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Klein CB, Klinger LG. Aging Well and Autism: A Narrative Review and Recommendations for Future Research. Healthcare (Basel) 2024; 12:1207. [PMID: 38921321 PMCID: PMC11203987 DOI: 10.3390/healthcare12121207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2024] [Revised: 06/05/2024] [Accepted: 06/08/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
With autism first recognized in the 1940s, the early cohorts of autistic children are beginning to enter older adulthood. Little is known about the experiences and outcomes of autistic older adults. In the general population, "successful aging" is a dominant model among gerontologists and is used to evaluate outcomes in older adulthood. This narrative review aims to provide a framework for understanding and supporting successful aging in older autistic adults. Using Fernández-Ballesteros' four-domain model of "aging well" we review knowledge on aging and autism by examining outcomes in health and functioning, cognitive and physical functioning, positive affect and control, and social participation and engagement. Findings indicate that outcomes in autistic older adults are generally poor, marked by increased medical conditions, low adaptive skills, elevated risk of cognitive decline, limited physical activity, high rates of mental health conditions, low quality of life, and reduced social or community participation. Patterns of challenges are similar across cognitive abilities and profiles of autistic traits. Challenges and next steps in aging and autism research are identified, and future directions for the field are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claire B. Klein
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA;
- UNC TEACCH Autism Program, Department of Psychiatry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
| | - Laura G. Klinger
- UNC TEACCH Autism Program, Department of Psychiatry, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, USA
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Waldren LH, Leung FYN, Hargitai LD, Burgoyne AP, Liceralde VRT, Livingston LA, Shah P. Unpacking the overlap between Autism and ADHD in adults: A multi-method approach. Cortex 2024; 173:120-137. [PMID: 38387375 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.12.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 02/24/2024]
Abstract
The overlap between Autism and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is widely observed in clinical settings, with growing interest in their co-occurrence in neurodiversity research. Until relatively recently, however, concurrent diagnoses of Autism and ADHD were not possible. This has limited the scope for large-scale research on their cross-condition associations, further stymied by a dearth of open science practices in the neurodiversity field. Additionally, almost all previous research linking Autism and ADHD has focused on children and adolescents, despite them being lifelong conditions. Tackling these limitations in previous research, 5504 adults - including a nationally representative sample of the UK (Study 1; n = 504) and a large pre-registered study (Study 2; n = 5000) - completed well-established self-report measures of Autism and ADHD traits. A series of network analyses unpacked the associations between Autism and ADHD at the individual trait level. Low inter-item connectivity was consistently found between conditions, supporting the distinction between Autism and ADHD as separable constructs. Subjective social enjoyment and hyperactivity-impulsivity traits were most condition-specific to Autism and ADHD, respectively. Traits related to attention control showed the greatest Bridge Expected Influence across conditions, revealing a potential transdiagnostic process underlying the overlap between Autism and ADHD. To investigate this further at the cognitive level, participants completed a large, well-powered, and pre-registered study measuring the relative contributions of Autism and ADHD traits to attention control (Study 3; n = 500). We detected age- and sex-related effects, however, attention control did not account for the covariance between Autism and ADHD traits. We situate our findings and discuss future directions in the cognitive science of Autism, ADHD, and neurodiversity, noting how our open datasets may be used in future research.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Van Rynald T Liceralde
- Department of Psychology and Human Development, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Lucy A Livingston
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Punit Shah
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
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Zhang S, Li H, Li H, Zhao S. The effect of autistic traits on prosocial behavior: The chain mediating role of received social support and perceived social support. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024; 28:600-615. [PMID: 37248706 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231177776] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT There is growing evidence that the defining characteristics of autism spectrum disorder are distributed across the general population; therefore, understanding the correlates of prosocial behavior in individuals with high levels of autistic traits could shed light on autism spectrum disorder and prosocial behavior. In this study, the mechanism underlying the influence of individuals’ autistic traits on their prosocial behavior was explored by conducting a questionnaire survey of 414 Chinese college students. The results showed that autistic traits can influence individuals’ prosocial behavior not only through the separate effects of received social support and perceived social support but also through the chain mediating effects of received social support and perceived social support; however, the direct effect of autistic traits on individuals’ prosocial behavior is not significant. This study is conducive to understanding the internal mechanism underlying the relationship between autistic traits and prosocial behavior. Future work is required to further investigate the clinical autism spectrum disorder samples and cross-cultural applicability of the model found in this study.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hong Li
- South China Normal University, China
| | - Hai Li
- Southern Medical University, China
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Hussein Y, Tripathi U, Choudhary A, Nayak R, Peles D, Rosh I, Rabinski T, Djamus J, Vatine GD, Spiegel R, Garin-Shkolnik T, Stern S. Early maturation and hyperexcitability is a shared phenotype of cortical neurons derived from different ASD-associated mutations. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13:246. [PMID: 37414777 PMCID: PMC10326262 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-023-02535-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/11/2023] [Revised: 06/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized mainly by social and sensory-motor abnormal and repetitive behavior patterns. Over hundreds of genes and thousands of genetic variants were reported to be highly penetrant and causative of ASD. Many of these mutations cause comorbidities such as epilepsy and intellectual disabilities (ID). In this study, we measured cortical neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) of patients with four mutations in the genes GRIN2B, SHANK3, UBTF, as well as chromosomal duplication in the 7q11.23 region and compared them to neurons derived from a first-degree relative without the mutation. Using a whole-cell patch-clamp, we observed that the mutant cortical neurons demonstrated hyperexcitability and early maturation compared to control lines. These changes were characterized by increased sodium currents, increased amplitude and rate of excitatory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs), and more evoked action potentials in response to current stimulation in early-stage cell development (3-5 weeks post differentiation). These changes that appeared in all the different mutant lines, together with previously reported data, indicate that an early maturation and hyperexcitability may be a convergent phenotype of ASD cortical neurons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yara Hussein
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Utkarsh Tripathi
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ashwani Choudhary
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Ritu Nayak
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - David Peles
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Idan Rosh
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Tatiana Rabinski
- The Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences and the Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell (RMSC) Research Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
- The Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell (RMSC) Research Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Jose Djamus
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Gad David Vatine
- The Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences and the Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell (RMSC) Research Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
- The Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell (RMSC) Research Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Ronen Spiegel
- Center for Rare Diseases, Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel
| | | | - Shani Stern
- Sagol Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
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Liu S, Larsson H, Kuja-Halkola R, Lichtenstein P, Butwicka A, Taylor MJ. Age-related physical health of older autistic adults in Sweden: a longitudinal, retrospective, population-based cohort study. THE LANCET. HEALTHY LONGEVITY 2023; 4:e307-e315. [PMID: 37295448 DOI: 10.1016/s2666-7568(23)00067-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/12/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Research of health outcomes in older autistic adults (≥45 years) is concerningly scarce, and little is known about whether intellectual disability and sex affect the health outcomes of this population. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between autism and physical health conditions in older adults and to examine these associations by intellectual disability and sex. METHODS We conducted a longitudinal, retrospective, population-based cohort study of the Swedish population born between Jan 1, 1932, and Dec 31, 1967, using linked data from the nationwide Total Population Register and the National Patient Register. We excluded individuals who died or emigrated before the age of 45 years, or with any chromosomal abnormalities. Follow-up started at age 45 years for all individuals, and ended at emigration, death, or Dec 31, 2013 (the latest date of available follow-up), whichever was soonest. Diagnoses of autism, intellectual disability, 39 age-related physical conditions, and five types of injury (outcomes) were obtained from the National Patient Register. For each outcome, we calculated 25-year cumulative incidence and used Cox models to estimate hazard ratios (HRs). All analyses were repeated separately by intellectual disability and sex. FINDINGS Of 4 200 887 older adults (2 063 718 women [49·1%] and 2 137 169 men [50·9%]) in the study cohort, 5291 (0·1%) had a diagnosis of autism recorded in the National Patient Register. Older autistic adults (median follow-up 8·4 years [IQR 4·2-14·6]) had higher cumulative incidence and HRs of various physical conditions and injuries than their non-autistic counterparts (median follow-up 16·4 years [8·2-24·4]). In autistic individuals, the highest cumulative incidence was observed for bodily injuries (50·0% [95% CI 47·6-52·4]). Conditions that autistic adults were at higher risk of than were non-autistic adults included heart failure (HR 1·89 [95% CI 1·61-2·22]), cystitis (2·03 [1·66-2·49]), glucose dysregulation (2·96 [2·04-4·29]), iron deficiency anaemia (3·12 [2·65-3·68]), poisoning (4·63 [4·13-5·18]), and self-harm (7·08 [6·24-8·03]). These increased risks mainly persisted regardless of intellectual disability or sex. INTERPRETATION Our data indicate that older autistic adults are at substantially increased risk of age-related physical conditions and injuries compared with non-autistic adults. These findings highlight the need for collaborative efforts from researchers, health services, and policy makers to provide older autistic individuals with the necessary support to attain healthy longevity and a high quality of life. FUNDING Swedish Research Council, Servier Affaires Medicales. TRANSLATION For the Swedish translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shengxin Liu
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden.
| | - Henrik Larsson
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden; School of Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Ralf Kuja-Halkola
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Paul Lichtenstein
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
| | - Agnieszka Butwicka
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden; Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Stockholm, Stockholm Health Care Services, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Biostatistics and Translational Medicine, Medical University of Lodz, Lodz, Poland; Department of Child Psychiatry, Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Mark J Taylor
- Department of Medical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Solna, Sweden
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Guo D, Yang X, Gao M, Chen X, Tang Y, Shen L, Li K, Shi L. Deficiency of Autism-Related Gene Dock4 Leads to Impaired Spatial Memory and Hippocampal Function in Mice at Late Middle Age. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2023; 43:1129-1146. [PMID: 35635601 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-022-01233-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that lasts lifelong and causes noticeably higher premature mortality. Although the core symptoms and other behavioral deficits of ASD can persist or be deteriorated from early development to old age, how aging affects the behaviors and brain anatomy in ASD is largely unknown. DOCK4 is an ASD risk gene highly expressed in the hippocampus, and Dock4 knockout (KO) mice display ASD-like behaviors in adulthood (4- to 6-month-old). In this study, we evaluated the behavioral and hippocampal pathological changes of late-middle-aged (15- to 17-month-old) Dock4 male KO mice. Aged Dock4 KO mice continuously showed similar social deficit, elevated anxiety, and disrupted object location memory as observed in the adulthood, when compared to their wild-type (WT) littermates. Notably, Dock4 KO mice displayed an age-related decline of hippocampal dependent spatial memory, showing decreased spatial memory in Barnes maze than their WT littermates at late middle age. Morphological analysis from WT and Dock4 KO littermates revealed that Dock4 deficiency led to decreased mature neurons and oligodendrocytes but increased astrocytes in the hippocampus of late-middle-aged mice. Together, we report that ASD-like behaviors mostly persist into late-middle age in Dock4 KO mice, with specific alterations of spatial memory and hippocampal anatomy by age, thus providing new evidence for understanding age differences in behavioral deficits of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daji Guo
- Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
| | - Xiaoman Yang
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Ming Gao
- Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Xiaoqing Chen
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Yanping Tang
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Lingling Shen
- Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China
| | - Keshen Li
- Clinical Neuroscience Institute, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
- Department of Neurology and Stroke Center, The First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
| | - Lei Shi
- JNU-HKUST Joint Laboratory for Neuroscience and Innovative Drug Research, College of Pharmacy, Jinan University, Guangzhou, 510632, Guangdong, China.
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Stewart GR, Corbett A, Ballard C, Creese B, Aarsland D, Hampshire A, Brooker H, Charlton RA, Happé F. The cognitive profile of middle-aged and older adults with high vs. low autistic traits. Autism Res 2023; 16:429-440. [PMID: 36454212 PMCID: PMC10947177 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2866] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 11/21/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Cognitive differences in memory, information processing speed (IPS), and executive functions (EF), are common in autistic and high autistic trait populations. Despite memory, IPS and EF being sensitive to age-related change, little is known about the cognitive profile of older adults with high autistic traits. This study explores cross-sectional memory, IPS and EF task performance in a large sample of older adults in the online PROTECT cohort (n = 22,285, aged 50-80 years), grouped by high vs. low autistic traits. Approximately 1% of PROTECT participants (n = 325) endorsed high autistic traits [henceforth Autism Spectrum Trait (AST) group]. Differences between AST and age-, gender-, and education-matched comparison older adults (COA; n = 11,744) were explored on memory, IPS and EF tasks and questionnaires administered online. AST had lower performance than COA on tasks measuring memory, working memory, sustained attention, and information processing. No group differences were observed in simple attention or verbal reasoning. A similar pattern of results was observed when controlling for age, and current depression and anxiety symptoms. In addition, AST self-reported more cognitive decline than COA, but this difference was not significant when controlling for current depression symptoms, or when using informant-report. These findings suggest that autistic traits are associated with cognitive function in middle-aged and later life. Older adults with high autistic traits experienced more performance difficulties in a range of memory, IPS and EF tasks compared with the low autistic traits comparison group. Further longitudinal work is needed to examine age-related change in both older autistic and autistic trait populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavin R. Stewart
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | - Anne Corbett
- College of Medicine and HealthUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | - Clive Ballard
- College of Medicine and HealthUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | - Byron Creese
- College of Medicine and HealthUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | - Dag Aarsland
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
| | | | - Helen Brooker
- College of Medicine and HealthUniversity of ExeterExeterUK
| | | | - Francesca Happé
- Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & NeuroscienceKing's College LondonLondonUK
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Davide G, Rebecca C, Irene P, Luciano C, Francesco R, Marta N, Miriam O, Natascia B, Pierluigi P. Epigenetics of Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Multi-level Analysis Combining Epi-signature, Age Acceleration, Epigenetic Drift and Rare Epivariations Using Public Datasets. Curr Neuropharmacol 2023; 21:2362-2373. [PMID: 37489793 PMCID: PMC10556384 DOI: 10.2174/1570159x21666230725142338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2022] [Revised: 12/09/2022] [Accepted: 12/17/2022] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epigenetics of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) is still an understudied field. The majority of the studies on the topic used an approach based on mere classification of cases and controls. OBJECTIVE The present study aimed at providing a multi-level approach in which different types of epigenetic analysis (epigenetic drift, age acceleration) are combined. METHODS We used publicly available datasets from blood (n = 3) and brain tissues (n = 3), separately. Firstly, we evaluated for each dataset and meta-analyzed the differential methylation profile between cases and controls. Secondly, we analyzed age acceleration, epigenetic drift and rare epigenetic variations. RESULTS We observed a significant epi-signature of ASD in blood but not in brain specimens. We did not observe significant age acceleration in ASD, while epigenetic drift was significantly higher compared to controls. We reported the presence of significant rare epigenetic variations in 41 genes, 35 of which were never associated with ASD. Almost all genes were involved in pathways linked to ASD etiopathogenesis (i.e., neuronal development, mitochondrial metabolism, lipid biosynthesis and antigen presentation). CONCLUSION Our data support the hypothesis of the use of blood epi-signature as a potential tool for diagnosis and prognosis of ASD. The presence of an enhanced epigenetic drift, especially in brain, which is linked to cellular replication, may suggest that alteration in epigenetics may occur at a very early developmental stage (i.e., fetal) when neuronal replication is still high.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gentilini Davide
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
- Bioinformatics and Statistical Genomics Unit, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, 20090, Italy
| | - Cavagnola Rebecca
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Possenti Irene
- Department of Statistical Sciences Paolo Fortunati, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Calzari Luciano
- Bioinformatics and Statistical Genomics Unit, IRCCS Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Milan, 20090, Italy
| | - Ranucci Francesco
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Nola Marta
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Olivola Miriam
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Brondino Natascia
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
| | - Politi Pierluigi
- Department of Brain and Behavioral Sciences, University of Pavia, Pavia, 27100, Italy
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Salih A, Galazzo IB, Petersen SE, Lekadir K, Radeva P, Menegaz G, Altmann A. Telomere length is causally connected to brain MRI image derived phenotypes: A mendelian randomization study. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0277344. [PMID: 36399449 PMCID: PMC9674175 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0277344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/17/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent evidence suggests that shorter telomere length (TL) is associated with neuro degenerative diseases and aging related outcomes. The causal association between TL and brain characteristics represented by image derived phenotypes (IDPs) from different magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) modalities remains unclear. Here, we use two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) to systematically assess the causal relationships between TL and 3,935 brain IDPs. Overall, the MR results suggested that TL was causally associated with 193 IDPs with majority representing diffusion metrics in white matter tracts. 68 IDPs were negatively associated with TL indicating that longer TL causes decreasing in these IDPs, while the other 125 were associated positively (longer TL leads to increased IDPs measures). Among them, ten IDPs have been previously reported as informative biomarkers to estimate brain age. However, the effect direction between TL and IDPs did not reflect the observed direction between aging and IDPs: longer TL was associated with decreases in fractional anisotropy and increases in axial, radial and mean diffusivity. For instance, TL was positively associated with radial diffusivity in the left perihippocampal cingulum tract and with mean diffusivity in right perihippocampal cingulum tract. Our results revealed a causal role of TL on white matter integrity which makes it a valuable factor to be considered when brain age is estimated and investigated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Salih
- Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | | | - Steffen E. Petersen
- William Harvey Research Institute, NIHR Barts Biomedical Research Centre, Queen Mary University of London, London, United Kingdom
- Barts Heart Centre, St Bartholomew’s Hospital, Barts Health NHS Trust, London, United Kingdom
| | - Karim Lekadir
- Dept. de Matemàtiques i Informàtica, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Petia Radeva
- Dept. de Matemàtiques i Informàtica, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Gloria Menegaz
- Department of Computer Science, University of Verona, Verona, Italy
| | - André Altmann
- Centre for Medical Image Computing (CMIC), Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
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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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