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Barman A, Richter S, Soch J, Deibele A, Richter A, Assmann A, Wüstenberg T, Walter H, Seidenbecher CI, Schott BH. Gender-specific modulation of neural mechanisms underlying social reward processing by Autism Quotient. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2015; 10:1537-47. [PMID: 25944965 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nsv044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2014] [Accepted: 04/24/2015] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder refers to a neurodevelopmental condition primarily characterized by deficits in social cognition and behavior. Subclinically, autistic features are supposed to be present in healthy humans and can be quantified using the Autism Quotient (AQ). Here, we investigated a potential relationship between AQ and neural correlates of social and monetary reward processing, using functional magnetic resonance imaging in young, healthy participants. In an incentive delay task with either monetary or social reward, reward anticipation elicited increased ventral striatal activation, which was more pronounced during monetary reward anticipation. Anticipation of social reward elicited activation in the default mode network (DMN), a network previously implicated in social processing. Social reward feedback was associated with bilateral amygdala and fusiform face area activation. The relationship between AQ and neural correlates of social reward processing varied in a gender-dependent manner. In women and, to a lesser extent in men, higher AQ was associated with increased posterior DMN activation during social reward anticipation. During feedback, we observed a negative correlation of AQ and right amygdala activation in men only. Our results suggest that social reward processing might constitute an endophenotype for autism-related traits in healthy humans that manifests in a gender-specific way.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sylvia Richter
- Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria
| | - Joram Soch
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany, and
| | - Anna Deibele
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anni Richter
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Anne Assmann
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Torsten Wüstenberg
- Department of Psychiatry, Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany, and
| | - Henrik Walter
- Department of Psychiatry, Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany, and
| | - Constanze I Seidenbecher
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany, Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
| | - Björn H Schott
- Leibniz Institute for Neurobiology, Magdeburg, Germany, Otto-von-Guericke University, Magdeburg, Germany, Department of Psychiatry, Campus Mitte, Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany, and Center for Behavioral Brain Sciences, Magdeburg, Germany
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152
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Nomi JS, Uddin LQ. Face processing in autism spectrum disorders: From brain regions to brain networks. Neuropsychologia 2015; 71:201-16. [PMID: 25829246 PMCID: PMC4506751 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2015.03.029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 92] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2014] [Revised: 02/25/2015] [Accepted: 03/27/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by reduced attention to social stimuli including the human face. This hypo-responsiveness to stimuli that are engaging to typically developing individuals may result from dysfunctioning motivation, reward, and attention systems in the brain. Here we review an emerging neuroimaging literature that emphasizes a shift from focusing on hypo-activation of isolated brain regions such as the fusiform gyrus, amygdala, and superior temporal sulcus in ASD to a more holistic approach to understanding face perception as a process supported by distributed cortical and subcortical brain networks. We summarize evidence for atypical activation patterns within brain networks that may contribute to social deficits characteristic of the disorder. We conclude by pointing to gaps in the literature and future directions that will continue to shed light on aspects of face processing in autism that are still under-examined. In particular, we highlight the need for more developmental studies and studies examining ecologically valid and naturalistic social stimuli.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason S Nomi
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, United States.
| | - Lucina Q Uddin
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, United States; Neuroscience Program, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Miami, FL, United States.
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153
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Kret ME, Ploeger A. Emotion processing deficits: A liability spectrum providing insight into comorbidity of mental disorders. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2015; 52:153-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2015.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2014] [Revised: 02/11/2015] [Accepted: 02/17/2015] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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154
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A greater involvement of posterior brain areas in interhemispheric transfer in autism: fMRI, DWI and behavioral evidences. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2015; 8:267-80. [PMID: 26106551 PMCID: PMC4474173 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2015.04.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2015] [Revised: 03/26/2015] [Accepted: 04/28/2015] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
A small corpus callosum (CC) is one of the most replicated neurobiological findings in autism spectrum (AS). However, its effect on interhemispheric (IH) communication is unknown. We combined structural (CC area and DWI), functional (task-related fMRI activation and connectivity analyses) as well as behavioral (Poffenberger and Purdue tasks) measures to investigate IH integration in adult AS individuals of typical intelligence. Despite similar behavioral IH transfer time and performances in bimanual tasks, the CC sub-regions connecting frontal and parietal cortical areas were smaller in AS than in non-AS individuals, while those connecting visual regions were similar. The activation of visual areas was lower in AS than in non-AS individuals during the presentation of visual stimuli. Behavioral IH performances were related to the properties of CC subregions connecting motor areas in non-AS individuals, but to the properties of posterior CC regions in AS individuals. Furthermore, there was greater functional connectivity between visual areas in the AS than in the non-AS group. Levels of connectivity were also stronger in visual than in motor regions in the autistic subjects, while the opposite was true for the non-autistic group. Thus, visual IH transfer plays an important role in visuo-motor tasks in AS individuals. These findings extend the well established enhanced role of perception in autistic cognition to visuo-motor IH information transfer. The size of the corpus callosum connecting the motor region is reduced in autism. The interhemispheric transfer of visuo-motor information is not impaired in autism. In autism, the posterior corpus callosum is more involved than the motor sections. Plastic reorganization in autism leads to atypical structure–function relationship. The results agree with a greater involvement of perceptual brain areas in autism.
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155
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Neuroimaging in autism spectrum disorder: brain structure and function across the lifespan. Lancet Neurol 2015; 14:1121-34. [PMID: 25891007 DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(15)00050-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 276] [Impact Index Per Article: 27.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2015] [Revised: 03/25/2015] [Accepted: 04/13/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Over the past decade, in-vivo MRI studies have provided many invaluable insights into the neural substrates underlying autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which is now known to be associated with neurodevelopmental variations in brain anatomy, functioning, and connectivity. These systems-level features of ASD pathology seem to develop differentially across the human lifespan so that the cortical abnormalities that occur in children with ASD differ from those noted at other stages of life. Thus, investigation of the brain in ASD poses particular methodological challenges, which must be addressed to enable the comparison of results across studies. Novel analytical approaches are also being developed to facilitate the translation of findings from the research to the clinical setting. In the future, the insights provided by human neuroimaging studies could contribute to biomarker development for ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders, and to new approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
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156
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Sivaratnam CS, Newman LK, Tonge BJ, Rinehart NJ. Attachment and Emotion Processing in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Neurobiological, Neuroendocrine, and Neurocognitive Considerations. REVIEW JOURNAL OF AUTISM AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s40489-015-0048-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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157
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Whyte EM, Behrmann M, Minshew NJ, Garcia NV, Scherf KS. Animal, but not human, faces engage the distributed face network in adolescents with autism. Dev Sci 2015; 19:306-17. [DOI: 10.1111/desc.12305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2014] [Accepted: 02/17/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Marlene Behrmann
- Departments of Psychiatry and Neurology; University of Pittsburgh Medical School; USA
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158
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Morin K, Guy J, Habak C, Wilson HR, Pagani L, Mottron L, Bertone A. Atypical Face Perception in Autism: A Point of View? Autism Res 2015; 8:497-506. [DOI: 10.1002/aur.1464] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2014] [Accepted: 12/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Karine Morin
- Perceptual Neuroscience Lab (PNLab) for Autism and Development; Montréal Canada
- Ecole de Psychoéducation; Université de Montréal; Montréal Canada
| | - Jacalyn Guy
- Perceptual Neuroscience Lab (PNLab) for Autism and Development; Montréal Canada
- Integrated Program in Neuroscience; McGill University; Montréal Canada
| | - Claudine Habak
- Visual Perception and Psychophysics Lab; Université de Montréal
| | - Hugh R. Wilson
- Center for Vision Research; York University; Toronto Canada
| | - Linda Pagani
- Ecole de Psychoéducation; Université de Montréal; Montréal Canada
| | - Laurent Mottron
- University of Montreal Center of Excellence for Pervasive Developmental Disorders (CETEDUM); Montréal Canada
| | - Armando Bertone
- Perceptual Neuroscience Lab (PNLab) for Autism and Development; Montréal Canada
- University of Montreal Center of Excellence for Pervasive Developmental Disorders (CETEDUM); Montréal Canada
- Department of Education and Counselling Psychology; McGill University; Montréal Canada
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159
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Eussen MLJM, Louwerse A, Herba CM, Van Gool AR, Verheij F, Verhulst FC, Greaves-Lord K. Childhood Facial Recognition Predicts Adolescent Symptom Severity in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Res 2015; 8:261-71. [DOI: 10.1002/aur.1443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2014] [Accepted: 11/23/2014] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mart L. J. M. Eussen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/psychology; Erasmus MC-Sophia; Wytemaweg 8 3015 CN Rotterdam The Netherlands
- Yulius, Organisation for Mental Health; Hellingen 21, 3311 GZ Dordrecht The Netherlands
| | - Anneke Louwerse
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/psychology; Erasmus MC-Sophia; Wytemaweg 8 3015 CN Rotterdam The Netherlands
- Yulius, Organisation for Mental Health; Hellingen 21, 3311 GZ Dordrecht The Netherlands
| | - Catherine M. Herba
- Department of Psychology; Université du Québec à Montréal and Centre de Recherche du CHU Ste-Justine; Montréal Canada
| | - Arthur R. Van Gool
- Yulius, Organisation for Mental Health; Hellingen 21, 3311 GZ Dordrecht The Netherlands
| | - Fop Verheij
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/psychology; Erasmus MC-Sophia; Wytemaweg 8 3015 CN Rotterdam The Netherlands
| | - Frank C. Verhulst
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/psychology; Erasmus MC-Sophia; Wytemaweg 8 3015 CN Rotterdam The Netherlands
| | - Kirstin Greaves-Lord
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry/psychology; Erasmus MC-Sophia; Wytemaweg 8 3015 CN Rotterdam The Netherlands
- Yulius, Organisation for Mental Health; Hellingen 21, 3311 GZ Dordrecht The Netherlands
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160
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The idiosyncratic brain: distortion of spontaneous connectivity patterns in autism spectrum disorder. Nat Neurosci 2015; 18:302-9. [PMID: 25599222 DOI: 10.1038/nn.3919] [Citation(s) in RCA: 265] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2014] [Accepted: 12/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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161
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Azuma R, Deeley Q, Campbell LE, Daly EM, Giampietro V, Brammer MJ, Murphy KC, Murphy DGM. An fMRI study of facial emotion processing in children and adolescents with 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. J Neurodev Disord 2015; 7:1. [PMID: 25972975 PMCID: PMC4429366 DOI: 10.1186/1866-1955-7-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11DS, velo-cardio-facial syndrome [VCFS]) is a genetic disorder associated with interstitial deletions of chromosome 22q11.2. In addition to high rates of neuropsychiatric disorders, children with 22q11DS have impairments of face processing, as well as IQ-independent deficits in visuoperceptual function and social and abstract reasoning. These face-processing deficits may contribute to the social impairments of 22q11DS. However, their neurobiological basis is poorly understood. METHODS We used event-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine neural responses when children with 22q11DS (aged 9-17 years) and healthy controls (aged 8-17 years) incidentally processed neutral expressions and mild (50%) and intense (100%) expressions of fear and disgust. We included 28 right-handed children and adolescents: 14 with 22q11DS and 14 healthy (including nine siblings) controls. RESULTS Within groups, contrasts showed that individuals significantly activated 'face responsive' areas when viewing neutral faces, including fusiform-extrastriate cortices. Further, within both groups, there was a significant positive linear trend in activation of fusiform-extrastriate cortices and cerebellum to increasing intensities of fear. There were, however, also between-group differences. Children with 22q11DS generally showed reduced activity as compared to controls in brain regions involved in social cognition and emotion processing across emotion types and intensities, including fusiform-extrastriate cortices, anterior cingulate cortex (Brodmann area (BA) 24/32), and superomedial prefrontal cortices (BA 6). Also, an exploratory correlation analysis showed that within 22q11DS children reduced activation was associated with behavioural impairment-social difficulties (measured using the Total Difficulties Score from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire [SDQ]) were significantly negatively correlated with brain activity during fear and disgust processing (respectively) in the left precentral gyrus (BA 4) and in the left fusiform gyrus (FG, BA 19), right lingual gyrus (BA 18), and bilateral cerebellum. CONCLUSIONS Regions involved in face processing, including fusiform-extrastriate cortices, anterior cingulate gyri, and superomedial prefrontal cortices (BA 6), are activated by facial expressions of fearful, disgusted, and neutral expressions in children with 22q11DS but generally to a lesser degree than in controls. Hypoactivation in these regions may partly explain the social impairments of children with 22q11DS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rayna Azuma
- />School of International Liberal Studies, Waseda University, Tokyo, Japan
- />Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Quinton Deeley
- />Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK
- />National Autism Unit, Bethlem Royal Hospital, SLAM NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
| | - Linda E Campbell
- />School of Psychology, University of Newcastle, Newcastle, Australia
| | - Eileen M Daly
- />Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Vincent Giampietro
- />Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Michael J Brammer
- />Department of Neuroimaging, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Kieran C Murphy
- />Department of Psychiatry, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Declan GM Murphy
- />Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Science, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK
- />Institute of Psychiatry, Sackler Institute for Translational Neurodevelopment, King’s College London, London, UK
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162
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Abstract
Social cognition is a major problem underlying deficiencies in interpersonal relationships in several psychiatric populations. And yet there is currently no gold standard for pharmacological treatment of psychiatric illness that directly targets these social cognitive areas. This chapter serves to illustrate some of the most innovative attempts at pharmacological modulation of social cognition in psychiatric illnesses including schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, autism spectrum disorders, antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy, social anxiety disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. Pharmacological modulation includes studies administering oxytocin, ecstasy (MDMA), modafinil, methylphenidate, and D-cycloserine. Furthermore, some background on social cognition research in healthy individuals, which could be helpful in developing future treatments, is provided as well as the potential for each drug as a long-term treatment option.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra Patin
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Bonn, 53105, Bonn, Germany
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163
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Cognitive and affective empathy: The role in violent behavior and psychopathy. REVISTA MÉDICA DEL HOSPITAL GENERAL DE MÉXICO 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.hgmx.2015.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
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164
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Grandgeorge M, Bourreau Y, Alavi Z, Lemonnier E, Tordjman S, Deleau M, Hausberger M. Interest towards human, animal and object in children with autism spectrum disorders: an ethological approach at home. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2015; 24:83-93. [PMID: 24590630 DOI: 10.1007/s00787-014-0528-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2013] [Accepted: 02/13/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterised by attention deficits in communication and social interactions and a lack of interest in people. Data are mostly based on clinical situations. However, recent studies have shown a more mixed situation where children with ASD (ASD children) displayed interest towards humans, in both experimental and natural settings. The aim of this study was to assess the interest of ASD children in a natural standardised home setting. Here, we hypothesised that ASD children would display more interest towards animate stimuli-human and pet-when in the child's home than in the lab experimental setting. We used an ethological approach involving observations, a methodological alternative to lab static techniques, to investigate the behaviour of ninety 6- to 12-year-old ASD and typical development (TD) children. Our results were consistent with those of the literature revealing that the ASD children displayed interest towards animate stimuli as did children with TD children. Interestingly, while the ASD children showed higher interest towards humans, e.g. their parent, than the TD children did, they showed less interest towards pet compared to the TD children. Our results suggested that animals are not inherently easy to decode for ASD children, in contrast with previous experiences where a pet was regarded as a more attractive partner, easier to be understood. At last, the ASD children changed more frequently their focus point than the TD children did. These differences may be explained by the reduced attention skills in ASD or the study's context. To conclude, larger exploratory studies in natural settings conducted beyond ordinary human to human interactions are crucial for better understanding of the underlying mechanisms involved in social interactions in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marine Grandgeorge
- Laboratory of Neurosciences de Brest, EA 4685, University of Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France,
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165
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Neurotrophin blood-based gene expression and social cognition analysis in patients with autism spectrum disorder. Neurogenetics 2014; 16:123-31. [PMID: 25535174 DOI: 10.1007/s10048-014-0434-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2014] [Accepted: 12/10/2014] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) comprise neurodevelopmental disorders with clinical onset during the first years of life. The identification of peripheral biomarkers could significantly impact diagnosis and an individualized, early treatment. Although the aetiology of ASD remains poorly understood, there is increasing evidence that neurotrophins and their receptors represent a group of candidate genes for ASD pathophysiology and biomarker research. Total messenger RNA (mRNA) from whole blood was obtained from adolescents and adults diagnosed as ASD (n = 21) according to DSM-IV criteria and confirmed by the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) algorithms, as well as healthy controls (n = 10). The mRNA expression of neurotrophins (BDNF, NT3 and NT4) and their receptors (TrkA, TrkB and p75 (NTR) ) was determined by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). Moreover, social cognition abilities of ASD patients and controls were determined according to three Theory of Mind (ToM) tests (Reading the Mind in the Eyes, Faux pas, and Happé stories). The NT3 and NT4 mRNA expression in the whole blood was significantly lower in ASD compared to healthy controls, while p75(NTR) was higher (P < 0.005). In addition, lower scores in three of the ToM tests were observed in ASD subjects compared to controls. A significant (P < 0.005) ToM impairment in Happé stories test was demonstrated in ASD. Nevertheless, no correlations were observed between neurotrophins and their receptors expressions and measures of ToM. Given their potential as peripheral blood-based biomarkers, NT3, NT4 and p75 (NTR) mRNA expression patterns may be useful tools for a more personalized diagnostics and therapy in ASD. Further investigations with larger numbers of samples are needed to verify these results.
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166
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Abstract
Deletions and duplications of the recurrent ~600 kb chromosomal BP4-BP5 region of 16p11.2 are associated with a broad variety of neurodevelopmental outcomes including autism spectrum disorder. A clue to the pathogenesis of the copy number variant (CNV)'s effect on the brain is that the deletion is associated with a head size increase, whereas the duplication is associated with a decrease. Here we analyzed brain structure in a clinically ascertained group of human deletion (N = 25) and duplication (N = 17) carriers from the Simons Variation in Individuals Project compared with age-matched controls (N = 29 and 33, respectively). Multiple brain measures showed increased size in deletion carriers and reduced size in duplication carriers. The effects spanned global measures of intracranial volume, brain size, compartmental measures of gray matter and white matter, subcortical structures, and the cerebellum. Quantitatively, the largest effect was on the thalamus, but the collective results suggest a pervasive rather than a selective effect on the brain. Detailed analysis of cortical gray matter revealed that cortical surface area displays a strong dose-dependent effect of CNV (deletion > control > duplication), whereas average cortical thickness is less affected. These results suggest that the CNV may exert its opposing influences through mechanisms that influence early stages of embryonic brain development.
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167
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Anzures G, Goyet L, Ganea N, Johnson MH. Enhanced ERPs to visual stimuli in unaffected male siblings of ASD children. Child Neuropsychol 2014; 22:220-37. [PMID: 25506753 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2014.988609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders are characterized by deficits in social and communication abilities. While unaffected relatives lack severe deficits, milder impairments have been reported in some first-degree relatives. The present study sought to verify whether mild deficits in face perception are evident among the unaffected younger siblings of children with ASD. Children between 6-9 years of age completed a face-recognition task and a passive viewing ERP task with face and house stimuli. Sixteen children were typically developing with no family history of ASD, and 17 were unaffected children with an older sibling with ASD. Findings indicate that, while unaffected siblings are comparable to controls in their face-recognition abilities, unaffected male siblings in particular show relatively enhanced P100 and P100-N170 peak-to-peak amplitude responses to faces and houses. Enhanced ERPs among unaffected male siblings is discussed in relation to potential differences in neural network recruitment during visual and face processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gizelle Anzures
- a Center for Human Development , University of California , San Diego , USA
| | - Louise Goyet
- b Institute of Psychology , Université Paris Descartes , Paris , France
| | - Natasa Ganea
- c Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck , University of London , UK
| | - Mark H Johnson
- c Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck , University of London , UK
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168
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Itahashi T, Yamada T, Nakamura M, Watanabe H, Yamagata B, Jimbo D, Shioda S, Kuroda M, Toriizuka K, Kato N, Hashimoto R. Linked alterations in gray and white matter morphology in adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder: a multimodal brain imaging study. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2014; 7:155-69. [PMID: 25610777 PMCID: PMC4299973 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.11.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2014] [Revised: 11/22/2014] [Accepted: 11/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Growing evidence suggests that a broad range of behavioral anomalies in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be linked with morphological and functional alterations in the brain. However, the neuroanatomical underpinnings of ASD have been investigated using either structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and the relationships between abnormalities revealed by these two modalities remain unclear. This study applied a multimodal data-fusion method, known as linked independent component analysis (ICA), to a set of structural MRI and DTI data acquired from 46 adult males with ASD and 46 matched controls in order to elucidate associations between different aspects of atypical neuroanatomy of ASD. Linked ICA identified two composite components that showed significant between-group differences, one of which was significantly correlated with age. In the other component, participants with ASD showed decreased gray matter (GM) volumes in multiple regions, including the bilateral fusiform gyri, bilateral orbitofrontal cortices, and bilateral pre- and post-central gyri. These GM changes were linked with a pattern of decreased fractional anisotropy (FA) in several white matter tracts, such as the bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculi, bilateral inferior fronto-occipital fasciculi, and bilateral corticospinal tracts. Furthermore, unimodal analysis for DTI data revealed significant reductions of FA along with increased mean diffusivity in those tracts for ASD, providing further evidence of disrupted anatomical connectivity. Taken together, our findings suggest that, in ASD, alterations in different aspects of brain morphology may co-occur in specific brain networks, providing a comprehensive view for understanding the neuroanatomy of this disorder. Structural alterations of gray (GM) and white matter (WM) in ASD were investigated. Linked independent component analysis was used for multimodal data analysis. Alterations of GM and WM in ASD co-occurred in cognitive and affective networks. Results reveal an integrative view of multiple aspects of structural changes in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Takashi Itahashi
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Showa University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Takashi Yamada
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Motoaki Nakamura
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Kinko Hospital, Kanagawa Psychiatric Center, Kanagawa, Japan
| | - Hiromi Watanabe
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Bun Yamagata
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Daiki Jimbo
- Department of Anatomy, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Seiji Shioda
- Department of Anatomy, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Miho Kuroda
- Department of Psychiatry, Showa University School of Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
- Child Mental Health-care Center, Fukushima University, Fukushima, Japan
- Department of Child Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Kazuo Toriizuka
- Department of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry, Showa University School of Pharmacy, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Nobumasa Kato
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ryuichiro Hashimoto
- Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, Tokyo, Japan
- Department of Language Sciences, Graduate School of Humanities, Tokyo Metropolitan University, Tokyo, Japan
- Corresponding author at: Medical Institute of Developmental Disabilities Research, Showa University, 6-11-11, Kita-karasuyama, Setagaya-ku, Tokyo 157-8577, Japan. Tel.: +81 3 5315 9357.
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169
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Visuospatial processing in children with autism: no evidence for (training-resistant) abnormalities. J Autism Dev Disord 2014; 44:2230-43. [PMID: 24696376 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-014-2107-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been assumed to show evidence of abnormal visuospatial processing, which has been attributed to a failure to integrate local features into coherent global Gestalts and/or to a bias towards local processing. As the available data are based on baseline performance only, which does not provide insight into cognitive/neural plasticity and actual cognitive potential, we investigated how training-resistant possible visuospatial processing differences between children with and without ASD are. In particular, we studied the effect of computerized versus face-to-face visuospatial training in a group of normally intelligent children with ASD and typically developing children as control. Findings show that (a) children with and without ASD do not differ much in visuospatial processing (as assessed by a tangram-like task) and the few differences we observed were all eliminated by training; (b) training can improve visuospatial processing (equally) in both children with ASD and normally developing children; and (c) computer-based and face-to-face training was equally effective.
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170
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Abstract
The current study tested fine discrimination of upright and inverted faces and objects in adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) as compared to age- and IQ-matched controls. Discrimination sensitivity was tested using morphed faces and morphed objects, and all stimuli were equated in low-level visual characteristics (luminance, contrast, spatial frequency make-up). Participants with ASD exhibited slight, non-significant impairments in discrimination sensitivity for faces, yet significantly enhanced discrimination sensitivity for objects. The ASD group also showed a protracted development of face and object inversion effects. Finally, for ASD participants, face sensitivity improved with increasing IQ while object sensitivity improved with age. By contrast, for controls, face sensitivity improved with age, but neither face nor object sensitivity was influenced by IQ. These findings suggest that individuals with ASD follow a qualitatively different path in the development of face and object processing abilities.
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171
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Anatomical likelihood estimation meta-analysis of grey and white matter anomalies in autism spectrum disorders. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2014; 7:525-36. [PMID: 25844306 PMCID: PMC4375647 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.11.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2014] [Revised: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 11/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by impairments in social communication and restrictive, repetitive behaviors. While behavioral symptoms are well-documented, investigations into the neurobiological underpinnings of ASD have not resulted in firm biomarkers. Variability in findings across structural neuroimaging studies has contributed to difficulty in reliably characterizing the brain morphology of individuals with ASD. These inconsistencies may also arise from the heterogeneity of ASD, and wider age-range of participants included in MRI studies and in previous meta-analyses. To address this, the current study used coordinate-based anatomical likelihood estimation (ALE) analysis of 21 voxel-based morphometry (VBM) studies examining high-functioning individuals with ASD, resulting in a meta-analysis of 1055 participants (506 ASD, and 549 typically developing individuals). Results consisted of grey, white, and global differences in cortical matter between the groups. Modeled anatomical maps consisting of concentration, thickness, and volume metrics of grey and white matter revealed clusters suggesting age-related decreases in grey and white matter in parietal and inferior temporal regions of the brain in ASD, and age-related increases in grey matter in frontal and anterior-temporal regions. White matter alterations included fiber tracts thought to play key roles in information processing and sensory integration. Many current theories of pathobiology ASD suggest that the brains of individuals with ASD may have less-functional long-range (anterior-to-posterior) connections. Our findings of decreased cortical matter in parietal-temporal and occipital regions, and thickening in frontal cortices in older adults with ASD may entail altered cortical anatomy, and neurodevelopmental adaptations.
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172
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Scherf KS, Elbich D, Minshew N, Behrmann M. Individual differences in symptom severity and behavior predict neural activation during face processing in adolescents with autism. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2014; 7:53-67. [PMID: 25610767 PMCID: PMC4299957 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.11.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2014] [Revised: 10/14/2014] [Accepted: 11/11/2014] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Despite the impressive literature describing atypical neural activation in visuoperceptual face processing regions in autism, almost nothing is known about whether these perturbations extend to more affective regions in the circuitry and whether they bear any relationship to symptom severity or atypical behavior. Using fMRI, we compared face-, object-, and house-related activation in adolescent males with high-functioning autism (HFA) and typically developing (TD) matched controls. HFA adolescents exhibited hypo-activation throughout the core visuoperceptual regions, particularly in the right hemisphere, as well as in some of the affective/motivational face-processing regions, including the posterior cingulate cortex and right anterior temporal lobe. Conclusions about the relative hyper- or hypo-activation of the amygdala depended on the nature of the contrast that was used to define the activation. Individual differences in symptom severity predicted the magnitude of face activation, particularly in the right fusiform gyrus. Also, among the HFA adolescents, face recognition performance predicted the magnitude of face activation in the right anterior temporal lobe, a region that supports face individuation in TD adults. Our findings reveal a systematic relation between the magnitude of neural dysfunction, severity of autism symptoms, and variation in face recognition behavior in adolescents with autism. In so doing, we uncover brain–behavior relations that underlie one of the most prominent social deficits in autism and help resolve discrepancies in the literature. Adolescents with autism exhibit weak activation in core and extended face regions. Fearful and neutral faces as well as objects elicit amygdala activation in TD adolescents. Only fearful faces drive amygdala activation in HFA adolescents. Individual differences in behavior predict face activation in the anterior temporal lobe. Individual differences in symptom severity predict face activation in the fusiform gyrus.
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Affiliation(s)
- K Suzanne Scherf
- Dept of Psychology, Penn State Univ., University Park, PA 16802, USA ; Social Science Research Institute, Penn State Univ., University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Daniel Elbich
- Dept of Psychology, Penn State Univ., University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Nancy Minshew
- Dept. of Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Pittsburgh, USA ; Dept. of Neurology, University of Pittsburgh Medical School, Pittsburgh, USA
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173
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Abstract
Prior studies have shown that performance on standardized measures of memory in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is substantially reduced in comparison to matched typically developing controls (TDC). Given reported deficits in face processing in autism, the current study compared performance on an immediate and delayed facial memory task for individuals with ASD and TDC. In addition, we examined volumetric differences in classic facial memory regions of interest (ROI) between the two groups, including the fusiform, amygdala, and hippocampus. We then explored the relationship between ROI volume and facial memory performance. We found larger volumes in the autism group in the left amygdala and left hippocampus compared to TDC. In contrast, TDC had larger left fusiform gyrus volumes when compared with ASD. Interestingly, we also found significant negative correlations between delayed facial memory performance and volume of the left and right fusiform and the left hippocampus for the ASD group but not for TDC. The possibility of larger fusiform volume as a marker of abnormal connectivity and decreased facial memory is discussed.
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174
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Riwkes S, Goldstein A, Gilboa-Schechtman E. The temporal unfolding of face processing in social anxiety disorder--a MEG study. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2014; 7:678-87. [PMID: 25844308 PMCID: PMC4377840 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2014] [Revised: 10/10/2014] [Accepted: 11/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The current study is the first to use magnetoencephalography (MEG) to examine how individuals with social anxiety disorder (SAD) process emotional facial expressions (EFEs). We expected that, compared to healthy controls (HCs), participants with SAD will show an early (<200 ms post-stimulus) over-activation in the insula and the fusiform gyrus (FG, associated with the N170/M170 component), and later (>200 ms post-stimulus) over-activation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Individuals with SAD (n = 12) and healthy controls (HCs, n = 12) were presented with photographs of facial displays during MEG recording. As compared to the HC group, the SAD group showed a reduced M170 (right FG under-activation around 130–200 ms); early reduced activation in the right insula, and lower insular sensitivity to the type of EFE displayed. In addition, the SAD group showed a late over-activation in the right DLPFC. This unique EFE processing pattern in SAD suggests an early under-activation of cortical areas, possibly related to reduced emphasis on high spatial frequency information and greater early emphasis on low spatial frequency information. The late DLPFC over-activation in the SAD group may correlate to failures of cognitive control in this disorder. The importance of a temporal perspective for the understanding of facial processing in psychopathology is underlined. This study is the first to use MEG to study social anxiety disorder (SAD). SADs and controls viewed emotional facial expressions during MEG. Compared to controls, SADs showed reduced M170 (early fusiform gyrus activity). SADs presented a late over-activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. The late frontal over-activity may correlate to failures of cognitive control in SAD.
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Key Words
- AFNI, analysis of functional neuroimages
- BDI, Beck Depression Inventory
- Cognitive control
- DLPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
- EEG, electroencephalography
- EFE, emotional facial expressions
- FG, fusiform gyrus
- FMRI, functional magnetic resonance imaging
- FNE, fear of negative evaluation
- Facial processing
- HC, healthy control
- HSF, high spatial frequency
- LSAS, Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale
- LSF, low spatial frequency
- MEG, magnetoencephalography
- Magnetoenchephalography
- Regulation
- SA, social anxiety
- SAD, social anxiety disorder
- SAM, synthetic aperture modeling
- Social anxiety
- TMS, transcranial magnetic stimulation
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Riwkes
- Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
| | - Abraham Goldstein
- Department of Psychology, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 52900, Israel
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175
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Ameis SH, Catani M. Altered white matter connectivity as a neural substrate for social impairment in Autism Spectrum Disorder. Cortex 2014; 62:158-81. [PMID: 25433958 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2014.10.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 208] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Revised: 10/20/2014] [Accepted: 10/22/2014] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms have been hypothesized to result from altered brain connectivity. The 'disconnectivity' hypothesis has been used to explain characteristic impairments in socio-emotional function, observed clinically in ASD. Here, we review the evidence for impaired white matter connectivity as a neural substrate for socio-emotional dysfunction in ASD. A review of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies, and focused discussion of relevant post-mortem, structural, and functional neuroimaging studies, is provided. METHODS Studies were identified using a sensitive search strategy in MEDLINE, Embase and PsycINFO article databases using the OvidSP database interface. Search terms included database subject headings for the concepts of pervasive developmental disorders, and DTI. Seventy-two published DTI studies examining white matter microstructure in ASD were reviewed. A comprehensive discussion of DTI studies that examined white matter tracts linking socio-emotional structures is presented. RESULTS Several DTI studies reported microstructural differences indicative of developmental alterations in white matter organization, and potentially myelination, in ASD. Altered structure within long-range white matter tracts linking socio-emotional processing regions was implicated. While alterations of the uncinate fasciculus and frontal and temporal thalamic projections have been associated with social symptoms in ASD, few studies examined association of tract microstructure with core impairment in this disorder. CONCLUSIONS The uncinate fasciculus and frontal and temporal thalamic projections mediate limbic connectivity and integrate structures responsible for complex socio-emotional functioning. Impaired development of limbic connectivity may represent one neural substrate contributing to ASD social impairments. Future efforts to further elucidate the nature of atypical white matter development, and its relationship to core symptoms, may offer new insights into etiological mechanisms contributing to ASD impairments and uncover novel opportunities for targeted intervention.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephanie H Ameis
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Child, Youth and Family Program, Research Imaging Centre, The Campbell Family Mental Health Institute, The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Marco Catani
- NATBRAINLAB, Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry PO50, King's College London, London, UK.
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176
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Effect of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation on autism: a randomized double-blind crossover trial. Behav Neurol 2014; 2014:173073. [PMID: 25530675 PMCID: PMC4230001 DOI: 10.1155/2014/173073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/12/2014] [Revised: 08/12/2014] [Accepted: 08/12/2014] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to evaluate the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC), and Children's Global Assessment Scale (CGAS) after anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in individuals with autism. Twenty patients with autism received 5 consecutive days of both sham and active tDCS stimulation (1 mA) in a randomized double-blind crossover trial over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F3) for 20 minutes in different orders. Measures of CARS, ATEC, and CGAS were administered before treatment and at 7 days posttreatment. The result showed statistical decrease in CARS score (P < 0.001). ATEC total was decreased from 67.25 to 58 (P < 0.001). CGAS was increased at 7 days posttreatment (P = 0.042). Our study suggests that anodal tDCS over the F3 may be a useful clinical tool in autism.
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177
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Singleton CJ, Ashwin C, Brosnan M. Physiological responses to social and nonsocial stimuli in neurotypical adults with high and low levels of autistic traits: implications for understanding nonsocial drive in autism spectrum disorders. Autism Res 2014; 7:695-703. [PMID: 25346292 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2013] [Accepted: 09/05/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Researchers have suggested that the two primary cognitive features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a drive toward nonsocial processing and a reduced drive toward social processing, may be unrelated to each other in the neurotypical (NT) population and may therefore require separate explanations. Drive toward types of processing may be related to physiological arousal to categories of stimuli, such as social (e.g., faces) or nonsocial (e.g., trains). This study investigated how autistic traits in an NT population might relate to differences in physiological responses to nonsocial compared with social stimuli. NT participants were recruited to examine these differences in those with high vs. low degrees of ASD traits. Forty-six participants (21 male, 25 female) completed the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ) to measure ASD traits before viewing a series of 24 images while skin conductance response (SCR) was recorded. Images included six nonsocial, six social, six face-like cartoons, and six nonsocial (relating to participants' personal interests). Analysis revealed that those with a higher AQ had significantly greater SCR arousal to nonsocial stimuli than those with a low AQ, and the higher the AQ, the greater the difference between SCR arousal to nonsocial and social stimuli. This is the first study to identify the relationship between AQ and physiological response to nonsocial stimuli, and a relationship between physiological response to both social and nonsocial stimuli, suggesting that physiological response may underlie the atypical drive toward nonsocial processing seen in ASD, and that at the physiological level at least the social and nonsocial in ASD may be related to one another.
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178
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Morgan JT, Barger N, Amaral DG, Schumann CM. Stereological study of amygdala glial populations in adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorder. PLoS One 2014; 9:e110356. [PMID: 25330013 PMCID: PMC4201518 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0110356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2014] [Accepted: 09/06/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The amygdala undergoes aberrant development in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We previously found that there are reduced neuron numbers in the adult postmortem amygdala from individuals with ASD compared to typically developing controls. The current study is a comprehensive stereological examination of four non-neuronal cell populations: microglia, oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and endothelial cells, in the same brains studied previously. We provide a detailed neuroanatomical protocol for defining each cell type that may be applied to other studies of the amygdala in neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. We then assess whether cell numbers and average volumes differ between ASD and typically developing brains. We hypothesized that a reduction in neuron numbers in ASD might relate to altered immune function and/or aberrant microglial activation, as indicated by increased microglial number and cell body volume. Overall, average non-neuronal cell numbers and volumes did not differ between ASD and typically developing brains. However, there was evident heterogeneity within the ASD cohort. Two of the eight ASD brains displayed strong microglial activation. Contrary to our original hypothesis, there was a trend toward a positive correlation between neuronal and microglial numbers in both ASD and control cases. There were fewer oligodendrocytes in the amygdala of adult individuals with ASD ages 20 and older compared to typically developing controls. This finding may provide a possible sign of altered connectivity or impaired neuronal communication that may change across the lifespan in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- John T. Morgan
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the M. I. N. D. Institute, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, United States of America
| | - Nicole Barger
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the M. I. N. D. Institute, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, United States of America
| | - David G. Amaral
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the M. I. N. D. Institute, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, United States of America
| | - Cynthia M. Schumann
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the M. I. N. D. Institute, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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179
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Jones S. Maternal cradling bias and early communicative interactions: Implications for early identification of children at risk. Infant Behav Dev 2014; 37:722-8. [PMID: 25260192 DOI: 10.1016/j.infbeh.2014.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2014] [Revised: 06/17/2014] [Accepted: 08/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Jones
- Northeastern State University, Speech Language Pathology, 800 N. Vinita, Tahlequah, OK 74464, United States.
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180
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Radeloff D, Ciaramidaro A, Siniatchkin M, Hainz D, Schlitt S, Weber B, Poustka F, Bölte S, Walter H, Freitag CM. Structural alterations of the social brain: a comparison between schizophrenia and autism. PLoS One 2014; 9:e106539. [PMID: 25188200 PMCID: PMC4154717 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2014] [Accepted: 07/18/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia share a substantial number of etiologic and phenotypic characteristics. Still, no direct comparison of both disorders has been performed to identify differences and commonalities in brain structure. In this voxel based morphometry study, 34 patients with autism spectrum disorder, 21 patients with schizophrenia and 26 typically developed control subjects were included to identify global and regional brain volume alterations. No global gray matter or white matter differences were found between groups. In regional data, patients with autism spectrum disorder compared to typically developed control subjects showed smaller gray matter volume in the amygdala, insula, and anterior medial prefrontal cortex. Compared to patients with schizophrenia, patients with autism spectrum disorder displayed smaller gray matter volume in the left insula. Disorder specific positive correlations were found between mentalizing ability and left amygdala volume in autism spectrum disorder, and hallucinatory behavior and insula volume in schizophrenia. Results suggest the involvement of social brain areas in both disorders. Further studies are needed to replicate these findings and to quantify the amount of distinct and overlapping neural correlates in autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Radeloff
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt/Main,Germany
| | - Angela Ciaramidaro
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt/Main,Germany
| | - Michael Siniatchkin
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt/Main,Germany
| | - Daniela Hainz
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt/Main,Germany
| | - Sabine Schlitt
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt/Main,Germany
| | - Bernhard Weber
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
- Psychiatric University Clinics, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Fritz Poustka
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt/Main,Germany
| | - Sven Bölte
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt/Main,Germany
- Department of Women’s and Children’s Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders at Karolinska Institutet (KIND), Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Henrik Walter
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe Universität Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt/Main, Germany
- Division of Mind and Brain Research, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Christine Margarete Freitag
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität, Frankfurt/Main, Frankfurt/Main,Germany
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181
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Stavropoulos KKM, Carver LJ. Effect of familiarity on reward anticipation in children with and without autism spectrum disorders. PLoS One 2014; 9:e106667. [PMID: 25184524 PMCID: PMC4153666 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0106667] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2014] [Accepted: 07/31/2014] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous research on the reward system in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) suggests that children with ASD anticipate and process social rewards differently than typically developing (TD) children--but has focused on the reward value of unfamiliar face stimuli. Children with ASD process faces differently than their TD peers. Previous research has focused on face processing of unfamiliar faces, but less is known about how children with ASD process familiar faces. The current study investigated how children with ASD anticipate rewards accompanied by familiar versus unfamiliar faces. METHODS The stimulus preceding negativity (SPN) of the event-related potential (ERP) was utilized to measure reward anticipation. Participants were 6- to 10-year-olds with (N = 14) and without (N = 14) ASD. Children were presented with rewards accompanied by incidental face or non-face stimuli that were either familiar (caregivers) or unfamiliar. All non-face stimuli were composed of scrambled face elements in the shape of arrows, controlling for visual properties. RESULTS No significant differences between familiar versus unfamiliar faces were found for either group. When collapsing across familiarity, TD children showed larger reward anticipation to face versus non-face stimuli, whereas children with ASD did not show differential responses to these stimulus types. Magnitude of reward anticipation to faces was significantly correlated with behavioral measures of social impairment in the ASD group. CONCLUSIONS The findings do not provide evidence for differential reward anticipation for familiar versus unfamiliar face stimuli in children with or without ASD. These findings replicate previous work suggesting that TD children anticipate rewards accompanied by social stimuli more than rewards accompanied by non-social stimuli. The results do not support the idea that familiarity normalizes reward anticipation in children with ASD. Our findings also suggest that magnitude of reward anticipation to faces is correlated with levels of social impairment for children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Leslie J. Carver
- Psychology Department, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, United States of America
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182
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Linking neocortical, cognitive, and genetic variability in autism with alterations of brain plasticity: the Trigger-Threshold-Target model. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2014; 47:735-52. [PMID: 25155242 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2014.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Revised: 07/02/2014] [Accepted: 07/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
The phenotype of autism involves heterogeneous adaptive traits (strengths vs. disabilities), different domains of alterations (social vs. non-social), and various associated genetic conditions (syndromic vs. nonsyndromic autism). Three observations suggest that alterations in experience-dependent plasticity are an etiological factor in autism: (1) the main cognitive domains enhanced in autism are controlled by the most plastic cortical brain regions, the multimodal association cortices; (2) autism and sensory deprivation share several features of cortical and functional reorganization; and (3) genetic mutations and/or environmental insults involved in autism all appear to affect developmental synaptic plasticity, and mostly lead to its upregulation. We present the Trigger-Threshold-Target (TTT) model of autism to organize these findings. In this model, genetic mutations trigger brain reorganization in individuals with a low plasticity threshold, mostly within regions sensitive to cortical reallocations. These changes account for the cognitive enhancements and reduced social expertise associated with autism. Enhanced but normal plasticity may underlie non-syndromic autism, whereas syndromic autism may occur when a triggering mutation or event produces an altered plastic reaction, also resulting in intellectual disability and dysmorphism in addition to autism. Differences in the target of brain reorganization (perceptual vs. language regions) account for the main autistic subgroups. In light of this model, future research should investigate how individual and sex-related differences in synaptic/regional brain plasticity influence the occurrence of autism.
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183
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Gonzalez-Gadea ML, Tripicchio P, Rattazzi A, Baez S, Marino J, Roca M, Manes F, Ibanez A. Inter-individual cognitive variability in children with Asperger's syndrome. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:575. [PMID: 25132817 PMCID: PMC4117184 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00575] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2014] [Accepted: 07/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Multiple studies have tried to establish the distinctive profile of individuals with Asperger's syndrome (AS). However, recent reports suggest that adults with AS feature heterogeneous cognitive profiles. The present study explores inter-individual variability in children with AS through group comparison and multiple case series analysis. All participants completed an extended battery including measures of fluid and crystallized intelligence, executive functions, theory of mind, and classical neuropsychological tests. Significant group differences were found in theory of mind and other domains related to global information processing. However, the AS group showed high inter-individual variability (both sub- and supra-normal performance) on most cognitive tasks. Furthermore, high fluid intelligence correlated with less general cognitive impairment, high cognitive flexibility, and speed of motor processing. In light of these findings, we propose that children with AS are characterized by a distinct, uneven pattern of cognitive strengths and weaknesses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Luz Gonzalez-Gadea
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile
| | - Paula Tripicchio
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Alexia Rattazzi
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sandra Baez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile ; Universidad Catolica Argentina Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Julian Marino
- Facultad de Psicología, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba Cordoba, Argentina
| | - Maria Roca
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile
| | - Facundo Manes
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile ; Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Agustin Ibanez
- Laboratory of Experimental Psychology and Neuroscience, Institute of Cognitive Neurology, Favaloro University Buenos Aires, Argentina ; National Scientific and Technical Research Council Buenos Aires, Argentina ; UDP-INECO Foundation Core on Neuroscience, Diego Portales University Santiago, Chile ; Australian Research Council, Centre of Excellence in Cognition and its Disorders Sydney, NSW, Australia ; Universidad Autonoma del Caribe Barranquilla, Colombia
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Yucel GH, Belger A, Bizzell J, Parlier M, Adolphs R, Piven J. Abnormal Neural Activation to Faces in the Parents of Children with Autism. Cereb Cortex 2014; 25:4653-66. [PMID: 25056573 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhu147] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Parents of children with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show subtle deficits in aspects of social behavior and face processing, which resemble those seen in ASD, referred to as the "Broad Autism Phenotype " (BAP). While abnormal activation in ASD has been reported in several brain structures linked to social cognition, little is known regarding patterns in the BAP. We compared autism parents with control parents with no family history of ASD using 2 well-validated face-processing tasks. Results indicated increased activation in the autism parents to faces in the amygdala (AMY) and the fusiform gyrus (FG), 2 core face-processing regions. Exploratory analyses revealed hyper-activation of lateral occipital cortex (LOC) bilaterally in autism parents with aloof personality ("BAP+"). Findings suggest that abnormalities of the AMY and FG are related to underlying genetic liability for ASD, whereas abnormalities in the LOC and right FG are more specific to behavioral features of the BAP. Results extend our knowledge of neural circuitry underlying abnormal face processing beyond those previously reported in ASD to individuals with shared genetic liability for autism and a subset of genetically related individuals with the BAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- G H Yucel
- Department of Psychiatry Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - A Belger
- Department of Psychiatry Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), Chapel Hill, NC, USA Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - J Bizzell
- Department of Psychiatry Duke-UNC Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
| | - M Parlier
- Department of Psychiatry Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), Chapel Hill, NC, USA
| | - R Adolphs
- Division of Humanities and Social Sciences Division of Biology, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, USA G. H. Y and A. B. share first authorship on this manuscript
| | - J Piven
- Department of Psychiatry Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (UNC-CH), Chapel Hill, NC, USA
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185
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Vogan VM, Morgan BR, Lee W, Powell TL, Smith ML, Taylor MJ. The neural correlates of visuo-spatial working memory in children with autism spectrum disorder: effects of cognitive load. J Neurodev Disord 2014; 6:19. [PMID: 25057329 PMCID: PMC4107490 DOI: 10.1186/1866-1955-6-19] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2014] [Accepted: 06/29/2014] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Research on the neural bases of cognitive deficits in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has shown that working memory (WM) difficulties are associated with abnormalities in the prefrontal cortex. However, cognitive load impacts these findings, and no studies have examined the relation between WM load and neural underpinnings in children with ASD. Thus, the current study determined the effects of cognitive load on WM, using a visuo-spatial WM capacity task in children with and without ASD with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Methods We used fMRI and a 1-back colour matching task (CMT) task with four levels of difficulty to compare the cortical activation patterns associated with WM in children (7–13 years old) with high functioning autism (N = 19) and matched controls (N = 17) across cognitive load. Results Performance on CMT was comparable between groups, with the exception of one difficulty level. Using linear trend analyses, the control group showed increasing activation as a function of difficulty level in frontal and parietal lobes, particularly between the highest difficulty levels, and decreasing activation as a function of difficulty level in the posterior cingulate and medial frontal gyri. In contrast, children with ASD showed increasing activation only in posterior brain regions and decreasing activation in the posterior cingulate and medial frontal gyri, as a function of difficulty level. Significant differences were found in the precuneus, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and medial premotor cortex, where control children showed greater positive linear relations between cortical activity and task difficulty level, particularly at the highest difficulty levels, but children with ASD did not show these trends. Conclusions Children with ASD showed differences in activation in the frontal and parietal lobes—both critical substrates for visuo-spatial WM. Our data suggest that children with ASD rely mainly on posterior brain regions associated with visual and lower level processing, whereas controls showed activity in frontal lobes related to the classic WM network. Findings will help guide future work by localizing areas of vulnerability to developmental disturbances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vanessa M Vogan
- Diagnostic Imaging and Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.,Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1V6, Canada
| | - Benjamin R Morgan
- Diagnostic Imaging and Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Wayne Lee
- Diagnostic Imaging and Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Tamara L Powell
- Diagnostic Imaging and Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada
| | - Mary Lou Smith
- Diagnostic Imaging and Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1V6, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Diagnostic Imaging and Research Institute, Hospital for Sick Children, 555 University Avenue, Toronto, ON M5G 1X8, Canada.,Department of Applied Psychology and Human Development, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1V6, Canada.,Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON M5S 1V6, Canada
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186
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Hasegawa N, Kitamura H, Murakami H, Kameyama S, Sasagawa M, Egawa J, Tamura R, Endo T, Someya T. Altered activity of the primary visual area during gaze processing in individuals with high-functioning autistic spectrum disorder: a magnetoencephalography study. Neuropsychobiology 2014; 68:181-8. [PMID: 24157624 DOI: 10.1159/000354866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2013] [Accepted: 08/05/2013] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) demonstrate an impaired ability to infer the mental states of others from their gaze. Thus, investigating the relationship between ASD and eye gaze processing is crucial for understanding the neural basis of social impairments seen in individuals with ASD. In addition, characteristics of ASD are observed in more comprehensive visual perception tasks. These visual characteristics of ASD have been well-explained in terms of the atypical relationship between high- and low-level gaze processing in ASD. METHOD We studied neural activity during gaze processing in individuals with ASD using magnetoencephalography, with a focus on the relationship between high- and low-level gaze processing both temporally and spatially. Minimum Current Estimate analysis was applied to perform source analysis of magnetic responses to gaze stimuli. RESULTS The source analysis showed that later activity in the primary visual area (V1) was affected by gaze direction only in the ASD group. Conversely, the right posterior superior temporal sulcus, which is a brain region that processes gaze as a social signal, in the typically developed group showed a tendency toward greater activation during direct compared with averted gaze processing. CONCLUSION These results suggest that later activity in V1 relating to gaze processing is altered or possibly enhanced in high-functioning individuals with ASD, which may underpin the social cognitive impairments in these individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naoya Hasegawa
- Department of Psychiatry, Niigata University Graduate School of Medical and Dental Sciences, Niigata, Japan
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187
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Taylor MJ, Doesburg SM, Pang EW. Neuromagnetic vistas into typical and atypical development of frontal lobe functions. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:453. [PMID: 24994980 PMCID: PMC4061489 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00453] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/10/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
The frontal lobes are involved in many higher-order cognitive functions such as social cognition executive functions and language and speech. These functions are complex and follow a prolonged developmental course from childhood through to early adulthood. Magnetoencephalography (MEG) is ideal for the study of development of these functions, due to its combination of temporal and spatial resolution which allows the determination of age-related changes in both neural timing and location. There are several challenges for MEG developmental studies: to design tasks appropriate to capture the neurodevelopmental trajectory of these cognitive functions, and to develop appropriate analysis strategies to capture various aspects of neuromagnetic frontal lobe activity. Here, we review our MEG research on social and executive functions, and speech in typically developing children and in two clinical groups – children with autism spectrum disorder and children born very preterm. The studies include facial emotional processing, inhibition, visual short-term memory, speech production, and resting-state networks. We present data from event-related analyses as well as on oscillations and connectivity analyses and review their contributions to understanding frontal lobe cognitive development. We also discuss the challenges of testing young children in the MEG and the development of age-appropriate technologies and paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON , Canada ; Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute , Toronto, ON , Canada ; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON , Canada ; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON , Canada ; Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON , Canada
| | - Sam M Doesburg
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON , Canada ; Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute , Toronto, ON , Canada ; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON , Canada ; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON , Canada
| | - Elizabeth W Pang
- Neuroscience and Mental Health Program, Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute , Toronto, ON , Canada ; Department of Paediatrics, University of Toronto , Toronto, ON , Canada ; Division of Neurology, Hospital for Sick Children , Toronto, ON , Canada
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188
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Horga G, Kaur T, Peterson BS. Annual research review: Current limitations and future directions in MRI studies of child- and adult-onset developmental psychopathologies. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2014; 55:659-80. [PMID: 24438507 PMCID: PMC4029914 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.12185] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/28/2013] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The widespread use of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) in the study of child- and adult-onset developmental psychopathologies has generated many investigations that have measured brain structure and function in vivo throughout development, often generating great excitement over our ability to visualize the living, developing brain using the attractive, even seductive images that these studies produce. Often lost in this excitement is the recognition that brain imaging generally, and MRI in particular, is simply a technology, one that does not fundamentally differ from any other technology, be it a blood test, a genotyping assay, a biochemical assay, or behavioral test. No technology alone can generate valid scientific findings. Rather, it is only technology coupled with a strong experimental design that can generate valid and reproducible findings that lead to new insights into the mechanisms of disease and therapeutic response. METHODS In this review we discuss selected studies to illustrate the most common and important limitations of MRI study designs as most commonly implemented thus far, as well as the misunderstanding that the interpretations of findings from those studies can create for our theories of developmental psychopathologies. RESULTS Common limitations of MRI study designs are in large part responsible thus far for the generally poor reproducibility of findings across studies, poor generalizability to the larger population, failure to identify developmental trajectories, inability to distinguish causes from effects of illness, and poor ability to infer causal mechanisms in most MRI studies of developmental psychopathologies. For each of these limitations in study design and the difficulties they entail for the interpretation of findings, we discuss various approaches that numerous laboratories are now taking to address those difficulties, which have in common the yoking of brain imaging technologies to studies with inherently stronger designs that permit more valid and more powerful causal inferences. Those study designs include epidemiological, longitudinal, high-risk, clinical trials, and multimodal imaging studies. CONCLUSIONS We highlight several studies that have yoked brain imaging technologies to these stronger designs to illustrate how doing so can aid our understanding of disease mechanisms and in the foreseeable future can improve clinical diagnosis, prevention, and treatment planning for developmental psychopathologies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Guillermo Horga
- Department of Psychiatry; New York State Psychiatric Institute and College of Physicians and Surgeons; Columbia University; New York NY USA
| | - Tejal Kaur
- Department of Psychiatry; New York State Psychiatric Institute and College of Physicians and Surgeons; Columbia University; New York NY USA
| | - Bradley S. Peterson
- Department of Psychiatry; New York State Psychiatric Institute and College of Physicians and Surgeons; Columbia University; New York NY USA
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189
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Srivastava S, Landy-Schmitt C, Clark B, Kline AD, Specht M, Grados MA. Autism traits in children and adolescents with Cornelia de Lange syndrome. Am J Med Genet A 2014; 164A:1400-10. [PMID: 24718998 DOI: 10.1002/ajmg.a.36573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2013] [Accepted: 03/15/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Cornelia de Lange syndrome (CdLS) is a cohesinopathy causing delayed growth and limb deficits. Individuals with CdLS have mild to profound intellectual disability and autistic features. This study characterizes the behavioral phenotype of children with CdLS, focusing on autistic features, maladaptive behaviors, and impact of age. Children with CdLS (5-18 years) were administered normed instruments to characterize autism features (Childhood Autism Rating Scale, CARS), maladaptive behaviors (Aberrant Behavior Checklist), and adaptive skills (Vineland Adaptive Behaviors Scales). CdLS features and severity were rated with Diagnostic Criteria for CdLS. Forty-one children with CdLS (23 females, 18 males) were classified as having "no autism" (n = 7; 17.1%), "mild autism" (n = 17; 41.4%), and "severe autism" (n = 17; 41.4%), using CARS scores. Characteristic items were abnormal emotional response, stereotypies, odd object use, rigidity, lack of verbal communication, and low intellectual functioning. Verbal communication deficits and repetitive behaviors were higher compared to sensory, social cognition, and behavior abnormalities (P ≤ 0.0001). Maladaptive behaviors associated with autism traits were stereotypies (P = 0.003), hyperactivity (P = 0.01), and lethargy (P = 0.03). Activities of daily living were significantly affected; socialization adaptive skills were a relative strength. However, with advancing age, both socialization (P < 0.0001) and communication (P = 0.001) domains declined significantly. CdLS is characterized by autistic features, notably excessive repetitive behaviors and expressive language deficits. While other adaptive skills are impacted, socialization adaptive skills are less affected. Advancing age can worsen communication and socialization deficits relative to neurotypical peers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Siddharth Srivastava
- Department of Neurology and Developmental Medicine, Kennedy Krieger Institute, Baltimore, Maryland
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190
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Pankert A, Pankert K, Herpertz-Dahlmann B, Konrad K, Kohls G. Responsivity to familiar versus unfamiliar social reward in children with autism. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2014; 121:1199-210. [PMID: 24728874 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-014-1210-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2014] [Accepted: 03/30/2014] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
In autism spectrum disorders (ASD), social motivation theories suggest that the core social communication problems seen in children with ASD arise from diminished responsiveness to social reward. Although clinical and experimental data support these theories, the extent to which the reward deficit in ASD is unique for social rewards remains unclear. With the present investigation, we aimed to provide insight into the degree to which sociality as well as familiarity of reward incentives impact motivated goal-directed behavior in children with ASD. To do so, we directly compared the influence of familiar versus unfamiliar social reward relative to nonsocial, monetary reward in children with ASD relative to age- and IQ-matched typically developing controls (TDC) using a visual and auditory incentive go/nogo task with reward contingencies for successful response inhibitions. We found that children with ASD responded stronger to visual familiar and unfamiliar social reward as well as to nonsocial, monetary reward than TDC. While the present data are at odds with predictions made by social motivation theories, individual variations beyond clinical diagnosis, such as reward exposure across various social settings, help explain the pattern of results. The findings of this study stress the necessity for additional research on intra-individual as well as environmental factors that contribute to social reward responsiveness in individuals with ASD versus other neuropsychiatric disorders such as ADHD or conduct disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Azarakhsh Pankert
- Child Neuropsychology Section, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, RWTH Aachen University, Neuenhofer Weg 21, 52074, Aachen, Germany
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191
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Corradi-Dell'acqua C, Schwartz S, Meaux E, Hubert B, Vuilleumier P, Deruelle C. Neural responses to emotional expression information in high- and low-spatial frequency in autism: evidence for a cortical dysfunction. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:189. [PMID: 24782735 PMCID: PMC3988374 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2013] [Accepted: 03/14/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite an overall consensus that Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) entails atypical processing of human faces and emotional expressions, the role of neural structures involved in early facial processing remains unresolved. An influential model for the neurotypical brain suggests that face processing in the fusiform gyrus and the amygdala is based on both high-spatial frequency (HSF) information carried by a parvocellular pathway, and low-spatial frequency (LSF) information separately conveyed by a magnocellular pathway. Here, we tested the fusiform gyrus and amygdala sensitivity to emotional face information conveyed by these distinct pathways in ASD individuals (and matched Controls). During functional Magnetical Resonance Imaging (fMRI), participants reported the apparent gender of hybrid face stimuli, made by merging two different faces (one in LSF and the other in HSF), out of which one displayed an emotional expression (fearful or happy) and the other was neutral. Controls exhibited increased fusiform activity to hybrid faces with an emotional expression (relative to hybrids composed only with neutral faces), regardless of whether this was conveyed by LSFs or HSFs in hybrid stimuli. ASD individuals showed intact fusiform response to LSF, but not HSF, expressions. Furthermore, the amygdala (and the ventral occipital cortex) was more sensitive to HSF than LSF expressions in Controls, but exhibited an opposite preference in ASD. Our data suggest spared LSF face processing in ASD, while cortical analysis of HSF expression cues appears affected. These findings converge with recent accounts suggesting that ASD might be characterized by a difficulty in integrating multiple local information and cause global processing troubles unexplained by losses in low spatial frequency inputs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corrado Corradi-Dell'acqua
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva Geneva, Switzerland ; Laboratory for Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Neuroscience and Clinic of Neurology, University Medical Center Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Sophie Schwartz
- Laboratory for Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Neuroscience and Clinic of Neurology, University Medical Center Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Emilie Meaux
- Laboratory for Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Neuroscience and Clinic of Neurology, University Medical Center Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Bénedicte Hubert
- Hôpital Rivière-de-Praires, University of Montréal Montréal, QC, Canada ; CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France
| | - Patrik Vuilleumier
- Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, University of Geneva Geneva, Switzerland ; Laboratory for Neurology and Imaging of Cognition, Department of Neuroscience and Clinic of Neurology, University Medical Center Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Christine Deruelle
- CNRS, Institut de Neurosciences de la Timone, Aix-Marseille Université Marseille, France
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192
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Han DH, Yoo HJ, Kim BN, McMahon W, Renshaw PF. Brain activity of adolescents with high functioning autism in response to emotional words and facial emoticons. PLoS One 2014; 9:e91214. [PMID: 24621866 PMCID: PMC3951306 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0091214] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2013] [Accepted: 02/08/2014] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Studies of social dysfunction in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have generally focused on the perception of emotional words and facial affect. Brain imaging studies have suggested that the fusiform gyrus is associated with both the comprehension of language and face recognition. We hypothesized that patients with ASD would have decreased ability to recognize affect via emotional words and facial emoticons, relative to healthy comparison subjects. In addition, we expected that this decreased ability would be associated with altered activity of the fusiform gyrus in patients with ASD. Ten male adolescents with ASDs and ten age and sex matched healthy comparison subjects were enrolled in this case-control study. The diagnosis of autism was further evaluated with the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule. Brain activity was assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in response to emotional words and facial emoticon presentation. Sixty emotional words (45 pleasant words +15 unpleasant words) were extracted from a report on Korean emotional terms and their underlying dimensions. Sixty emoticon faces (45 pleasant faces +15 unpleasant faces) were extracted and modified from on-line sites. Relative to healthy comparison subjects, patients with ASD have increased activation of fusiform gyrus in response to emotional aspects of words. In contrast, patients with ASD have decreased activation of fusiform gyrus in response to facial emoticons, relative to healthy comparison subjects. We suggest that patients with ASD are more familiar with word descriptions than facial expression as depictions of emotion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Doug Hyun Han
- Department of Psychiatry, Chung Ang University Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
- * E-mail:
| | - Hee Jeong Yoo
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National Bundang Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - Bung Nyun Kim
- Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National Hospital, Seoul, South Korea
| | - William McMahon
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
| | - Perry F. Renshaw
- The Brain Institute, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America
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193
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Carson AM, Salowitz NMG, Scheidt RA, Dolan BK, Van Hecke AV. Electroencephalogram coherence in children with and without autism spectrum disorders: decreased interhemispheric connectivity in autism. Autism Res 2014; 7:334-43. [PMID: 24623657 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1367] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2013] [Accepted: 01/24/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Electroencephalogram coherence was measured in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and control children at baseline and while watching videos of a familiar and unfamiliar person reading a story. Coherence was measured between the left and right hemispheres of the frontal, parietal, and temporal-parietal lobes (interhemispheric) and between the frontal and parietal lobes in each hemisphere (intrahemispheric). A data-reduction technique was employed to identify the frequency (alpha) that yielded significant differences in video conditions. Children with ASD displayed reduced coherence at the alpha frequency between the left and right temporal-parietal lobes in all conditions and reduced coherence at the alpha frequency between left and right frontal lobes during baseline. No group differences in intrahemispheric coherence at the alpha frequency emerged at the chosen statistical threshold. Results suggest decreased interhemispheric connectivity in frontal and temporal-parietal regions in children with ASD compared to controls.
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Affiliation(s)
- Audrey M Carson
- Psychology Service, Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children's Hospital, Houston, Texas, USA
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194
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Maximo JO, Cadena EJ, Kana RK. The implications of brain connectivity in the neuropsychology of autism. Neuropsychol Rev 2014; 24:16-31. [PMID: 24496901 PMCID: PMC4059500 DOI: 10.1007/s11065-014-9250-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 163] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2013] [Accepted: 01/20/2014] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that has been associated with atypical brain functioning. Functional connectivity MRI (fcMRI) studies examining neural networks in autism have seen an exponential rise over the last decade. Such investigations have led to the characterization of autism as a distributed neural systems disorder. Studies have found widespread cortical underconnectivity, local overconnectivity, and mixed results suggesting disrupted brain connectivity as a potential neural signature of autism. In this review, we summarize the findings of previous fcMRI studies in autism with a detailed examination of their methodology, in order to better understand its potential and to delineate the pitfalls. We also address how a multimodal neuroimaging approach (incorporating different measures of brain connectivity) may help characterize the complex neurobiology of autism at a global level. Finally, we also address the potential of neuroimaging-based markers in assisting neuropsychological assessment of autism. The quest for a neural marker for autism is still ongoing, yet new findings suggest that aberrant brain connectivity may be a promising candidate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jose O. Maximo
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
| | - Elyse J. Cadena
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
| | - Rajesh K. Kana
- Department of Psychology, University of Alabama at Birmingham
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195
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Ruggeri B, Sarkans U, Schumann G, Persico AM. Biomarkers in autism spectrum disorder: the old and the new. Psychopharmacology (Berl) 2014; 231:1201-16. [PMID: 24096533 DOI: 10.1007/s00213-013-3290-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 118] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2013] [Accepted: 09/07/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
RATIONALE Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder with onset during early childhood and typically a life-long course. The majority of ASD cases stems from complex, 'multiple-hit', oligogenic/polygenic underpinnings involving several loci and possibly gene-environment interactions. These multiple layers of complexity spur interest into the identification of biomarkers able to define biologically homogeneous subgroups, predict autism risk prior to the onset of behavioural abnormalities, aid early diagnoses, predict the developmental trajectory of ASD children, predict response to treatment and identify children at risk for severe adverse reactions to psychoactive drugs. OBJECTIVES The present paper reviews (a) similarities and differences between the concepts of 'biomarker' and 'endophenotype', (b) established biomarkers and endophenotypes in autism research (biochemical, morphological, hormonal, immunological, neurophysiological and neuroanatomical, neuropsychological, behavioural), (c) -omics approaches towards the discovery of novel biomarker panels for ASD, (d) bioresource infrastructures and (e) data management for biomarker research in autism. RESULTS Known biomarkers, such as abnormal blood levels of serotonin, oxytocin, melatonin, immune cytokines and lymphocyte subtypes, multiple neuropsychological, electrophysiological and brain imaging parameters, will eventually merge with novel biomarkers identified using unbiased genomic, epigenomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic methods, to generate multimarker panels. Bioresource infrastructures, data management and data analysis using artificial intelligence networks will be instrumental in supporting efforts to identify these biomarker panels. CONCLUSIONS Biomarker research has great heuristic potential in targeting autism diagnosis and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Barbara Ruggeri
- MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK
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Increased topographical variability of task-related activation in perceptive and motor associative regions in adult autistics. NEUROIMAGE-CLINICAL 2014; 4:444-53. [PMID: 25101235 PMCID: PMC4116759 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2014.02.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2013] [Revised: 01/29/2014] [Accepted: 02/17/2014] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Background An enhanced plasticity is suspected to play a role in various microstructural alterations, as well as in regional cortical reallocations observed in autism. Combined with multiple indications of enhanced perceptual functioning in autism, and indications of atypical motor functioning, enhanced plasticity predicts a superior variability in functional cortical allocation, predominant in perceptual and motor regions. Method To test this prediction, we scanned 23 autistics and 22 typical participants matched on age, FSIQ, Raven percentile scores and handedness during a visuo-motor imitation task. For each participant, the coordinates of the strongest task-related activation peak were extracted in the primary (Brodmann area 4) and supplementary (BA 6) motor cortex, the visuomotor superior parietal cortex (BA 7), and the primary (BA 17) and associative (BAs 18 + 19) visual areas. Mean signal changes for each ROI in both hemispheres, and the number of voxels composing the strongest activation cluster were individually extracted to compare intensity and size of the signal between groups. For each ROI, in each hemisphere, and for every participant, the distance from their respective group average was used as a variable of interest to determine group differences in localization variability using repeated measures ANOVAs. Between-group comparison of whole-brain activation was also performed. Results Both groups displayed a higher mean variability in the localization of activations in the associative areas compared to the primary visual or motor areas. However, despite this shared increased variability in associative cortices, a direct between-group comparison of the individual variability in localization of the activation revealed a significantly greater variability in the autistic group than in the typical group in the left visuo-motor superior parietal cortex (BA 7) and in the left associative visual areas (BAs 18 + 19). Conclusion Different and possibly unique strategies are used by each autistic individual. That enhanced variability in localization of activations in the autistic group is found in regions typically more variable in non-autistics raises the possibility that autism involves an enhancement and/or an alteration of typical plasticity mechanisms. The current study also highlights the necessity to verify, in fMRI studies involving autistic people, that hypoactivation at the group level does not result from each individual successfully completing a task using a unique brain allocation, even by comparison to his own group. Functional activation in associative regions are more variable in autistics than in typicals. Autistics showed enhanced variability in regions that are typically more variable in typicals. Enhanced variability follows the same rule in perceptive and motor-related regions.
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Eack SM, Mazefsky CA, Minshew NJ. Misinterpretation of facial expressions of emotion in verbal adults with autism spectrum disorder. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2014; 19:308-15. [PMID: 24535689 DOI: 10.1177/1362361314520755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Facial emotion perception is significantly affected in autism spectrum disorder, yet little is known about how individuals with autism spectrum disorder misinterpret facial expressions that result in their difficulty in accurately recognizing emotion in faces. This study examined facial emotion perception in 45 verbal adults with autism spectrum disorder and 30 age- and gender-matched volunteers without autism spectrum disorder to identify patterns of emotion misinterpretation during face processing that contribute to emotion recognition impairments in autism. Results revealed that difficulty distinguishing emotional from neutral facial expressions characterized much of the emotion perception impairments exhibited by participants with autism spectrum disorder. In particular, adults with autism spectrum disorder uniquely misinterpreted happy faces as neutral, and were significantly more likely than typical volunteers to attribute negative valence to nonemotional faces. The over-attribution of emotions to neutral faces was significantly related to greater communication and emotional intelligence impairments in individuals with autism spectrum disorder. These findings suggest a potential negative bias toward the interpretation of facial expressions and may have implications for interventions designed to remediate emotion perception in autism spectrum disorder.
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Neurobiological abnormalities in the first few years of life in individuals later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder: a review of recent data. Behav Neurol 2014; 2014:210780. [PMID: 24825948 PMCID: PMC4006615 DOI: 10.1155/2014/210780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2013] [Accepted: 06/23/2013] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Background. Despite the widely-held understanding that the biological changes that lead to autism usually occur during prenatal life, there has been relatively little research into the functional development of the brain during early infancy in individuals later diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Objective. This review explores the studies over the last three years which have investigated differences in various brain regions in individuals with ASD or who later go on to receive a diagnosis of ASD. Methods. We used PRISMA guidelines and selected published articles reporting any neurological abnormalities in very early childhood in individuals with or later diagnosed with ASD. Results. Various brain regions are discussed including the amygdala, cerebellum, frontal cortex, and lateralised abnormalities of the temporal cortex during language processing. This review discusses studies investigating head circumference, electrophysiological markers, and interhemispheric synchronisation. All of the recent findings from the beginning of 2009 across these different aspects of defining neurological abnormalities are discussed in light of earlier findings. Conclusions. The studies across these different areas reveal the existence of atypicalities in the first year of life, well before ASD is reliably diagnosed. Cross-disciplinary approaches are essential to elucidate the pathophysiological sequence of events that lead to ASD.
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Gillespie SM, McCleery JP, Oberman LM. Spontaneous versus deliberate vicarious representations: different routes to empathy in psychopathy and autism. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2014; 137:e272. [PMID: 24477432 DOI: 10.1093/brain/awt364] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Steven M Gillespie
- 1 School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
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Abstract
The ability to recognize and identify people and determine how they may be feeling from looking at their faces is an important skill that people normally achieve effortlessly in infancy. Effective face recognition skills remain essential for social competence throughout the life course. A major cause of impairment in face processing, conventionally known as prosopagnosia, is stroke. In this article, the potentials for acquired prosopagnosia after stroke are examined. The incidence of prosopagnosia after stroke is difficult to establish, but in one clinical sample about half of those who survived a right hemisphere stroke had prosopagnosia. The recently published National Clinical Guideline for Stroke 2012 omits reference to assessment for prosopagnosia, which suggests that the personal distress and negative impact on social life that can accompany prosopagnosia is not fully appreciated or at least not considered a priority after stroke. The few published cases where there has been a focused attempt to provide rehabilitation for chronic prosopagnosia suggest that lesions in face-processing areas are resistant to treatment but that some recovery can accompany extended practice. It is concluded that where there is evidence of prosopagnosia following stroke, treatment should be offered, although rehabilitation may be better focused on supporting and extending existing compensatory strategies, such as the use of voice, body shape, and gait to assist in person recognition and, as an important consequence, social functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rosanna Cousins
- Department of Psychology, Liverpool Hope University, Liverpool, UK
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