Pub Date : 2023-04-11DOI: 10.1186/s13229-022-00534-1
Jason L He, Zachary J Williams, Ashley Harris, Helen Powell, Roseann Schaaf, Teresa Tavassoli, Nicolaas A J Puts
Background: Individuals on the autism spectrum have been long described to process sensory information differently than neurotypical individuals. While much effort has been leveraged towards characterizing and investigating the neurobiology underlying the sensory differences of autism, there has been a notable lack of consistency in the terms being used to describe the nature of those differences.
Main body: We argue that inconsistent and interchangeable terminology-use when describing the sensory differences of autism has become problematic beyond mere pedantry and inconvenience. We begin by highlighting popular terms that are currently being used to describe the sensory differences of autism (e.g. "sensitivity", "reactivity" and "responsivity") and discuss why poor nomenclature may hamper efforts towards understanding the aetiology of sensory differences in autism. We then provide a solution to poor terminology-use by proposing a hierarchical taxonomy for describing and referring to various sensory features.
Conclusion: Inconsistent terminology-use when describing the sensory features of autism has stifled discussion and scientific understanding of the sensory differences of autism. The hierarchical taxonomy proposed was developed to help resolve lack of clarity when discussing the sensory differences of autism and to place future research targets at appropriate levels of analysis.
{"title":"A working taxonomy for describing the sensory differences of autism.","authors":"Jason L He, Zachary J Williams, Ashley Harris, Helen Powell, Roseann Schaaf, Teresa Tavassoli, Nicolaas A J Puts","doi":"10.1186/s13229-022-00534-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-022-00534-1","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Individuals on the autism spectrum have been long described to process sensory information differently than neurotypical individuals. While much effort has been leveraged towards characterizing and investigating the neurobiology underlying the sensory differences of autism, there has been a notable lack of consistency in the terms being used to describe the nature of those differences.</p><p><strong>Main body: </strong>We argue that inconsistent and interchangeable terminology-use when describing the sensory differences of autism has become problematic beyond mere pedantry and inconvenience. We begin by highlighting popular terms that are currently being used to describe the sensory differences of autism (e.g. \"sensitivity\", \"reactivity\" and \"responsivity\") and discuss why poor nomenclature may hamper efforts towards understanding the aetiology of sensory differences in autism. We then provide a solution to poor terminology-use by proposing a hierarchical taxonomy for describing and referring to various sensory features.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Inconsistent terminology-use when describing the sensory features of autism has stifled discussion and scientific understanding of the sensory differences of autism. The hierarchical taxonomy proposed was developed to help resolve lack of clarity when discussing the sensory differences of autism and to place future research targets at appropriate levels of analysis.</p>","PeriodicalId":18733,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Autism","volume":"14 1","pages":"15"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2023-04-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10091684/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9669648","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-07DOI: 10.1186/s13229-023-00547-4
Ricardo Martín, Alberto Samuel Suárez-Pinilla, Nuria García-Font, M Luisa Laguna-Luque, Juan C López-Ramos, María Jesús Oset-Gasque, Agnes Gruart, José M Delgado-García, Magdalena Torres, José Sánchez-Prieto
Background: Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited intellectual disability, is caused by the loss of expression of the Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein (FMRP). FMRP is an RNA-binding protein that negatively regulates the expression of many postsynaptic as well as presynaptic proteins involved in action potential properties, calcium homeostasis and neurotransmitter release. FXS patients and mice lacking FMRP suffer from multiple behavioral alterations, including deficits in motor learning for which there is currently no specific treatment.
Methods: We performed electron microscopy, whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology and behavioral experiments to characterise the synaptic mechanisms underlying the motor learning deficits observed in Fmr1KO mice and the therapeutic potential of positive allosteric modulator of mGluR4.
Results: We found that enhanced synaptic vesicle docking of cerebellar parallel fiber to Purkinje cell Fmr1KO synapses was associated with enhanced asynchronous release, which not only prevents further potentiation, but it also compromises presynaptic parallel fiber long-term potentiation (PF-LTP) mediated by β adrenergic receptors. A reduction in extracellular Ca2+ concentration restored the readily releasable pool (RRP) size, basal synaptic transmission, β adrenergic receptor-mediated potentiation, and PF-LTP. Interestingly, VU 0155041, a selective positive allosteric modulator of mGluR4, also restored both the RRP size and PF-LTP in mice of either sex. Moreover, when injected into Fmr1KO male mice, VU 0155041 improved motor learning in skilled reaching, classical eyeblink conditioning and vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) tests, as well as the social behavior alterations of these mice.
Limitations: We cannot rule out that the activation of mGluR4s via systemic administration of VU0155041 can also affect other brain regions. Further studies are needed to stablish the effect of a specific activation of mGluR4 in cerebellar granule cells.
Conclusions: Our study shows that an increase in synaptic vesicles, SV, docking may cause the loss of PF-LTP and motor learning and social deficits of Fmr1KO mice and that the reversal of these changes by pharmacological activation of mGluR4 may offer therapeutic relief for motor learning and social deficits in FXS.
背景:脆性X综合征(Fragile X syndrome, FXS)是最常见的遗传性智力残疾,由脆性X信使核糖核蛋白(Fragile X Messenger ribonnucleoprotein, FMRP)表达缺失引起。FMRP是一种rna结合蛋白,可负性调节许多突触后和突触前蛋白的表达,这些蛋白参与动作电位特性、钙稳态和神经递质释放。FXS患者和缺乏FMRP的小鼠会出现多种行为改变,包括运动学习缺陷,目前尚无具体治疗方法。方法:我们通过电镜、全细胞膜片钳电生理和行为实验来表征Fmr1KO小鼠运动学习缺陷的突触机制,以及mGluR4阳性变构调节剂的治疗潜力。结果:我们发现小脑平行纤维与浦肯野细胞Fmr1KO突触突触囊泡对接增强与异步释放增强相关,这不仅阻止了进一步的增强,而且还破坏了β肾上腺素能受体介导的突触前平行纤维长期增强(PF-LTP)。细胞外Ca2+浓度的降低恢复了易释放池(RRP)大小、基础突触传递、β肾上腺素能受体介导的增强和PF-LTP。有趣的是,mGluR4的选择性阳性变构调节剂VU 0155041也能恢复小鼠的RRP大小和PF-LTP。此外,当注射到Fmr1KO雄性小鼠时,VU 0155041改善了这些小鼠在熟练伸臂、经典眨眼条件反射和前庭反射(VOR)测试中的运动学习,以及社会行为的改变。局限性:我们不能排除通过系统给药VU0155041激活mGluR4s也可以影响其他大脑区域。需要进一步的研究来确定mGluR4在小脑颗粒细胞中的特异性激活作用。结论:我们的研究表明,突触囊泡、SV、对接的增加可能导致Fmr1KO小鼠PF-LTP的缺失以及运动学习和社交缺陷,通过药物激活mGluR4逆转这些变化可能对FXS的运动学习和社交缺陷提供治疗性缓解。
{"title":"The activation of mGluR4 rescues parallel fiber synaptic transmission and LTP, motor learning and social behavior in a mouse model of Fragile X Syndrome.","authors":"Ricardo Martín, Alberto Samuel Suárez-Pinilla, Nuria García-Font, M Luisa Laguna-Luque, Juan C López-Ramos, María Jesús Oset-Gasque, Agnes Gruart, José M Delgado-García, Magdalena Torres, José Sánchez-Prieto","doi":"10.1186/s13229-023-00547-4","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-023-00547-4","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common inherited intellectual disability, is caused by the loss of expression of the Fragile X Messenger Ribonucleoprotein (FMRP). FMRP is an RNA-binding protein that negatively regulates the expression of many postsynaptic as well as presynaptic proteins involved in action potential properties, calcium homeostasis and neurotransmitter release. FXS patients and mice lacking FMRP suffer from multiple behavioral alterations, including deficits in motor learning for which there is currently no specific treatment.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We performed electron microscopy, whole-cell patch-clamp electrophysiology and behavioral experiments to characterise the synaptic mechanisms underlying the motor learning deficits observed in Fmr1KO mice and the therapeutic potential of positive allosteric modulator of mGluR4.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We found that enhanced synaptic vesicle docking of cerebellar parallel fiber to Purkinje cell Fmr1KO synapses was associated with enhanced asynchronous release, which not only prevents further potentiation, but it also compromises presynaptic parallel fiber long-term potentiation (PF-LTP) mediated by β adrenergic receptors. A reduction in extracellular Ca<sup>2+</sup> concentration restored the readily releasable pool (RRP) size, basal synaptic transmission, β adrenergic receptor-mediated potentiation, and PF-LTP. Interestingly, VU 0155041, a selective positive allosteric modulator of mGluR4, also restored both the RRP size and PF-LTP in mice of either sex. Moreover, when injected into Fmr1KO male mice, VU 0155041 improved motor learning in skilled reaching, classical eyeblink conditioning and vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) tests, as well as the social behavior alterations of these mice.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>We cannot rule out that the activation of mGluR4s via systemic administration of VU0155041 can also affect other brain regions. Further studies are needed to stablish the effect of a specific activation of mGluR4 in cerebellar granule cells.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our study shows that an increase in synaptic vesicles, SV, docking may cause the loss of PF-LTP and motor learning and social deficits of Fmr1KO mice and that the reversal of these changes by pharmacological activation of mGluR4 may offer therapeutic relief for motor learning and social deficits in FXS.</p>","PeriodicalId":18733,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Autism","volume":"14 1","pages":"14"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2023-04-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10082511/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10317893","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-04-06DOI: 10.1186/s13229-023-00545-6
Sunghye Cho, Meredith Cola, Azia Knox, Maggie Rose Pelella, Alison Russell, Aili Hauptmann, Maxine Covello, Christopher Cieri, Mark Liberman, Robert T Schultz, Julia Parish-Morris
Background: Autistic girls are underdiagnosed compared to autistic boys, even when they experience similar clinical impact. Research suggests that girls present with distinct symptom profiles across a variety of domains, such as language, which may contribute to their underdiagnosis. In this study, we examine sex differences in the temporal dynamics of natural conversations between naïve adult confederates and school-aged children with or without autism, with the goal of improving our understanding of conversational behavior in autistic girls and ultimately improving identification.
Methods: Forty-five school-aged children with autism (29 boys and 16 girls) and 47 non-autistic/neurotypical (NT) children (23 boys and 24 girls) engaged in a 5-min "get-to-know-you" conversation with a young adult confederate that was unaware of children's diagnostic status. Groups were matched on IQ estimates. Recordings were time-aligned and orthographically transcribed by trained annotators. Several speech and pause measures were calculated. Groups were compared using analysis of covariance models, controlling for age.
Results: Autistic girls used significantly more words than autistic boys, and produced longer speech segments than all other groups. Autistic boys spoke more slowly than NT children, whereas autistic girls did not differ from NT children in total word counts or speaking rate. Autistic boys interrupted confederates' speech less often and produced longer between-turn pauses (i.e., responded more slowly when it was their turn) compared to other children. Within-turn pause duration did not differ by group.
Limitations: Our sample included verbally fluent children and adolescents aged 6-15 years, so our study results may not replicate in samples of younger children, adults, and individuals who are not verbally fluent. The results of this relatively small study, while compelling, should be interpreted with caution and replicated in a larger sample.
Conclusion: This study investigated the temporal dynamics of everyday conversations and demonstrated that autistic girls and boys have distinct natural language profiles. Specifying differences in verbal communication lays the groundwork for the development of sensitive screening and diagnostic tools to more accurately identify autistic girls, and could inform future personalized interventions that improve short- and long-term social communication outcomes for all autistic children.
{"title":"Sex differences in the temporal dynamics of autistic children's natural conversations.","authors":"Sunghye Cho, Meredith Cola, Azia Knox, Maggie Rose Pelella, Alison Russell, Aili Hauptmann, Maxine Covello, Christopher Cieri, Mark Liberman, Robert T Schultz, Julia Parish-Morris","doi":"10.1186/s13229-023-00545-6","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13229-023-00545-6","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Autistic girls are underdiagnosed compared to autistic boys, even when they experience similar clinical impact. Research suggests that girls present with distinct symptom profiles across a variety of domains, such as language, which may contribute to their underdiagnosis. In this study, we examine sex differences in the temporal dynamics of natural conversations between naïve adult confederates and school-aged children with or without autism, with the goal of improving our understanding of conversational behavior in autistic girls and ultimately improving identification.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Forty-five school-aged children with autism (29 boys and 16 girls) and 47 non-autistic/neurotypical (NT) children (23 boys and 24 girls) engaged in a 5-min \"get-to-know-you\" conversation with a young adult confederate that was unaware of children's diagnostic status. Groups were matched on IQ estimates. Recordings were time-aligned and orthographically transcribed by trained annotators. Several speech and pause measures were calculated. Groups were compared using analysis of covariance models, controlling for age.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Autistic girls used significantly more words than autistic boys, and produced longer speech segments than all other groups. Autistic boys spoke more slowly than NT children, whereas autistic girls did not differ from NT children in total word counts or speaking rate. Autistic boys interrupted confederates' speech less often and produced longer between-turn pauses (i.e., responded more slowly when it was their turn) compared to other children. Within-turn pause duration did not differ by group.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>Our sample included verbally fluent children and adolescents aged 6-15 years, so our study results may not replicate in samples of younger children, adults, and individuals who are not verbally fluent. The results of this relatively small study, while compelling, should be interpreted with caution and replicated in a larger sample.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>This study investigated the temporal dynamics of everyday conversations and demonstrated that autistic girls and boys have distinct natural language profiles. Specifying differences in verbal communication lays the groundwork for the development of sensitive screening and diagnostic tools to more accurately identify autistic girls, and could inform future personalized interventions that improve short- and long-term social communication outcomes for all autistic children.</p>","PeriodicalId":18733,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Autism","volume":"14 1","pages":"13"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2023-04-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10080787/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9685786","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-15DOI: 10.1186/s13229-023-00544-7
Victoria Newell, Lucy Phillips, Chris Jones, Ellen Townsend, Caroline Richards, Sarah Cassidy
Background: Suicidality is highly prevalent in autistic people without co-occurring intellectual disabilities, and high autistic traits are found in adults who have attempted suicide. However, prevalence rates for both autistic and possibly autistic people have not been synthesised meta-analytically.
Aims: To (1) calculate pooled prevalence estimates of suicidality in autistic people and possibly autistic people without co-occurring intellectual disability; (2) evaluate the influence of participant and study level characteristics on heterogeneity; and (3) determine the quality of evidence.
Methods: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines were followed. PsycINFO, Embase, MEDLINE and Web of Science were systematically searched from 1992 to January 25, 2022. Empirical quantitative studies reporting prevalence of suicidal ideation, suicide plans, or suicide attempts and behaviours were considered for inclusion. Random effects models were used to estimate pooled prevalence of each suicidality outcome with 95% confidence intervals. Heterogeneity was explored using sensitivity and moderator analyses.
Results: Data from 48,186 autistic and possibly autistic participants in 36 primary studies were meta-analysed. Pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation was 34.2% (95% CI 27.9-40.5), suicide plans 21.9% (13.4-30.4), and suicidal attempts and behaviours 24.3% (18.9-29.6). High levels of heterogeneity (I2 > 75) were observed in all three analyses. Estimates did not differ between autistic or possibly autistic samples. Geographical location (p = 0.005), transgender or gender non-conforming samples (p < 0.001) and type of report (p < 0.001) significantly moderated suicidal ideation, whereas age group (p = 0.001) and measure of suicidality (p = 0.001) significantly moderated suicide plans. There was a significant association between the proportion of male participants and prevalence of suicide plans, with a decrease in the proportion of males for every unit change of suicide plan prevalence (p = 0.013). No variables were found to moderate estimates of suicide attempts and behaviours.
Conclusions: The results confirm suicidality is highly prevalent in both autistic and possibly autistic people without co-occurring intellectual disability and highlights potential moderators. Possibly autistic individuals require more attention in clinical and research considerations going forward to further understand and prevent suicide in both groups.
背景:自杀倾向在没有智力障碍的自闭症患者中非常普遍,在试图自杀的成年人中发现了高度的自闭症特征。然而,自闭症和可能患有自闭症的人的患病率还没有综合分析。目的:(1)计算自闭症患者和可能患有自闭症但没有并发智力障碍的患者自杀率的汇总估计;(2)评价参与者和研究水平特征对异质性的影响;(3)确定证据的质量。方法:遵循系统评价和元分析指南的首选报告项目。系统检索了1992年至2022年1月25日期间的PsycINFO、Embase、MEDLINE和Web of Science。报告自杀意念、自杀计划或自杀企图和行为的流行程度的实证定量研究被纳入考虑。随机效应模型用于估计每个自杀结局的总患病率,置信区间为95%。采用敏感性和调节因子分析探讨异质性。结果:对36项主要研究中48186名自闭症和可能自闭症的参与者的数据进行了荟萃分析。自杀意念的总患病率为34.2% (95% CI 27.9-40.5),自杀计划的总患病率为21.9%(13.4-30.4),自杀企图和行为的总患病率为24.3%(18.9-29.6)。在所有三个分析中均观察到高度异质性(I2 > 75)。自闭或可能自闭的样本之间的估计没有差异。结论:研究结果证实,在没有并发智力残疾的自闭症和可能自闭症患者中,自杀行为都非常普遍,并突出了潜在的调节因素。可能自闭症患者需要在临床和研究方面给予更多的关注,以进一步了解和预防这两组人的自杀。
{"title":"A systematic review and meta-analysis of suicidality in autistic and possibly autistic people without co-occurring intellectual disability.","authors":"Victoria Newell, Lucy Phillips, Chris Jones, Ellen Townsend, Caroline Richards, Sarah Cassidy","doi":"10.1186/s13229-023-00544-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-023-00544-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Suicidality is highly prevalent in autistic people without co-occurring intellectual disabilities, and high autistic traits are found in adults who have attempted suicide. However, prevalence rates for both autistic and possibly autistic people have not been synthesised meta-analytically.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>To (1) calculate pooled prevalence estimates of suicidality in autistic people and possibly autistic people without co-occurring intellectual disability; (2) evaluate the influence of participant and study level characteristics on heterogeneity; and (3) determine the quality of evidence.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis guidelines were followed. PsycINFO, Embase, MEDLINE and Web of Science were systematically searched from 1992 to January 25, 2022. Empirical quantitative studies reporting prevalence of suicidal ideation, suicide plans, or suicide attempts and behaviours were considered for inclusion. Random effects models were used to estimate pooled prevalence of each suicidality outcome with 95% confidence intervals. Heterogeneity was explored using sensitivity and moderator analyses.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data from 48,186 autistic and possibly autistic participants in 36 primary studies were meta-analysed. Pooled prevalence of suicidal ideation was 34.2% (95% CI 27.9-40.5), suicide plans 21.9% (13.4-30.4), and suicidal attempts and behaviours 24.3% (18.9-29.6). High levels of heterogeneity (I<sup>2</sup> > 75) were observed in all three analyses. Estimates did not differ between autistic or possibly autistic samples. Geographical location (p = 0.005), transgender or gender non-conforming samples (p < 0.001) and type of report (p < 0.001) significantly moderated suicidal ideation, whereas age group (p = 0.001) and measure of suicidality (p = 0.001) significantly moderated suicide plans. There was a significant association between the proportion of male participants and prevalence of suicide plans, with a decrease in the proportion of males for every unit change of suicide plan prevalence (p = 0.013). No variables were found to moderate estimates of suicide attempts and behaviours.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The results confirm suicidality is highly prevalent in both autistic and possibly autistic people without co-occurring intellectual disability and highlights potential moderators. Possibly autistic individuals require more attention in clinical and research considerations going forward to further understand and prevent suicide in both groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":18733,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Autism","volume":"14 1","pages":"12"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2023-03-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10018918/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9145273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-10DOI: 10.1186/s13229-023-00543-8
Yaqiong Xiao, Teresa H Wen, Lauren Kupis, Lisa T Eyler, Vani Taluja, Jaden Troxel, Disha Goel, Michael V Lombardo, Karen Pierce, Eric Courchesne
Background: Social and language abilities are closely intertwined during early typical development. In autism spectrum disorder (ASD), however, deficits in social and language development are early-age core symptoms. We previously reported that superior temporal cortex, a well-established social and language region, shows reduced activation to social affective speech in ASD toddlers; however, the atypical cortical connectivity that accompanies this deviance remains unknown.
Methods: We collected clinical, eye tracking, and resting-state fMRI data from 86 ASD and non-ASD subjects (mean age 2.3 ± 0.7 years). Functional connectivity of left and right superior temporal regions with other cortical regions and correlations between this connectivity and each child's social and language abilities were examined.
Results: While there was no group difference in functional connectivity, the connectivity between superior temporal cortex and frontal and parietal regions was significantly correlated with language, communication, and social abilities in non-ASD subjects, but these effects were absent in ASD subjects. Instead, ASD subjects, regardless of different social or nonsocial visual preferences, showed atypical correlations between temporal-visual region connectivity and communication ability (r(49) = 0.55, p < 0.001) and between temporal-precuneus connectivity and expressive language ability (r(49) = 0.58, p < 0.001).
Limitations: The distinct connectivity-behavior correlation patterns may be related to different developmental stages in ASD and non-ASD subjects. The use of a prior 2-year-old template for spatial normalization may not be optimal for a few subjects beyond this age range.
Conclusions: Superior temporal cortex is known to have reduced activation to social affective speech in ASD at early ages, and here we find in ASD toddlers that it also has atypical connectivity with visual and precuneus cortices that is correlated with communication and language ability, a pattern not seen in non-ASD toddlers. This atypicality may be an early-age signature of ASD that also explains why the disorder has deviant early language and social development. Given that these atypical connectivity patterns are also present in older individuals with ASD, we conclude these atypical connectivity patterns persist across age and may explain why successful interventions targeting language and social skills at all ages in ASD are so difficult to achieve.
{"title":"Atypical functional connectivity of temporal cortex with precuneus and visual regions may be an early-age signature of ASD.","authors":"Yaqiong Xiao, Teresa H Wen, Lauren Kupis, Lisa T Eyler, Vani Taluja, Jaden Troxel, Disha Goel, Michael V Lombardo, Karen Pierce, Eric Courchesne","doi":"10.1186/s13229-023-00543-8","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13229-023-00543-8","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Social and language abilities are closely intertwined during early typical development. In autism spectrum disorder (ASD), however, deficits in social and language development are early-age core symptoms. We previously reported that superior temporal cortex, a well-established social and language region, shows reduced activation to social affective speech in ASD toddlers; however, the atypical cortical connectivity that accompanies this deviance remains unknown.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We collected clinical, eye tracking, and resting-state fMRI data from 86 ASD and non-ASD subjects (mean age 2.3 ± 0.7 years). Functional connectivity of left and right superior temporal regions with other cortical regions and correlations between this connectivity and each child's social and language abilities were examined.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>While there was no group difference in functional connectivity, the connectivity between superior temporal cortex and frontal and parietal regions was significantly correlated with language, communication, and social abilities in non-ASD subjects, but these effects were absent in ASD subjects. Instead, ASD subjects, regardless of different social or nonsocial visual preferences, showed atypical correlations between temporal-visual region connectivity and communication ability (r(49) = 0.55, p < 0.001) and between temporal-precuneus connectivity and expressive language ability (r(49) = 0.58, p < 0.001).</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>The distinct connectivity-behavior correlation patterns may be related to different developmental stages in ASD and non-ASD subjects. The use of a prior 2-year-old template for spatial normalization may not be optimal for a few subjects beyond this age range.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Superior temporal cortex is known to have reduced activation to social affective speech in ASD at early ages, and here we find in ASD toddlers that it also has atypical connectivity with visual and precuneus cortices that is correlated with communication and language ability, a pattern not seen in non-ASD toddlers. This atypicality may be an early-age signature of ASD that also explains why the disorder has deviant early language and social development. Given that these atypical connectivity patterns are also present in older individuals with ASD, we conclude these atypical connectivity patterns persist across age and may explain why successful interventions targeting language and social skills at all ages in ASD are so difficult to achieve.</p>","PeriodicalId":18733,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Autism","volume":"14 1","pages":"11"},"PeriodicalIF":6.3,"publicationDate":"2023-03-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10007788/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9491397","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-03-04DOI: 10.1186/s13229-023-00541-w
Hunter Mattern, Meredith Cola, Kimberly G Tena, Azia Knox, Alison Russell, Maggie Rose Pelella, Aili Hauptmann, Maxine Covello, Julia Parish-Morris, Joseph P McCleery
Autism was formally recognized by the medical community in the first half of the twentieth century. Almost 100 years later, a small but growing literature has reported sex differences in the behavioral expression of autism. Recent research has also begun to explore the internal experiences of individuals with autism, including social and emotional insight. The current study examines sex differences in language-based markers of social and emotional insight in girls and boys with autism and non-autistic peers during semi-structured clinical interviews. Sixty-four participants aged 5 to 17 years were individually matched on chronological age and full-scale IQ to form four groups: autistic girls, autistic boys, non-autistic girls, and non-autistic boys. Transcribed interviews were scored using four scales that index aspects of social and emotional insight. Results revealed the main effects of diagnosis, such that youth with autism exhibited lower insight than non-autistic youth on scales indexing social cognition and object relations, emotional investment, and social causality. With regards to sex differences, across diagnoses, girls were rated higher than boys on the social cognition and object relations, emotional investment, and social causality scales. Examined within each diagnosis separately, clear sex differences emerged: both autistic and non-autistic girls demonstrated better social cognition and understanding of social causality than boys in their respective diagnostic groups. No within-diagnosis sex differences were found on the emotional insight scales, however. These results suggest that relatively enhanced social cognition and understanding of social causality in girls may be a population-level sex difference that is preserved in autism, despite the core social challenges that characterize this condition. The current findings reveal critical new information about insight into social and emotional thinking and relationships in autistic girls versus boys that have important implications for improving identification and designing effective interventions.
{"title":"Sex differences in social and emotional insight in youth with and without autism.","authors":"Hunter Mattern, Meredith Cola, Kimberly G Tena, Azia Knox, Alison Russell, Maggie Rose Pelella, Aili Hauptmann, Maxine Covello, Julia Parish-Morris, Joseph P McCleery","doi":"10.1186/s13229-023-00541-w","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-023-00541-w","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Autism was formally recognized by the medical community in the first half of the twentieth century. Almost 100 years later, a small but growing literature has reported sex differences in the behavioral expression of autism. Recent research has also begun to explore the internal experiences of individuals with autism, including social and emotional insight. The current study examines sex differences in language-based markers of social and emotional insight in girls and boys with autism and non-autistic peers during semi-structured clinical interviews. Sixty-four participants aged 5 to 17 years were individually matched on chronological age and full-scale IQ to form four groups: autistic girls, autistic boys, non-autistic girls, and non-autistic boys. Transcribed interviews were scored using four scales that index aspects of social and emotional insight. Results revealed the main effects of diagnosis, such that youth with autism exhibited lower insight than non-autistic youth on scales indexing social cognition and object relations, emotional investment, and social causality. With regards to sex differences, across diagnoses, girls were rated higher than boys on the social cognition and object relations, emotional investment, and social causality scales. Examined within each diagnosis separately, clear sex differences emerged: both autistic and non-autistic girls demonstrated better social cognition and understanding of social causality than boys in their respective diagnostic groups. No within-diagnosis sex differences were found on the emotional insight scales, however. These results suggest that relatively enhanced social cognition and understanding of social causality in girls may be a population-level sex difference that is preserved in autism, despite the core social challenges that characterize this condition. The current findings reveal critical new information about insight into social and emotional thinking and relationships in autistic girls versus boys that have important implications for improving identification and designing effective interventions.</p>","PeriodicalId":18733,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Autism","volume":"14 1","pages":"10"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2023-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9985847/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9699820","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-24DOI: 10.1186/s13229-023-00542-9
Natalie Libster, Azia Knox, Selin Engin, Daniel Geschwind, Julia Parish-Morris, Connie Kasari
Background: Autistic children have been shown to have less complete definitions of friendships and higher levels of loneliness than their non-autistic peers. However, no known studies have explored sex differences in autistic children's understanding of friendships and reported loneliness across development. Autistic girls demonstrate higher levels of social motivation than autistic boys and appear to "fit in" with their peers, but they often have difficulty recognizing reciprocal friendships during middle childhood. As autistic girls develop a more complex understanding of friendship during adolescence, they may begin to redefine their friendships and experience heightened loneliness. Here, we explored how autistic and non-autistic boys and girls define the meaning of friendship and report feelings of loneliness across development. We also examined their perceptions of friendships and loneliness.
Methods: This mixed-methods study analyzed the transcribed clinical evaluations of 58 autistic children (29 girls) matched to 42 non-autistic children (21 girls) on age and IQ. Transcripts were coded for four categories that children used to define friendships-personality, companionship, dependability, and intimacy-and for reported loneliness. We then compared these codes across diagnosis, sex, and age. Content analyses were further implemented to gain a more holistic understanding of children's perceptions of friendships and loneliness.
Results: Girls, regardless of diagnosis, were more likely than boys to refer to personality when defining the meaning of friendship, and the likelihood of referring to dependability and intimacy increased with age. Most children reported having at least one friend, though some autistic adolescents reported not having friends or were uncertain whether they had friends. While autistic and non-autistic boys and girls were equally likely to report feeling lonely at times, several autistic girls and boys reported being frequently lonely.
Limitations: This study was a secondary data analysis. The standardized set of questions on the ADOS limited the amount of information that children provided about their friendships and perceptions of loneliness.
Conclusion: As with non-autistic children, autistic children acquire a more complex understanding of friendship throughout development. However, as children begin to prioritize dependability and intimacy in friendships, autistic adolescents may have difficulty developing friendships characterized by these constructs. Furthermore, the quantity and/or quality of autistic children's friendships may not be sufficient to alleviate loneliness.
{"title":"Sex differences in friendships and loneliness in autistic and non-autistic children across development.","authors":"Natalie Libster, Azia Knox, Selin Engin, Daniel Geschwind, Julia Parish-Morris, Connie Kasari","doi":"10.1186/s13229-023-00542-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-023-00542-9","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Autistic children have been shown to have less complete definitions of friendships and higher levels of loneliness than their non-autistic peers. However, no known studies have explored sex differences in autistic children's understanding of friendships and reported loneliness across development. Autistic girls demonstrate higher levels of social motivation than autistic boys and appear to \"fit in\" with their peers, but they often have difficulty recognizing reciprocal friendships during middle childhood. As autistic girls develop a more complex understanding of friendship during adolescence, they may begin to redefine their friendships and experience heightened loneliness. Here, we explored how autistic and non-autistic boys and girls define the meaning of friendship and report feelings of loneliness across development. We also examined their perceptions of friendships and loneliness.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This mixed-methods study analyzed the transcribed clinical evaluations of 58 autistic children (29 girls) matched to 42 non-autistic children (21 girls) on age and IQ. Transcripts were coded for four categories that children used to define friendships-personality, companionship, dependability, and intimacy-and for reported loneliness. We then compared these codes across diagnosis, sex, and age. Content analyses were further implemented to gain a more holistic understanding of children's perceptions of friendships and loneliness.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Girls, regardless of diagnosis, were more likely than boys to refer to personality when defining the meaning of friendship, and the likelihood of referring to dependability and intimacy increased with age. Most children reported having at least one friend, though some autistic adolescents reported not having friends or were uncertain whether they had friends. While autistic and non-autistic boys and girls were equally likely to report feeling lonely at times, several autistic girls and boys reported being frequently lonely.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>This study was a secondary data analysis. The standardized set of questions on the ADOS limited the amount of information that children provided about their friendships and perceptions of loneliness.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>As with non-autistic children, autistic children acquire a more complex understanding of friendship throughout development. However, as children begin to prioritize dependability and intimacy in friendships, autistic adolescents may have difficulty developing friendships characterized by these constructs. Furthermore, the quantity and/or quality of autistic children's friendships may not be sufficient to alleviate loneliness.</p>","PeriodicalId":18733,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Autism","volume":"14 1","pages":"9"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2023-02-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9960478/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9335001","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-20DOI: 10.1186/s13229-023-00540-x
Lucia F Cardo, Daniel C de la Fuente, Meng Li
Background: Disruptions of SETBP1 (SET binding protein 1) on 18q12.3 by heterozygous gene deletion or loss-of-function variants cause SETBP1 disorder. Clinical features are frequently associated with moderate to severe intellectual disability, autistic traits and speech and motor delays. Despite the association of SETBP1 with neurodevelopmental disorders, little is known about its role in brain development.
Methods: Using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology, we generated a SETBP1 deletion model in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and examined the effects of SETBP1-deficiency in neural progenitors (NPCs) and neurons derived from these stem cells using a battery of cellular assays, genome-wide transcriptomic profiling and drug-based phenotypic rescue.
Results: Neural induction occurred efficiently in all SETBP1 deletion models as indicated by uniform transition into neural rosettes. However, SETBP1-deficient NPCs exhibited an extended proliferative window and a decrease in neurogenesis coupled with a deficiency in their ability to acquire ventral forebrain fate. Genome-wide transcriptome profiling and protein biochemical analysis revealed enhanced activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in SETBP1 deleted cells. Crucially, treatment of the SETBP1-deficient NPCs with a small molecule Wnt inhibitor XAV939 restored hyper canonical β-catenin activity and restored both cortical and MGE neuronal differentiation.
Limitations: The current study is based on analysis of isogenic hESC lines with genome-edited SETBP1 deletion and further studies would benefit from the use of patient-derived iPSC lines that may harbor additional genetic risk that aggravate brain pathology of SETBP1 disorder.
Conclusions: We identified an important role for SETBP1 in controlling forebrain progenitor expansion and neurogenic differentiation. Our study establishes a novel regulatory link between SETBP1 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling during human cortical neurogenesis and provides mechanistic insights into structural abnormalities and potential therapeutic avenues for SETBP1 disorder.
{"title":"Impaired neurogenesis and neural progenitor fate choice in a human stem cell model of SETBP1 disorder.","authors":"Lucia F Cardo, Daniel C de la Fuente, Meng Li","doi":"10.1186/s13229-023-00540-x","DOIUrl":"10.1186/s13229-023-00540-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Disruptions of SETBP1 (SET binding protein 1) on 18q12.3 by heterozygous gene deletion or loss-of-function variants cause SETBP1 disorder. Clinical features are frequently associated with moderate to severe intellectual disability, autistic traits and speech and motor delays. Despite the association of SETBP1 with neurodevelopmental disorders, little is known about its role in brain development.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology, we generated a SETBP1 deletion model in human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) and examined the effects of SETBP1-deficiency in neural progenitors (NPCs) and neurons derived from these stem cells using a battery of cellular assays, genome-wide transcriptomic profiling and drug-based phenotypic rescue.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Neural induction occurred efficiently in all SETBP1 deletion models as indicated by uniform transition into neural rosettes. However, SETBP1-deficient NPCs exhibited an extended proliferative window and a decrease in neurogenesis coupled with a deficiency in their ability to acquire ventral forebrain fate. Genome-wide transcriptome profiling and protein biochemical analysis revealed enhanced activation of Wnt/β-catenin signaling in SETBP1 deleted cells. Crucially, treatment of the SETBP1-deficient NPCs with a small molecule Wnt inhibitor XAV939 restored hyper canonical β-catenin activity and restored both cortical and MGE neuronal differentiation.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>The current study is based on analysis of isogenic hESC lines with genome-edited SETBP1 deletion and further studies would benefit from the use of patient-derived iPSC lines that may harbor additional genetic risk that aggravate brain pathology of SETBP1 disorder.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>We identified an important role for SETBP1 in controlling forebrain progenitor expansion and neurogenic differentiation. Our study establishes a novel regulatory link between SETBP1 and Wnt/β-catenin signaling during human cortical neurogenesis and provides mechanistic insights into structural abnormalities and potential therapeutic avenues for SETBP1 disorder.</p>","PeriodicalId":18733,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Autism","volume":"14 1","pages":"8"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2023-02-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9940404/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9138698","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-14DOI: 10.1186/s13229-022-00536-z
Bethany Vibert, Patricia Segura, Louise Gallagher, Stelios Georgiades, Panagiota Pervanidou, Audrey Thurm, Lindsay Alexander, Evdokia Anagnostou, Yuta Aoki, Catherine S Birken, Somer L Bishop, Jessica Boi, Carmela Bravaccio, Helena Brentani, Paola Canevini, Alessandra Carta, Alice Charach, Antonella Costantino, Katherine T Cost, Elaine A Cravo, Jennifer Crosbie, Chiara Davico, Federica Donno, Junya Fujino, Alessandra Gabellone, Cristiane T Geyer, Tomoya Hirota, Stephen Kanne, Makiko Kawashima, Elizabeth Kelley, Hosanna Kim, Young Shin Kim, So Hyun Kim, Daphne J Korczak, Meng-Chuan Lai, Lucia Margari, Lucia Marzulli, Gabriele Masi, Luigi Mazzone, Jane McGrath, Suneeta Monga, Paola Morosini, Shinichiro Nakajima, Antonio Narzisi, Rob Nicolson, Aki Nikolaidis, Yoshihiro Noda, Kerri Nowell, Miriam Polizzi, Joana Portolese, Maria Pia Riccio, Manabu Saito, Ida Schwartz, Anish K Simhal, Martina Siracusano, Stefano Sotgiu, Jacob Stroud, Fernando Sumiya, Yoshiyuki Tachibana, Nicole Takahashi, Riina Takahashi, Hiroki Tamon, Raffaella Tancredi, Benedetto Vitiello, Alessandro Zuddas, Bennett Leventhal, Kathleen Merikangas, Michael P Milham, Adriana Di Martino
Background: Heterogeneous mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic are documented in the general population. Such heterogeneity has not been systematically assessed in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). To identify distinct patterns of the pandemic impact and their predictors in ASD/NDD youth, we focused on pandemic-related changes in symptoms and access to services.
Methods: Using a naturalistic observational design, we assessed parent responses on the Coronavirus Health and Impact Survey Initiative (CRISIS) Adapted For Autism and Related neurodevelopmental conditions (AFAR). Cross-sectional AFAR data were aggregated across 14 European and North American sites yielding a clinically well-characterized sample of N = 1275 individuals with ASD/NDD (age = 11.0 ± 3.6 years; n females = 277). To identify subgroups with differential outcomes, we applied hierarchical clustering across eleven variables measuring changes in symptoms and access to services. Then, random forest classification assessed the importance of socio-demographics, pre-pandemic service rates, clinical severity of ASD-associated symptoms, and COVID-19 pandemic experiences/environments in predicting the outcome subgroups.
Results: Clustering revealed four subgroups. One subgroup-broad symptom worsening only (20%)-included youth with worsening across a range of symptoms but with service disruptions similar to the average of the aggregate sample. The other three subgroups were, relatively, clinically stable but differed in service access: primarily modified services (23%), primarily lost services (6%), and average services/symptom changes (53%). Distinct combinations of a set of pre-pandemic services, pandemic environment (e.g., COVID-19 new cases, restrictions), experiences (e.g., COVID-19 Worries), and age predicted each outcome subgroup.
Limitations: Notable limitations of the study are its cross-sectional nature and focus on the first six months of the pandemic.
Conclusions: Concomitantly assessing variation in changes of symptoms and service access during the first phase of the pandemic revealed differential outcome profiles in ASD/NDD youth. Subgroups were characterized by distinct prediction patterns across a set of pre- and pandemic-related experiences/contexts. Results may inform recovery efforts and preparedness in future crises; they also underscore the critical value of international data-sharing and collaborations to address the needs of those most vulnerable in times of crisis.
{"title":"CRISIS AFAR: an international collaborative study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health and service access in youth with autism and neurodevelopmental conditions.","authors":"Bethany Vibert, Patricia Segura, Louise Gallagher, Stelios Georgiades, Panagiota Pervanidou, Audrey Thurm, Lindsay Alexander, Evdokia Anagnostou, Yuta Aoki, Catherine S Birken, Somer L Bishop, Jessica Boi, Carmela Bravaccio, Helena Brentani, Paola Canevini, Alessandra Carta, Alice Charach, Antonella Costantino, Katherine T Cost, Elaine A Cravo, Jennifer Crosbie, Chiara Davico, Federica Donno, Junya Fujino, Alessandra Gabellone, Cristiane T Geyer, Tomoya Hirota, Stephen Kanne, Makiko Kawashima, Elizabeth Kelley, Hosanna Kim, Young Shin Kim, So Hyun Kim, Daphne J Korczak, Meng-Chuan Lai, Lucia Margari, Lucia Marzulli, Gabriele Masi, Luigi Mazzone, Jane McGrath, Suneeta Monga, Paola Morosini, Shinichiro Nakajima, Antonio Narzisi, Rob Nicolson, Aki Nikolaidis, Yoshihiro Noda, Kerri Nowell, Miriam Polizzi, Joana Portolese, Maria Pia Riccio, Manabu Saito, Ida Schwartz, Anish K Simhal, Martina Siracusano, Stefano Sotgiu, Jacob Stroud, Fernando Sumiya, Yoshiyuki Tachibana, Nicole Takahashi, Riina Takahashi, Hiroki Tamon, Raffaella Tancredi, Benedetto Vitiello, Alessandro Zuddas, Bennett Leventhal, Kathleen Merikangas, Michael P Milham, Adriana Di Martino","doi":"10.1186/s13229-022-00536-z","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-022-00536-z","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Heterogeneous mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic are documented in the general population. Such heterogeneity has not been systematically assessed in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). To identify distinct patterns of the pandemic impact and their predictors in ASD/NDD youth, we focused on pandemic-related changes in symptoms and access to services.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using a naturalistic observational design, we assessed parent responses on the Coronavirus Health and Impact Survey Initiative (CRISIS) Adapted For Autism and Related neurodevelopmental conditions (AFAR). Cross-sectional AFAR data were aggregated across 14 European and North American sites yielding a clinically well-characterized sample of N = 1275 individuals with ASD/NDD (age = 11.0 ± 3.6 years; n females = 277). To identify subgroups with differential outcomes, we applied hierarchical clustering across eleven variables measuring changes in symptoms and access to services. Then, random forest classification assessed the importance of socio-demographics, pre-pandemic service rates, clinical severity of ASD-associated symptoms, and COVID-19 pandemic experiences/environments in predicting the outcome subgroups.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Clustering revealed four subgroups. One subgroup-broad symptom worsening only (20%)-included youth with worsening across a range of symptoms but with service disruptions similar to the average of the aggregate sample. The other three subgroups were, relatively, clinically stable but differed in service access: primarily modified services (23%), primarily lost services (6%), and average services/symptom changes (53%). Distinct combinations of a set of pre-pandemic services, pandemic environment (e.g., COVID-19 new cases, restrictions), experiences (e.g., COVID-19 Worries), and age predicted each outcome subgroup.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>Notable limitations of the study are its cross-sectional nature and focus on the first six months of the pandemic.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Concomitantly assessing variation in changes of symptoms and service access during the first phase of the pandemic revealed differential outcome profiles in ASD/NDD youth. Subgroups were characterized by distinct prediction patterns across a set of pre- and pandemic-related experiences/contexts. Results may inform recovery efforts and preparedness in future crises; they also underscore the critical value of international data-sharing and collaborations to address the needs of those most vulnerable in times of crisis.</p>","PeriodicalId":18733,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Autism","volume":"14 1","pages":"7"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2023-02-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9928142/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"9634310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2023-02-11DOI: 10.1186/s13229-023-00538-5
T H Sharp, M Elsabbagh, A Pickles, R Bedford
Background: There is emerging evidence that the neuroanatomy of autism forms a spectrum which extends into the general population. However, whilst several studies have identified cortical morphology correlates of autistic traits, it is not established whether morphological differences are present in the subcortical structures of the brain. Additionally, it is not clear to what extent previously reported structural associations may be confounded by co-occurring psychopathology. To address these questions, we utilised neuroimaging data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study to assess whether a measure of autistic traits was associated with differences in child subcortical morphology, and if any observed differences persisted after adjustment for child internalising and externalising symptoms.
Methods: Our analyses included data from 7005 children aged 9-10 years (female: 47.19%) participating in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Autistic traits were assessed using scores from the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Volumes of subcortical regions of interest were derived from structural magnetic resonance imaging data.
Results: Overall, we did not find strong evidence for an association of autistic traits with differences in subcortical morphology in this sample of school-aged children. Whilst lower absolute volumes of the nucleus accumbens and putamen were associated with higher scores of autistic traits, these differences did not persist once a global measure of brain size was accounted for.
Limitations: It is important to note that autistic traits were assessed using the SRS, of which higher scores are associated with general behavioural problems, and therefore may not be wholly indicative of autism-specific symptoms. In addition, individuals with a moderate or severe autism diagnosis were excluded from the ABCD study, and thus, the average level of autistic traits will be lower than in the general population which may bias findings towards the null.
Conclusions: These findings from our well-powered study suggest that other metrics of brain morphology, such as cortical morphology or shape-based phenotypes, may be stronger candidates to prioritise when attempting to identify robust neuromarkers of autistic traits.
{"title":"The subcortical correlates of autistic traits in school-age children: a population-based neuroimaging study.","authors":"T H Sharp, M Elsabbagh, A Pickles, R Bedford","doi":"10.1186/s13229-023-00538-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1186/s13229-023-00538-5","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>There is emerging evidence that the neuroanatomy of autism forms a spectrum which extends into the general population. However, whilst several studies have identified cortical morphology correlates of autistic traits, it is not established whether morphological differences are present in the subcortical structures of the brain. Additionally, it is not clear to what extent previously reported structural associations may be confounded by co-occurring psychopathology. To address these questions, we utilised neuroimaging data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study to assess whether a measure of autistic traits was associated with differences in child subcortical morphology, and if any observed differences persisted after adjustment for child internalising and externalising symptoms.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Our analyses included data from 7005 children aged 9-10 years (female: 47.19%) participating in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study. Autistic traits were assessed using scores from the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS). Volumes of subcortical regions of interest were derived from structural magnetic resonance imaging data.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Overall, we did not find strong evidence for an association of autistic traits with differences in subcortical morphology in this sample of school-aged children. Whilst lower absolute volumes of the nucleus accumbens and putamen were associated with higher scores of autistic traits, these differences did not persist once a global measure of brain size was accounted for.</p><p><strong>Limitations: </strong>It is important to note that autistic traits were assessed using the SRS, of which higher scores are associated with general behavioural problems, and therefore may not be wholly indicative of autism-specific symptoms. In addition, individuals with a moderate or severe autism diagnosis were excluded from the ABCD study, and thus, the average level of autistic traits will be lower than in the general population which may bias findings towards the null.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings from our well-powered study suggest that other metrics of brain morphology, such as cortical morphology or shape-based phenotypes, may be stronger candidates to prioritise when attempting to identify robust neuromarkers of autistic traits.</p>","PeriodicalId":18733,"journal":{"name":"Molecular Autism","volume":"14 1","pages":"6"},"PeriodicalIF":6.2,"publicationDate":"2023-02-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9921646/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"10734988","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}