation (Young Child Participation & Environment Measure) assessed 12 months after enrolment and randomisation. Secondary outcomes include caregiver knowledge and confidence (scored structured assessments), psychological distress (Self-Report Questionnaire), experience of disability-affiliated stigma (Affiliate Stigma Scale), and economic activity (time-use survey), in addition to child mortality, illness and hospitalisation, child development/function (Global Scales of Early Development, Malawi Developmental Assessment Tool, PEDI-CAT), and nutritional status (weight-for-age, height-for-age). Analysis will be by intention-to-treat, consisting of all randomised subjects analysed according to assigned study arm. Cluster-level analyses will assess intervention effect. DISCUSSION: The trial utilises best practice methodology and frameworks to conduct rigorous and comprehensive impact, process and economic evaluation of the intervention implemented and is guided by a multi-disciplinary team and steering committee. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN, ISRCTN17523514. Retrospectively registered 24 July 2024, https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN17523514.

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10. Smith PH, Ventimiglia J, Wright J, Rast JE, Schendel DE, Mullachery PH, Lee BK, Shea LL. Brief Report: Healthcare Utilization and Expenditure Trends Among Autistic Transition Age Youth. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

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11. Song Y, Guo J, Yang F, Wu Y, Zhang P, Chen Q. Effects of fine motor-skill oriented sports games on core symptoms in children with autism: a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2026.

AIMS: Based on the observed correlation between core symptoms and fine motor function in children with ASD, this study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic effect of a novel, fine motor task-oriented sports game intervention, compared to traditional SI. METHODS: Forty-five children with ASD were randomly allocated to two groups. The experimental group received the fine motor-oriented sports game intervention, while the control group received traditional SI. Core symptoms and fine motor function were assessed using the ABC, CABS, CARS, and PDMS-FM scales at both baseline and post-intervention, with the ABC scale serving as the primary outcome measure. RESULTS: In the randomized comparison, the experimental group showed superior outcomes to the control group post-intervention, with significantly greater reductions in ABC, CARS, and CABS scores and a greater increase in PDMS-FM score (all P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The fine motor-oriented sports game intervention proved more effective than SI in ameliorating the core symptoms and improving fine motor function in children with ASD. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study has been registered at ChiCTR.org (ChiCTR2400086052) on 2024-06-24.

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12. Tafla TL, Rasia Lira P, Brandi Gomes Godoy P, Shephard E. Conducting Meaningful Participatory Autism Research in Latin America: An Example of Contextual Challenges Identified and Lessons Learned from the Indigenous Support Network In Brazil. Autism. 2026: 13623613261434813.

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13. VanDaalen RA, Zhao JL, Hsiao YJE, Karsting H, Cai RY, Kim JP, Fung LK. Correction: Exploring Correlations of Unemployment, Underemployment, and Well-Being Among Autistic Job Seekers by Race in the United States. J Autism Dev Disord. 2026.

PURPOSE: Autistic adults have high levels of unemployment and underemployment, which may have detrimental effects on their financial and psychological well-being. In the current project, we explore correlates of psychological and financial well-being, as well as depressive symptoms, with different levels of employment while examining whether race moderates these relationships. METHODS: We utilized survey data from autistic job seekers in the United States who expressed interest in a larger clinical trial of a supported employment program. RESULTS: Among the 710 participants, 248 (34.9%) were currently employed; among the employed participants, 127 (51.2%) met at least one criterion for underemployment. In general, there were no significant differences by employment status in depressive symptoms, psychological well-being, or financial well-being. However, when controlling for age, gender, and education level, race/ethnicity significantly moderated the relationship between employment status and depressive symptoms. Specifically, fully employed Asian American participants had significantly fewer depressive symptoms compared to their underemployed counterparts. CONCLUSION: The present study highlights the nuances of employment status and well-being among diverse autistic individuals, especially Asian American autistic individuals.

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14. Xu M, Zhang X, Liu Y, Yang Y, Zhou Z, Ma J, Shen S. Mesenchymal stem/stromal cell-based therapies for autism spectrum disorder: emerging evidence and clinical prospects. J Transl Med. 2026.

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