Background: Despite advancements in neonatal care, premature infants remain at increased risk for cognitive and socio-emotional difficulties, collectively referred to as the preterm behavioral phenotype. A particular aspect of this phenotype is atypical social orienting, characterized by reduced attention towards socially relevant information, similar to what has been reported for autism spectrum disorder.
Methods: We monitored a cohort of prematurely born children from birth. At five years of age, we administered a series of frequency-tagging electroencephalography (EEG) paradigms to investigate their neural sensitivity to social cues, i.e., sensitivity for faces and voices. Frequency-tagging EEG utilizes fast periodic stimulation to elicit synchronized brain responses measurable in the frequency domain. In the preterm (N = 66) and in a matched full-term control group (N = 32), we applied two multi-input frequency-tagging EEG paradigms, simultaneously presenting streams of social and non-social stimuli, each tagged at different presentation rates. In the visual domain, we presented streams of faces and houses. In the auditory domain, we presented streams of voices and object sounds. We used linear mixed models to investigate the effects of group and stimulus type.
Results: All children showed an implicit social bias towards faces and voices. Compared to full-term peers, preterm preschoolers showed intact neural tuning to faces, but diminished neural tuning to voices, in particular in the speech-sensitive 3.70 Hz frequency band.
Limitations: The preterm group was highly heterogeneous in terms of gestational age and consisted of healthy preterm preschoolers. Moreover, the used paradigms are artificial and may not fully capture neural tuning in naturalistic social interactions.
Conclusions: The diminished neural response to voices in the preterm children may potentially reflect the effects of atypical auditory exposure and premature visual exposure in the NICU environment or altered social experiences early in life. These findings contribute to our understanding of the socio-emotional and communicative development in preterm populations and may aid in identifying children at risk for psychopathology or subclinical socio-emotional difficulties.
Background: Theory of mind (ToM) is fundamental for social interactions, allowing individuals to appreciate that others have their own mental states. Children and youth with neurodevelopmental conditions (e.g., autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)) often show differences in ToM abilities compared to their neurotypical (NT) peers. Given the phenotypic heterogeneity and overlap associated with these conditions, this motivates a transdiagnostic investigation of ToM across neurodevelopmental conditions.
Methods: Five hundred and fifty-five participants (5-22 years; 193 ADHD, 189 autism, 33 OCD, and 140 NT) were recruited via the Province of Ontario Neurodevelopmental Disorders network. To measure ToM, participants completed the Social Attribution Task (SAT), where participants attribute social stories to videos of moving shapes. The Animation Index (ability to attribute social stories to the videos) and Pertinence Index (how pertinent the attributions are) were calculated from the descriptions. Three analyses were performed: (1) a case-control analysis, comparing the SAT indices amongst the diagnostic groups, (2) a univariate dimensional analysis, examining associations with phenotypic variables (e.g., full-scale IQ, verbal IQ, and social communication difficulties), (3) and a multivariate analysis (partial least squares) that identifies a latent space that describes the associations between the SAT and phenotypic measures.
Results: There were no between-group differences in the Animation Index, but the Pertinence Index was significantly lower in autism compared to the other diagnostic categories. Phenotypic variables (full-scale IQ, verbal IQ, and social communication difficulties) were found to be significantly associated with SAT performance across groups, and explained more variance than the diagnostic categories. In the multivariate analysis, the phenotypic variables contributed more strongly to the identified latent component compared to the diagnostic categories.
Limitations: The verbal requirement of the SAT limited the inclusion of non-verbal participants, while the overall cognitive demand limited the participation of those with lower IQs. Additionally, our OCD group was significantly smaller than the other groups, which may have limited our ability to detect OCD-specific effects.
Conclusions: In a large sample, we found that transdiagnostic measures, such as IQ and social communication difficulties, are related to SAT abilities across neurodivergent and neurotypical children and youth and better describe differences in SAT performance compared to the individual diagnostic categories. Although poorer performance on ToM tasks has been classically associated with autism, this study highlights that transdiagnostic, phenotypic variables are a stronger predictor of SAT perform
Background: Autistic communities in Europe continue to face difficulties accessing services despite increasing rates of autism diagnosis in recent years.
Methods: To investigate autistic people's access to services in Europe and reasons for unsuccessful access, we conducted the ACCESS-EU survey comprising of 2322 formally diagnosed autistic people and family carers living within the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK). The survey also examined age group (adult vs. child) and gender (male vs. female) differences in results.
Results: Overall, autistic people reported access to therapy (33.38%), mental health (29.89%), educational (27.05%), medical (34.28%), financial (26.66%), needs assessment (14.90%), information/referral (14.73%), social care (14.43%), employment (7.54%), housing (6.80%), legal (3.96%), helpline (3.40%) and other services (0.26%), and most (≥ 57.61%) had waited up to 6 months from referral to access most services. Several respondents were also unable to access therapeutic (13.53%), mental health (11.90%), autism diagnostic (5.92%), needs assessment (8.32%), financial (9.62%), educational (8.10%), social care (7.39%), information/referral (6.14%), medical (7.28%), housing (5.92%), employment (5.43%), legal (3.42%), and helpline services (2.34%). Reasons cited by respondents for their unsuccessful service access included service unavailability (23.08%), service unsuitability or participant ineligibility (20.04%), long waitlists (17.42%), service unaffordability (11.80%), and rejection from service due to autism diagnosis (9.87%), along with other reasons not listed in the survey (18.42%). Significant age group and gender differences were observed for successful access to services, waiting time, unsuccessful access and reasons for unsuccessful access. Among the five most represented countries in the survey-the UK (33.33%), Spain (14.04%), Poland (13.87%), France (11.07%) and Germany (6.03%)-overall service access was most inconsistent in Poland and the UK, highest in Germany and Spain but poorest in France.
Limitations: Issues related to survey presentation such as the languages in which the survey was conducted and the phrasing of some questions should be considered, as well as issues regarding subjectivity and ambiguity of data analysis such as translation of non-English responses into English.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that service access among autistic people in Europe is inconsistent. Significant improvement to current policies is required to enhance access to services across Europe.
Background: Humans form almost instantaneous impressions of everyone they encounter. These impressions set the first tone for how they approach and interact with others. Research on impression formation unveiled that impressions formed by autistic and non-autistic people are often less favourable when rating an autistic person. This effect is partly explainable by differences in motion dynamics.
Methods: In this preregistered study, we systematically assessed impressions formed by 27 autistic and 36 non-autistic comparison observers when watching videos showing silent interactions between either two non-autistic or between an autistic and a non-autistic person. We used an eye tracker to capture their gaze patterns while observing these interactions. Of each dyadic interaction, video vignettes with high and vignettes with low interpersonal synchrony of movement (IPSmov) were extracted using Motion Energy Analysis so that we could investigate the effects of interpersonal synchrony and diagnosis, respectively.
Results: Interactions were rated less favourably when the observed dyad included an autistic adult. Additionally, interactions showing low IPSmov were rated less favourably than interactions showing high IPSmov, regardless of dyad type. Both autistic and comparison observers rated interactions of non-autistic dyads and high IPSmov interactions more favourably. Gaze patterns revealed differences between autistic and comparison observers, but no differences due to IPSmov or dyad type. Furthermore, dwell times to hands predicted ratings.
Limitations: In this study, we investigated specific influences on impression formation, specifically interpersonal synchrony of movement and autism. There are many more potentially interesting aspects of individuals that impact impression formation, such as facial expressiveness, gaze behaviour and linguistic content of conversations, which should be investigated systematically and in a controlled fashion in future research.
Conclusions: Extending research on autism and impression formation to dyadic interactions, this study reveals that motion dynamics play a role in how pleasant interactions are perceived. Autistic-involved interactions were rated lower, despite observers being unaware of the dyad type and only watching people's outlines. Future research should identify conversational aspects driving lower ratings of mixed dyads, potentially considering the effect of hand dwell times on ratings. Autistic and comparison observers showed different gaze patterns despite similar ratings, confirming distinct social information processing.
Background: Autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are two highly heterogeneous neurodevelopmental conditions with variable underlying neurobiology. Imaging studies have yielded varied results, and it is now clear that there is unlikely to be one characteristic neuroanatomical profile of either condition. Parsing this heterogeneity could allow us to identify more homogeneous subgroups, either within or across conditions, which may be more clinically informative. This has been a pivotal goal for neurodevelopmental research using both clinical and neuroanatomical features, though results thus far have again been inconsistent with regards to the number and characteristics of subgroups.
Methods: Here, we use population modelling to cluster a multi-site dataset based on global and regional centile scores of cortical thickness, surface area and grey matter volume. We use HYDRA, a novel semi-supervised machine learning algorithm which clusters based on differences to controls and compare its performance to a traditional clustering approach.
Results: We identified distinct subgroups within autism and ADHD, as well as across diagnosis, often with opposite neuroanatomical alterations relatively to controls. These subgroups were characterised by different combinations of increased or decreased patterns of morphometrics. We did not find significant clinical differences across subgroups.
Limitations: Crucially, however, the number of subgroups and their membership differed vastly depending on chosen features and the algorithm used, highlighting the impact and importance of careful method selection.
Conclusions: We highlight the importance of examining heterogeneity in autism and ADHD and demonstrate that population modelling is a useful tool to study subgrouping in autism and ADHD. We identified subgroups with distinct patterns of alterations relative to controls but note that these results rely heavily on the algorithm used and encourage detailed reporting of methods and features used in future studies.
Background: The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a common developmental disorder, has surged in recent years. Accordingly, the identification and early management of possible risk factors can diminish ASD incidence.
Aim: To determine the prevalence and severity of idiopathic ASD in Egyptian children aged 12 months to 12 years, and to identify the epidemiological, sociodemographic, and environmental risk factors contributing to this disorder.
Methods: This study comprised 41,640 children from the main eight geographic areas in Egypt. It was conducted through four phases: household screening, facility-based screening for high-risk children, diagnosis confirmation, and risk factor assessment.
Results: The prevalence of ASD as confirmed by the criteria of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5) and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was 1.1% (455 out of 41,640), with significant geographic variability. Urban areas had a significantly higher prevalence than rural areas. Children aged 3-6 years showed the highest prevalence at 1.5%. Boys were four times more affected than girls, with prevalence rates of 1.7% and 0.4%, respectively. Significant risk factors included: a history of convulsions (AOR = 4.7; 95% CI: 3.3-6.79), low birth weight (AOR = 2.08; 95% CI: 1.54-2.79), prolonged stays in neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) longer than two days (AOR = 1.91; 95% CI: 1.46-2.49) and maternal health problems during pregnancy (AOR = 1.66; 95% CI:1.36-1.95). Regarding severity, 45% of diagnosed children had moderate ASD, 39% had severe ASD, and 16% had mild ASD. Female gender and older age were significant predictors of greater ASD severity.
Conclusion: ASD prevalence in Egypt is comparable to other Middle Eastern countries. Policymakers should utilize these findings to design targeted public health interventions aimed at early detection, management, and prevention of ASD progression.
Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder defined by social communication deficits, repetitive behaviors and restricted interests. Studies have reported aberrant sensory responses, including altered experiences of social touch, in individuals with ASD. However, the relationship between atypical social touch and social networks in ASD remains poorly understood. Social touch is used to strengthen and manage social networks in many species. Studies in general populations across diverse cultures show that the extent of permissible touch is consistently linked to the strength of emotional bonds between the toucher and the touched individual. This study examined relationship-specific patterns of social touch and their association with emotional bonding in individuals with ASD.
Methods: Seventy adults with ASD and 70 typically developed (TD) adults rated their emotional bonds with different social network members (e.g., partners, fathers, strangers) and the pleasantness of being touched by each. Participants also identified body regions where they allowed touch. We hypothesized that patterns of interpersonal touch allowance and emotional bonding, and their relationship, would differ between ASD and TD adults.
Result: In all social network members except children and female friends, ASD adults allowed significantly less social touching than TD adults. Compared to TD adults, ASD adults also reported having significantly weaker emotional bonds with one social network member and experiencing significantly less pleasantness when touched by multiple members of their social network. In both groups, strength of emotional bond was significantly correlated with permissible touch area. Linear regression analyses showed that our ASD participants were more reliant on bodily touch allowance for emotional bonding than the TD controls.
Limitations: More participants are necessary to secure sufficient number of social network members in ASD.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that adults with ASD generally prefer less social touch from most social network members and show reduced emotional bonding with only a specific connection. In addition, touch allowance was more strongly associated with emotional bonding in ASD than TD adults. These findings highlight the influence of autistic traits on the relationship between social touch and emotional bonding within social networks.
Background: Accurately determining the sample size ("N") of a dataset is a key consideration for experimental design. Misidentification of sample size can lead to pseudoreplication, a process of artificially inflating the number of experimental replicates which systematically underestimates variability, overestimates effect sizes and invalidates statistical tests performed on the data. While many journals have adopted stringent requirements with regard to statistical reporting over the last decade, it remains unknown whether such efforts have had a meaningful impact on statistical rigour.
Methods: Here, we evaluated the prevalence of this type of statistical error among neuroscience studies involving animal models of Fragile-X Syndrome (FXS) and those using animal models of neurological disorders at large published between 2001 and 2024.
Results: We found that pseudoreplication was present in the majority of publication, increasing over time despite marked improvements in statistical reporting over the last decade. This trend generalised beyond the FXS literature to rodent studies of neurological disorders at large between 2012 and 2024, suggesting that pseudoreplication remains a widespread issue in the literature.
Limitations: The scope of this study was limited to rodent-model studies of neurological disorders which had the potential for being pseudoreplicated, by allowing repeat observations from individual animals. We did not consider reviews or articles whose experimental design could not allow for pseudoreplication, for example studies which reported only behavioural results, or studies which did not use inferential statistics.
Conclusions: These observations identify an urgent need for better standards in experimental design and increased vigilance for this type of error during peer review. While reporting standards have significantly improved over the past two decades, this alone has not been enough to curb the prevalence of pseudoreplication. We offer suggestions for how this can be remedied as well as quantifying the severity of this particular type of statistical error. Although the examined literature concerns a specific neuroscience-related area of research, the implications of pseudoreplication apply to all fields of empirical research.
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