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Larkin F, Ralston B, Dinsdale SJ, Kimura S, Hayiou-Thomas ME. Alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty predict somatic symptoms in autistic and non-autistic adults. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2023; 27:602-615. [PMID: 35841153 PMCID: PMC10076343 DOI: 10.1177/13623613221109717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Autistic people have more physical health problems than non-autistic people. We were interested in whether autistic people experience more discomfort in their bodies than non-autistic people and whether certain psychological traits contribute to that. A survey was completed online by older adolescents and adults, 51 of whom were autistic, 32 of whom thought they might be autistic but were not diagnosed and 119 who were not autistic. They completed measures of somatic symptoms (daily experience of pain, discomfort, dizziness), alexithymia (difficulty identifying and expressing feelings), interoception (how much people are aware of their bodies) and intolerance of uncertainty (how people handle doubt or uncertainty), and reported any physical or mental health conditions. We found that the autistic participants had more physical and mental health conditions than the non-autistic participants, but even when we took account of this, they experienced higher levels of somatic symptoms. We looked at which psychological factors influenced levels of somatic symptoms across the whole sample, and found that alexithymia, intolerance of uncertainty, having physical health problems, being female and the number of mental health conditions predicted somatic symptoms, while interoception and autism diagnosis did not. The findings suggest that people may be more likely to experience physical discomfort if they are female, and have difficulty identifying and expressing feeling and difficulty tolerating doubt. As these psychological factors are more prominent in autism, we think this is important for physical and mental health providers to know about, so that these psychological factors can be considered when assessing and treating autistic people.
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Association between autistic traits and binge drinking: Findings from Japan. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2023; 58:217-226. [PMID: 35610390 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-022-02299-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/18/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Substance misuse may be elevated in some individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As yet, however, little is known about the association between autistic traits (AT) and substance use/misuse in adults. This study examined the association between AT and binge drinking (BD) among individuals in Japan. METHODS Data were analyzed from 1452 individuals aged 18 and above collected during an online survey in February 2021. Self-reported information was obtained on BD assessed as consuming 5 or more (males) or 4 or more (females) drinks containing any kind of alcohol within a 2-h period. AT were assessed with the Japanese version of the Autism Spectrum Quotient - the AQ-J-10. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine associations. RESULTS The prevalence of past-month BD was significantly higher in individuals with AT compared to those without AT (42.7% > 27.6%). In a fully adjusted analysis that controlled for mental health (anxiety, depression) and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms, individuals with AT had significantly higher odds for BD once a week or more often (OR: 1.54, 95%CI: 1.04-2.29). AT were also associated with significantly higher odds for BD among women (OR: 2.27, 95%CI: 1.08-4.76), and those aged 18-34 (OR: 2.37, 95%CI: 1.09-5.18) and aged 60 and above (OR: 2.15, 95%CI: 1.02-4.53). CONCLUSION Individuals with AT have higher odds for BD. Increased efforts to detect alcohol use/misuse in adults with AT and AT in adults misusing alcohol may be efficacious in efforts to manage symptoms and eliminate harmful alcohol misuse.
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Autism traits and real-world executive functioning in parents of children with disabilities and undergraduates. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-04097-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Mason D, Stewart GR, Capp SJ, Happé F. Older Age Autism Research: A Rapidly Growing Field, but Still a Long Way to Go. AUTISM IN ADULTHOOD 2022; 4:164-172. [PMID: 36605971 PMCID: PMC9645679 DOI: 10.1089/aut.2021.0041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Background There is a paucity of research involving older autistic people, as highlighted in a number of systematic reviews. However, it is less clear whether this is changing, and what the trends might be in research on autism in later life. Methods We conducted a broad review of the literature by examining the number of results from a search in three databases (PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO) across four age groups: childhood, adolescence, adulthood, and older age. We also examined the abstracts of all the included articles for the older age group and categorized them under broad themes. Results Our database search identified 145 unique articles on autism in older age, with an additional 67 found by the authors (hence, the total number of articles in this review is 212). Since 2012, we found a 392% increase in research with older autistic people, versus 196% increase for childhood/early life, 253% for adolescence, and 264% for adult research. We identify 2012 as a point at which, year-on-year, older age autism research started increasing, with the most commonly researched areas being cognition, the brain, and genetics. However, older adult research only accounted for 0.4% of published autism studies over the past decade. Conclusions This increase reflects a positive change in the research landscape, although research with children continues to dominate. We also note the difficulty of identifying papers relevant to older age autism research, and propose that a new keyword could be created to increase the visibility and accessibility of research in this steadily growing area.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Mason
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Address correspondence to: David Mason, MSc, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
| | - Gavin Robert Stewart
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Address correspondence to: Gavin Robert Stewart, PhD, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, De Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF, United Kingdom
| | - Simone Josephine Capp
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Francesca Happé
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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Real-World Executive Functioning and Subclinical Autism Traits in Autism Parents, Other Disability Parents, and Non-Clinical Undergraduates. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-022-02740-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Mason D, Ronald A, Ambler A, Caspi A, Houts R, Poulton R, Ramrakha S, Wertz J, Moffitt TE, Happé F. Autistic traits are associated with faster pace of aging: Evidence from the Dunedin study at age 45. Autism Res 2021; 14:1684-1694. [PMID: 34042279 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/11/2020] [Revised: 03/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Growing evidence indicates that the defining characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are distributed throughout the general population; hence, understanding the correlates of aging in people with high autistic traits could shed light on ASD and aging. 915 members of the Dunedin longitudinal birth cohort completed a measure of autistic traits at age 45. A composite measure of the "pace of aging" was derived by tracking the decline in 19 biomarkers across ages 26, 32, 38, and 45 years. Facial age was also assessed. Reports of perceived health were collected from participants themselves, informants, and interviewers. Higher self-reported autistic traits significantly correlated with a faster pace of aging, older facial age, and poorer self-, informant-, and interviewer-rated health. After control for sex, SES and IQ, autistic traits were significantly associated with each variable: pace of aging (β = 0.09), facial age (β = 0.08), self- (β = -0.15), informant (β = -0.12), and interviewer-rated (β = -0.17) health. Autistic traits measured at age 45 are associated with faster aging. Participants with high autistic traits appear to be more vulnerable to poor health outcomes, as previously reported for those clinically diagnosed with ASD. Therefore, autistic traits may have important health implications. Replicating these findings in samples of autistic people is needed to identify the mechanism of their effect on aging and physical health to improve outcomes for those with ASD diagnoses or high autistic traits. LAY SUMMARY: The role that autistic traits have in relation to health outcomes has not been investigated. We looked at how physical health and aging (measured with self-reported questions and decline in multiple biological measures) were related to autistic traits (measured with a questionnaire, at age 45). We found that higher autistic traits were associated with poorer reports of physical health, and a faster pace of aging. This suggests that both those with autism and those with higher autistic traits may be more likely to experience poorer health outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- David Mason
- Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Angelica Ronald
- Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck University of London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Antony Ambler
- Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Avshalom Caspi
- Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,PROMENTA Center, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Renate Houts
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Richie Poulton
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Sandhya Ramrakha
- Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Research Unit, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Jasmin Wertz
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Terrie E Moffitt
- Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Center for Genomic and Computational Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,PROMENTA Center, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Francesca Happé
- Social, Genetic, and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
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Xie X, Li L, Wu H, Hou F, Chen Y, Xue Q, Zhou Y, Zhang J, Gong J, Song R. Comprehensive Integrative Analyses Identify TIGD5 rs75547282 as a Risk Variant for Autism Spectrum Disorder. Autism Res 2021; 14:631-644. [PMID: 33393181 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2466] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 12/16/2020] [Accepted: 12/21/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Although recent genome-wide association studies have identified risk loci that strongly associates with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), how to pinpoint the causal genes remains a challenge. We aimed to pinpoint the potential causal genes and explore the possible susceptibility and mechanism. A convergent functional genomics (CFG) method was used to prioritize the candidate genes by combining lines of evidence, including Sherlock analysis, spatio-temporal expression patterns, expression analysis, protein-protein interactions, co-expression and association with brain structure. A higher score in the CFG approach suggested that more evidence supported this gene as an ASD risk gene. We screened genes with higher CFG scores for candidate functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). A genotyping experiment (602 ASD children and 604 healthy sex-matched children) and the dual-luciferase reporter gene assay were followed to validate the effects of SNPs. We identified three genes (MAPT, ZNF285, and TIGD5) as candidate causal genes using the CFG approach. The genotyping experiment showed that TIGD5 rs75547282 was associated with an increased risk of ASD under the dominant model (OR = 1.37, 95% CI = 1.09-1.72, P = 0.006) though the statistical power was limited (5.2%). The T allele of rs75547282 activated the expression of TIGD5 compared with the C allele in the dual-luciferase reporter assay. Our study indicates that such comprehensive integrative analyses may be an effective way to explore promising ASD susceptibility variants and needs to be further investigated in future research. Genotyping experiments should, however, be based on a larger population sample to increase statistical power. LAY SUMMARY: We set out to pinpoint the potential causal genes of ASD and explore the possible susceptibility and mechanism by combining lines of evidence from different analyses. Our results show that TIGD5 rs75547282 is associated with the risk of ASD in the Han Chinese population. In addition, a similar framework to seek promising ASD risk variants could be further investigated in future research Autism Res 2021, 14: 631-644. © 2021 International Society for Autism Research and Wiley Periodicals LLC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xinyan Xie
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Li Li
- Maternity and Children Health Care Hospital of Luohu District, Shenzhen, China
| | - Hao Wu
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Fang Hou
- Maternity and Children Health Care Hospital of Luohu District, Shenzhen, China
| | - Yanlin Chen
- Maternity and Children Health Care Hospital of Luohu District, Shenzhen, China
| | - Qi Xue
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yu Zhou
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiajia Zhang
- Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, 29208, USA
| | - Jianhua Gong
- Maternity and Children Health Care Hospital of Luohu District, Shenzhen, China
| | - Ranran Song
- Department of Maternal and Child Health and MOE (Ministry of Education) Key Lab of Environment and Health, School of Public Health, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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