1
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Deserno MK, Fuhrmann D, Begeer S, Borsboom D, Geurts HM, Kievit RA. Longitudinal development of language and fine motor skills is correlated, but not coupled, in a childhood atypical cohort. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2023; 27:133-144. [PMID: 35470698 PMCID: PMC9806469 DOI: 10.1177/13623613221086448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/05/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT More and more members of the autistic community and the research field are moving away from the idea that there will be a single biological or cognitive explanation for autistic characteristics. However, little is known about the complex dynamic processes that could explain why early difficulties in the language and motor domain often go hand-in-hand. We here study how language and motor skills develop simultaneously in the British Autism Study of Infant Siblings cohort of infants, and compare the way they are linked between children with and without developmental delays. Our results suggest that improvements in one domain go hand-in-hand with improvements in the other in both groups and show no compelling evidence for group differences in how motor skills relate to language and vice versa. We did observe a larger diversity in motor and language skills at 6 months, and because we found the motor and language development to be tightly linked, this suggests that even very small early impairments can result in larger developmental delays in later childhood. Greater variability at baseline, combined with very strong correlations between the slopes, suggests that dynamic processes may amplify small differences between individuals at 6months to result into large individual differences in autism symptomatology at 36 months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie K Deserno
- Dr. Leo Kannerhuis and REACH-AUT, The
Netherlands,University of Amsterdam, The
Netherlands,Max Planck Institute for Human
Development, Germany,Marie K Deserno, Max Planck Institute for
Human Development, Postbus 15933, Amsterdam, 1001 NK, The Netherlands.
| | | | | | | | - Hilde M Geurts
- Dr. Leo Kannerhuis and REACH-AUT, The
Netherlands,University of Amsterdam, The
Netherlands
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2
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Melillo R, Leisman G, Machado C, Machado-Ferrer Y, Chinchilla-Acosta M, Kamgang S, Melillo T, Carmeli E. Retained Primitive Reflexes and Potential for Intervention in Autistic Spectrum Disorders. Front Neurol 2022; 13:922322. [PMID: 35873782 PMCID: PMC9301367 DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2022.922322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
We provide evidence to support the contention that many aspects of Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are related to interregional brain functional disconnectivity associated with maturational delays in the development of brain networks. We think a delay in brain maturation in some networks may result in an increase in cortical maturation and development in other networks, leading to a developmental asynchrony and an unevenness of functional skills and symptoms. The paper supports the close relationship between retained primitive reflexes and cognitive and motor function in general and in ASD in particular provided to indicate that the inhibition of RPRs can effect positive change in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Melillo
- Movement and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Gerry Leisman
- Movement and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Department of Neurology, University of the Medical Sciences of Havana, Havana, Cuba
| | - Calixto Machado
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Havana, Cuba
| | - Yanin Machado-Ferrer
- Department of Clinical Neurophysiology, Institute for Neurology and Neurosurgery, Havana, Cuba
| | | | - Shanine Kamgang
- Department of Neuroscience, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Ty Melillo
- Northeast College of the Health Sciences, Seneca Falls, New York, NY, United States
| | - Eli Carmeli
- Movement and Cognition Laboratory, Department of Physical Therapy, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
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3
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Li L, Su X, Zheng Q, Xiao J, Huang XY, Chen W, Yang K, Nie L, Yang X, Chen H, Shi S, Duan X. Cofluctuation analysis reveals aberrant default mode network patterns in adolescents and youths with autism spectrum disorder. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4722-4732. [PMID: 35781734 PMCID: PMC9491294 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2022] [Revised: 05/30/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Resting‐state functional connectivity (rsFC) approaches provide informative estimates of the functional architecture of the brain, and recently‐proposed cofluctuation analysis temporally unwraps FC at every moment in time, providing refined information for quantifying brain dynamics. As a brain network disorder, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was characterized by substantial alteration in FC, but the contribution of moment‐to‐moment‐activity cofluctuations to the overall dysfunctional connectivity pattern in ASD remains poorly understood. Here, we used the cofluctuation approach to explore the underlying dynamic properties of FC in ASD, using a large multisite resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs‐fMRI) dataset (ASD = 354, typically developing controls [TD] = 446). Our results verified that the networks estimated using high‐amplitude frames were highly correlated with the traditional rsFC. Moreover, these frames showed higher average amplitudes in participants with ASD than those in the TD group. Principal component analysis was performed on the activity patterns in these frames and aggregated over all subjects. The first principal component (PC1) corresponds to the default mode network (DMN), and the PC1 coefficients were greater in participants with ASD than those in the TD group. Additionally, increased ASD symptom severity was associated with the increased coefficients, which may result in excessive internally oriented cognition and social cognition deficits in individuals with ASD. Our finding highlights the utility of cofluctuation approaches in prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders and verifies that the aberrant contribution of DMN to rsFC may underline the symptomatology in adolescents and youths with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Li
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital to Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.,The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaoran Su
- Medical Imaging Department, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China.,Department of MR, The First Affiliated Hospital of Xinxiang Medical University, Weihui, China
| | - Qingyu Zheng
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jinming Xiao
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xin Yue Huang
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Wan Chen
- Medical Imaging Department, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Kaihua Yang
- Medical Imaging Department, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Lei Nie
- Medical Imaging Department, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xin Yang
- Medical Imaging Department, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Huafu Chen
- Department of Radiology, First Affiliated Hospital to Army Medical University, Chongqing, China.,The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Shengli Shi
- Medical Imaging Department, Henan Children's Hospital, Zhengzhou Children's Hospital, Children's Hospital Affiliated to Zhengzhou University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xujun Duan
- The Clinical Hospital of Chengdu Brain Science Institute, MOE Key Lab for Neuroinformation, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.,School of Life Science and Technology, Center for Information in Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
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4
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Abstract
The current epistemology of autism as a phenotype derives from the consistency of historical accounts and decades of work within the tradition of descriptive epidemiology, culminating in current categorical descriptions within DSM and ICD nosologies and the concept of "prototypical autism." The demonstrated high heritability of this phenotype has led to an essentialist theory of autism as a biological entity and the concerted search within the developmental brain and genetic science for discrete biological markers. This search has not revealed simple markers explaining autistic outcomes and has led to moves towards a more dimensional account. This article proposes an alternative transactional approach. It proposes to understand autistic states as an emergent property within a complex developmental system; as the neurodivergent brain, and mind and body, encounter their social and physical environment within early development. Key evidence in support of this approach comes from random allocation intervention trials based on such transactional development theory, both in the infancy pre-diagnostic prodrome and the early post-diagnostic period. In replicated evidence, these intervention trials show that a targeted alteration in the quality of social transactional environment available for the child leads to significant, predictable, and sustained alterations in the outcome dimensional autistic phenotype over time; and further, in one prodromal trial, to a significant reduction in later categorical classification status. The inference from this evidence is that the prototypical autistic phenotype is to a degree malleable with a changed experienced social environment and that it is emergent from its constituent traits. Such a transactional approach enlarges our notion of the phenotype and brings the study of autism within mainstream individual difference developmental science. It challenges essentialist views, for instance as to intrinsic autistic "social avoidance" or theory of mind empathy deficits, integrates dimensional and categorical perspectives, and is consistent with the lived experience of autistic people and their advocacy for improved understanding within a social model.
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5
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Green JM. Autism as emergent: Comments on Mottron 2021. Autism Res 2021; 15:11. [PMID: 34704667 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathan Michael Green
- University of Manchester and Manchester Academic Health Sciences Centre, Hon Consultant, Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, Manchester, UK
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6
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Blanken TF, Bathelt J, Deserno MK, Voge L, Borsboom D, Douw L. Connecting brain and behavior in clinical neuroscience: A network approach. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2021; 130:81-90. [PMID: 34324918 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.07.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2021] [Revised: 07/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
In recent years, there has been an increase in applications of network science in many different fields. In clinical neuroscience and psychopathology, the developments and applications of network science have occurred mostly simultaneously, but without much collaboration between the two fields. The promise of integrating these network applications lies in a united framework to tackle one of the fundamental questions of our time: how to understand the link between brain and behavior. In the current overview, we bridge this gap by introducing conventions in both fields, highlighting similarities, and creating a common language that enables the exploitation of synergies. We provide research examples in autism research, as it accurately represents research lines in both network neuroscience and psychological networks. We integrate brain and behavior not only semantically, but also practically, by showcasing three methodological avenues that allow to combine networks of brain and behavioral data. As such, the current paper offers a stepping stone to further develop multi-modal networks and to integrate brain and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tessa F Blanken
- Department of Psychological Methods, University of Amsterdam, 1018 WT, Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
| | - Joe Bathelt
- Royal Holloway, University of London, Department of Psychology, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom
| | - Marie K Deserno
- Max Planck Institute for Human Development, 14195, Berlin, Germany
| | - Lily Voge
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Denny Borsboom
- Department of Psychological Methods, University of Amsterdam, 1018 WT, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Linda Douw
- Department of Anatomy and Neurosciences, Amsterdam University Medical Centres, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam Neuroscience, 1081 HZ, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusets General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02129, USA
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7
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Sigafoos J, Roche L, O’Reilly MF, Lancioni GE. Persistence of Primitive Reflexes in Developmental Disorders. CURRENT DEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS REPORTS 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s40474-021-00232-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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8
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Strunecka A, Strunecky O. Chronic Fluoride Exposure and the Risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2019; 16:E3431. [PMID: 31527457 PMCID: PMC6765894 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph16183431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/07/2019] [Revised: 09/07/2019] [Accepted: 09/12/2019] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
The continuous rise of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) prevalent in the past few decades is causing an increase in public health and socioeconomic concern. A consensus suggests the involvement of both genetic and environmental factors in the ASD etiopathogenesis. Fluoride (F) is rarely recognized among the environmental risk factors of ASD, since the neurotoxic effects of F are not generally accepted. Our review aims to provide evidence of F neurotoxicity. We assess the risk of chronic F exposure in the ASD etiopathology and investigate the role of metabolic and mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and inflammation, immunoexcitotoxicity, and decreased melatonin levels. These symptoms have been observed both after chronic F exposure as well as in ASD. Moreover, we show that F in synergistic interactions with aluminum's free metal cation (Al3+) can reinforce the pathological symptoms of ASD. This reinforcement takes place at concentrations several times lower than when acting alone. A high ASD prevalence has been reported from countries with water fluoridation as well as from endemic fluorosis areas. We suggest focusing the ASD prevention on the reduction of the F and Al3+ burdens from daily life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Strunecka
- The Institute of Technology and Business, Okružní 517/10, 370 01 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Otakar Strunecky
- The Institute of Technology and Business, Okružní 517/10, 370 01 České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
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9
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Montazeri F, de Bildt A, Dekker V, Anderson GM. Network Analysis of Anxiety in the Autism Realm. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 49:2219-2230. [PMID: 29383649 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3474-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The anxiety and autism realms are each complicated and heterogeneous, and relationships between the two areas are especially complex. Network analysis offers a promising approach to the phenotypic complexities of typical and atypical human behavior. The Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS) was used to assess anxiety in 126 high-functioning 9-13 year-olds with ASDs. Network graphs of Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule items and RCADS anxiety total score, social, generalized, panic and separation anxiety subscores consistently found the anxiety node (score) to be highly peripheral. Also, the networks of RCADS anxiety items themselves were similar for the ASDs group and a general population comparison group (n = 2017). The results suggest anxiety is not a central part of autism and that anxiety is dynamically similar (aspects of anxiety relate to one another in a similar manner) in high-functioning autism and the general population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Farhad Montazeri
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 230 S. Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA
| | - Annelies de Bildt
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Groningen Medical Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Accare, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Vera Dekker
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, University of Groningen Medical Center, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,Accare, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - George M Anderson
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, 230 S. Frontage Rd, New Haven, CT, 06519, USA.
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10
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Tordjman S, Cohen D, Anderson G, Botbol M, Canitano R, Coulon N, Roubertoux P. Repint of “Reframing autism as a behavioral syndrome and not a specific mental disorder: Implications of genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity”. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2018; 89:132-150. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2018.01.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Revised: 12/18/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
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11
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Livingston LA, Happé F. Conceptualising compensation in neurodevelopmental disorders: Reflections from autism spectrum disorder. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 80:729-742. [PMID: 28642070 PMCID: PMC7374933 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.06.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 202] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2017] [Revised: 05/25/2017] [Accepted: 06/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Within research into neurodevelopmental disorders, little is known about the mechanisms underpinning changes in symptom severity across development. When the behavioural presentation of a condition improves/symptoms lessen, this may be because core underlying atypicalities in cognition/neural function have ameliorated. An alternative possibility is 'compensation'; that the behavioural presentation appears improved, despite persisting deficits at cognitive and/or neurobiological levels. There is, however, currently no agreed technical definition of compensation or its behavioural, cognitive and neural characteristics. Furthermore, its workings in neurodevelopmental disorders have not been studied directly. Here, we review current evidence for compensation in neurodevelopmental disorders, using Autism Spectrum Disorder as an example, in order to move towards a better conceptualisation of the construct. We propose a transdiagnostic framework, where compensation represents the processes responsible for an observed mismatch between behaviour and underlying cognition in a neurodevelopmental disorder, at any point in development. Further, we explore potential cognitive and neural mechanisms driving compensation and discuss the broader relevance of the concept within research and clinical settings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucy Anne Livingston
- MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
| | - Francesca Happé
- MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, London, SE5 8AF, UK.
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12
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Tordjman S, Cohen D, Coulon N, Anderson GM, Botbol M, Canitano R, Roubertoux PL. Reframing autism as a behavioral syndrome and not a specific mental disorder: Implications of genetic and phenotypic heterogeneity. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2017; 80:210. [PMID: 28153685 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2017.01.030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Revised: 12/18/2016] [Accepted: 01/23/2017] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Clinical and molecular genetics have advanced current knowledge on genetic disorders associated with autism. A review of diverse genetic disorders associated with autism is presented and for the first time discussed extensively with regard to possible common underlying mechanisms leading to a similar cognitive-behavioral phenotype of autism. The possible role of interactions between genetic and environmental factors, including epigenetic mechanisms, is in particular examined. Finally, the pertinence of distinguishing non-syndromic autism (isolated autism) from syndromic autism (autism associated with genetic disorders) will be reconsidered. Given the high genetic and etiological heterogeneity of autism, autism can be viewed as a behavioral syndrome related to known genetic disorders (syndromic autism) or currently unknown disorders (apparent non-syndromic autism), rather than a specific categorical mental disorder. It highlights the need to study autism phenotype and developmental trajectory through a multidimensional, non-categorical approach with multivariate analyses within autism spectrum disorder but also across mental disorders, and to conduct systematically clinical genetic examination searching for genetic disorders in all individuals (children but also adults) with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Tordjman
- Pôle Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Université de Rennes 1 and Centre Hospitalier Guillaume Régnier, 154 rue de Châtillon, 35200 Rennes, France; Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, Université Paris Descartes and CNRS UMR 8158, Paris, France.
| | - D Cohen
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, AP-HP, GH Pitié-Salpétrière, CNRS FRE 2987, Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris, France
| | - N Coulon
- Laboratoire Psychologie de la Perception, Université Paris Descartes and CNRS UMR 8158, Paris, France
| | - G M Anderson
- Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - M Botbol
- Departement Hospitalo-Universitaire de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Université de Bretagne Occidentale, Brest, France
| | - R Canitano
- Division of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry, University Hospital of Siena, Siena, Italy
| | - P L Roubertoux
- Aix Marseille Université, GMGF, Inserm, UMR_S 910, 13385, Marseille, France
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13
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Abstract
Network perspectives, in their emphasis on components and their interactions, might afford the best approach to the complexities of the ASD realm. Categorical approaches are unlikely to be fruitful as one should not expect to find a single or even predominant underlying cause of autism behavior across individuals. It is possible that the complex, highly interactive, heterogeneous and individualistic nature of the autism realm is intractable in terms of identifying clinically useful biomarker tests. It is hopeful from an emergenic perspective that small corrective changes in a single component of a deleterious network/configuration might have large beneficial consequences on developmental trajectories and in later treatment. It is suggested that the relationship between ASD and intellectual disability might be fundamentally different in single-gene versus nonsyndromic ASD. It is strongly stated that available biomarker "tests" for autism/ASD will do more harm than good. Finally, the serotonin-melatonin-oxidative stress-placental intersection might be an especially fruitful area of biological investigation.
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14
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Network Approach to Autistic Traits: Group and Subgroup Analyses of ADOS Item Scores. J Autism Dev Disord 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2537-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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15
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Abstract
Autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) are defined behaviorally, but they also involve multileveled disturbances of underlying biology that find striking parallels in the physiological impacts of electromagnetic frequency and radiofrequency radiation exposures (EMF/RFR). Part I (Vol 776) of this paper reviewed the critical contributions pathophysiology may make to the etiology, pathogenesis and ongoing generation of behaviors currently defined as being core features of ASCs. We reviewed pathophysiological damage to core cellular processes that are associated both with ASCs and with biological effects of EMF/RFR exposures that contribute to chronically disrupted homeostasis. Many studies of people with ASCs have identified oxidative stress and evidence of free radical damage, cellular stress proteins, and deficiencies of antioxidants such as glutathione. Elevated intracellular calcium in ASCs may be due to genetics or may be downstream of inflammation or environmental exposures. Cell membrane lipids may be peroxidized, mitochondria may be dysfunctional, and various kinds of immune system disturbances are common. Brain oxidative stress and inflammation as well as measures consistent with blood-brain barrier and brain perfusion compromise have been documented. Part II of this paper documents how behaviors in ASCs may emerge from alterations of electrophysiological oscillatory synchronization, how EMF/RFR could contribute to these by de-tuning the organism, and policy implications of these vulnerabilities. It details evidence for mitochondrial dysfunction, immune system dysregulation, neuroinflammation and brain blood flow alterations, altered electrophysiology, disruption of electromagnetic signaling, synchrony, and sensory processing, de-tuning of the brain and organism, with autistic behaviors as emergent properties emanating from this pathophysiology. Changes in brain and autonomic nervous system electrophysiological function and sensory processing predominate, seizures are common, and sleep disruption is close to universal. All of these phenomena also occur with EMF/RFR exposure that can add to system overload ('allostatic load') in ASCs by increasing risk, and can worsen challenging biological problems and symptoms; conversely, reducing exposure might ameliorate symptoms of ASCs by reducing obstruction of physiological repair. Various vital but vulnerable mechanisms such as calcium channels may be disrupted by environmental agents, various genes associated with autism or the interaction of both. With dramatic increases in reported ASCs that are coincident in time with the deployment of wireless technologies, we need aggressive investigation of potential ASC-EMF/RFR links. The evidence is sufficient to warrant new public exposure standards benchmarked to low-intensity (non-thermal) exposure levels now known to be biologically disruptive, and strong, interim precautionary practices are advocated.
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16
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Lexical decision as an endophenotype for reading comprehension: an exploration of an association. Dev Psychopathol 2013; 24:1345-60. [PMID: 23062302 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579412000752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Based on numerous suggestions in the literature, we evaluated lexical decision (LD) as a putative endophenotype for reading comprehension by investigating heritability estimates and segregation analyses parameter estimates for both of these phenotypes. Specifically, in a segregation analysis of a large sample of families, we established that there is little to no overlap between genes contributing to LD and reading comprehension and that the genetic mechanism behind LD derived from this analysis appears to be more complex than that for reading comprehension. We conclude that in our sample, LD is not a good candidate as an endophenotype for reading comprehension, despite previous suggestions from the literature. Based on this conclusion, we discuss the role and benefit of the endophenotype approach in studies of complex human cognitive functions.
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17
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Exploring the relationship between autism spectrum disorder and epilepsy using latent class cluster analysis. J Autism Dev Disord 2013; 42:1630-41. [PMID: 22105141 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-011-1402-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
Epilepsy co-occurs frequently in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Understanding this co-occurrence requires a better understanding of the ASD-epilepsy phenotype (or phenotypes). To address this, we conducted latent class cluster analysis (LCCA) on an ASD dataset (N = 577) which included 64 individuals with epilepsy. We identified a 5-cluster solution with one cluster showing a high rate of epilepsy (29%), earlier age at first recognition, and high rates of repetitive object use and unusual sensory interests. We also conducted LCCA on an ASD-epilepsy subset from the overall dataset (N = 64) which yielded three clusters, the largest of which had impairments in language and motor development; the remaining clusters, while not as developmentally impaired were characterized by different levels of repetitive and sensory behaviors.
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18
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Twin Studies in Autism: What Might They Say About Genetic and Environmental Influences. J Autism Dev Disord 2012; 42:1526-7. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-012-1552-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Parsing heterogeneity in autism spectrum disorders: visual scanning of dynamic social scenes in school-aged children. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2012; 51:238-48. [PMID: 22365460 PMCID: PMC3306820 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2011.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 136] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2011] [Revised: 12/12/2011] [Accepted: 12/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine patterns of variability in social visual engagement and their relationship to standardized measures of social disability in a heterogeneous sample of school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). METHOD Eye-tracking measures of visual fixation during free-viewing of dynamic social scenes were obtained for 109 children with ASD (mean age, 10.2 ± 3.2 years), 37 of whom were matched with 26 typically-developing (TD) children (mean age, 9.5 ± 2.2 years) on gender, age, and IQ. The smaller subset allowed between-group comparisons, whereas the larger group was used for within-group examinations of ASD heterogeneity. RESULTS Between-group comparisons revealed significantly attenuated orientation to socially salient aspects of the scenes, with the largest effect size (Cohen's d = 1.5) obtained for reduced fixation on faces. Within-group analyses revealed a robust association between higher fixation on the inanimate environment and greater social disability. However, the associations between fixation on the eyes and mouth and social adaptation varied greatly, even reversing, when comparing different cognitive profile subgroups. CONCLUSIONS Although patterns of social visual engagement with naturalistic social stimuli are profoundly altered in children with ASD, the social adaptivity of these behaviors varies for different groups of children. This variation likely represents different patterns of adaptation and maladaptation that should be traced longitudinally to the first years of life, before complex interactions between early predispositions and compensatory learning take place. We propose that variability in these early mechanisms of socialization may serve as proximal behavioral manifestations of genetic vulnerabilities.
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Parellada M, Moreno C, Mac-Dowell K, Leza JC, Giraldez M, Bailón C, Castro C, Miranda-Azpiazu P, Fraguas D, Arango C. Plasma antioxidant capacity is reduced in Asperger syndrome. J Psychiatr Res 2012; 46:394-401. [PMID: 22225920 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2011.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2011] [Revised: 10/07/2011] [Accepted: 10/13/2011] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that children with autism have impaired detoxification capacity and may suffer from chronic oxidative stress. To our knowledge, there has been no study focusing on oxidative metabolism specifically in Asperger syndrome (a milder form of autism) or comparing this metabolism with other psychiatric disorders. In this study, total antioxidant status (TAOS), non-enzymatic (glutathione and homocysteine) and enzymatic (catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase) antioxidants, and lipid peroxidation were measured in plasma or erythrocyte lysates in a group of adolescent patients with Asperger syndrome, a group of adolescents with a first episode of psychosis, and a group of healthy controls at baseline and at 8-12 weeks. TAOS was also analyzed at 1 year. TAOS was reduced in Asperger individuals compared with healthy controls and psychosis patients, after covarying by age and antipsychotic treatment. This reduced antioxidant capacity did not depend on any of the individual antioxidant variables measured. Psychosis patients had increased homocysteine levels in plasma and decreased copper and ceruloplasmin at baseline. In conclusion, Asperger patients seem to have chronic low detoxifying capacity. No impaired detoxifying capacity was found in the first-episode psychosis group in the first year of illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mara Parellada
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Hospital General Universitario Gregorio Marañón, Centro de Investigación en Red de Salud Mental, CIBERSAM, Dr Esquerdo 46, Madrid, Spain.
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de Bildt A, Mulder EJ, Van Lang ND, de With SJ, Minderaa RB, Stahl SS, Anderson GM. The visual rooting reflex in individuals with autism spectrum disorders and co-occurring intellectual disability. Autism Res 2011; 5:67-72. [DOI: 10.1002/aur.225] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2010] [Accepted: 07/20/2011] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
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Pfaff DW, Rapin I, Goldman S. Male predominance in autism: neuroendocrine influences on arousal and social anxiety. Autism Res 2011; 4:163-76. [PMID: 21465671 DOI: 10.1002/aur.191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 71] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2010] [Accepted: 02/22/2011] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
We offer a neurobiologic theory based on animal work that helps account for the conspicuous male predominance in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). In young male animals, testosterone (TST) binds to androgen receptors (AR) in brainstem neurons responsible for enhancing brain arousal. As a consequence, arousal-related neurotransmitters bombard the amygdala hypersensitized by TST acting though AR. Arousal-related inputs are known to prime amygdaloid mechanisms for fear and anxiety, with resultant social avoidance. We hypothesize that similar mechanisms contribute to autism's male predominance and to its defining impaired social skills. The theory rests on two key interacting factors: the molecular effects of TST in genetically vulnerable boys in combination with environmental stresses they experienced in utero, neonatally, or during the first years. We postulate that higher TST levels and, therefore, higher amounts of arousal-related inputs to the amygdala sensitize these genetically vulnerable male infants to very early stresses. In sharp contrast to boys, girls not only do not have high levels of TST-facilitated arousal-causing inputs to the amygdala but they also enjoy the protection afforded by estrogenic hormones, oxytocin, and the oxytocin receptor. This theory suggests that novel technologies applied to the molecular endocrinology of TST's actions through AR will offer new avenues of enquiry into ASD. Since the high male preponderance in autism is important yet understudied, we offer our theory, which is based on detailed neurobehavioral research with animals, to stimulate basic and clinical research in animals and humans and hopefully help develop novel more effective medical treatments for autism.
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Kamp-Becker I, Smidt J, Ghahreman M, Heinzel-Gutenbrunner M, Becker K, Remschmidt H. Categorical and dimensional structure of autism spectrum disorders: the nosologic validity of Asperger Syndrome. J Autism Dev Disord 2010; 40:921-9. [PMID: 20087640 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-010-0939-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
There is an ongoing debate whether a differentiation of autistic subtypes, especially between Asperger Syndrome (AS) and high-functioning-autism (HFA) is possible and if so, whether it is a categorical or dimensional one. The aim of this study was to examine the possible clustering of responses in different symptom domains without making any assumption concerning diagnostic appreciation. About 140 children and adolescents, incorporating 52 with a diagnosis of AS, 44 with HFA, 8 with atypical autism and 36 with other diagnoses, were examined. Our study does not support the thesis that autistic disorders are discrete phenotypes. On the contrary, it provides evidence that e.g. AS and autism are not qualitatively distinct disorders, but rather different quantitative manifestations of the same disorder.
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Affiliation(s)
- Inge Kamp-Becker
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Philipps-University Marburg, Hans-Sachs-Strasse 6, Marburg, Germany.
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Geurts HM, Broeders M, Nieuwland MS. Thinking outside the executive functions box: Theory of mind and pragmatic abilities in attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.1080/17405620902906965] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Gerrard S, Rugg G. Sensory Impairments and Autism: A Re-Examination of Causal Modelling. J Autism Dev Disord 2009; 39:1449-63. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-009-0773-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2008] [Accepted: 05/20/2009] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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