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Clements CC, Ascunce K, Nelson CA. In Context: A Developmental Model of Reward Processing, With Implications for Autism and Sensitive Periods. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 2023; 62:1200-1216. [PMID: 36336205 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaac.2022.07.861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Revised: 07/15/2022] [Accepted: 10/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Differences in reward processing have been associated with numerous psychiatric disorders, including autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Many attempts to understand reward processing characterize differences in clinical populations after disorder onset; however, divergence may begin much earlier. In fact, the typical developmental progression of reward processing in infancy and early childhood is poorly understood. We re-conceptualize classic infant developmental constructs such as preferential looking into a Six-Component Developmental Model of Reward Processing: an infant- and young child-focused framework to guide research and assessment of reward processing across development. METHOD The extant developmental literature including recent textbooks, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses was reviewed to build a conceptual framework. We describe experimental paradigms to assess each developmental component of reward processing longitudinally from infancy. A timeline of each component's emergence was estimated. RESULTS Six components of reward processing were identified-association, discrimination, preference/valuation, effort, anticipation, and response. Selected evidence suggests emergence between birth and 6 months. Application of this model to autism led to a reinterpretation of existing disparate results, and illuminated a path to study the developmental processes underlying a popular hypothesis of autism, the motivation hypothesis. Current evidence further suggests that a sensitive period may exist for the emergence of reward processing. CONCLUSION The proposed framework offers a useful reconceptualization of the extant literature. Future longitudinal work using the suggested experimental paradigms with high-risk populations could elucidate the developmental trajectory of the components and timing of potential sensitive period(s) for each component.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin C Clements
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Massachusetts.
| | | | - Charles A Nelson
- Laboratories of Cognitive Neuroscience, Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Massachusetts; Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts; Harvard Graduate School of Education, Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Dawson G, Rieder AD, Johnson MH. Prediction of autism in infants: progress and challenges. Lancet Neurol 2023; 22:244-254. [PMID: 36427512 PMCID: PMC10100853 DOI: 10.1016/s1474-4422(22)00407-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Revised: 09/17/2022] [Accepted: 09/27/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (henceforth autism) is a neurodevelopmental condition that can be reliably diagnosed in children by age 18-24 months. Prospective longitudinal studies of infants aged 1 year and younger who are later diagnosed with autism are elucidating the early developmental course of autism and identifying ways of predicting autism before diagnosis is possible. Studies that use MRI, EEG, and near-infrared spectroscopy have identified differences in brain development in infants later diagnosed with autism compared with infants without autism. Retrospective studies of infants younger than 1 year who received a later diagnosis of autism have also showed an increased prevalence of health conditions, such as sleep disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, and vision problems. Behavioural features of infants later diagnosed with autism include differences in attention, vocalisations, gestures, affect, temperament, social engagement, sensory processing, and motor abilities. Although research findings offer insight on promising screening approaches for predicting autism in infants, individual-level predictions remain a future goal. Multiple scientific challenges and ethical questions remain to be addressed to translate research on early brain-based and behavioural predictors of autism into feasible and reliable screening tools for clinical practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geraldine Dawson
- Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Amber D Rieder
- Duke Center for Autism and Brain Development, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA; Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Mark H Johnson
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK; Centre for Brain and Cognitive Development, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
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Hadders‐Algra M. Emerging signs of autism spectrum disorder in infancy: Putative neural substrate. Dev Med Child Neurol 2022; 64:1344-1350. [PMID: 35801808 PMCID: PMC9796067 DOI: 10.1111/dmcn.15333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/21/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/30/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by altered development of the social brain with prominent atypical features in the fronto-temporo-parietal cortex and cerebellum. Early signs of ASD emerge between 6 and 12 months: reduced social communication, slightly less advanced motor development, and repetitive behaviour. The fronto-temporo-parietal cortex and cerebellum play a prominent role in the development of social communication, whereas fronto-parietal-cerebellar networks are involved in the planning of movements, that is, movement selection. Atypical sensory responsivity, a core feature of ASD, may result in impaired development of social communication and motor skills and/or selection of atypical repetitive behaviour. In the first postnatal year, the brain areas involved are characterized by gradual dissolution of temporary structures: the fronto-temporo-parietal cortical subplate and cerebellar external granular layer. It is hypothesized that altered dissolution of the transient structures opens the window for the expression of early signs of ASD arising in the impaired developing permanent networks. WHAT THIS PAPER ADDS: The early social and motor signs of autism spectrum disorder emerge between the ages of 6 and 12 months. Altered dissolution of transient brain structures in the fronto-temporo-parietal cortex and cerebellum may underlie the emergence of these early signs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mijna Hadders‐Algra
- University of Groningen, University Medical Center GroningenDepartment of Paediatrics, Section of Developmental NeurologyGroningenthe Netherlands,University of Groningen, Faculty of Theology and Religious StudiesGroningenthe Netherlands
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Derakhshanrad SA, Piven E, Zeynalzadeh Ghoochani B. The relationship between sensory experiences and social functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2022; 70:632-640. [PMID: 38983486 PMCID: PMC11229742 DOI: 10.1080/20473869.2022.2128553] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2022] [Accepted: 09/20/2022] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Objective: This study was undertaken to substantiate the connection between sensory experiences and social functioning among 142 children ages 4-10 years with autism spectrum disorder. Methods: Using an online cross-sectional survey, mothers' perceptions of sensory and social characteristics of their children on parent-reported measures of sensory experiences and social functioning were collected. Findings: Using SPSS software to follow the related descriptive statistics and correlational analysis, the results indicated that children had different levels of challenging sensory experiences and social interaction difficulties. It was revealed that higher intensities of sensory issues were associated with lower levels of functioning and greater social interaction difficulties. Further analysis revealed that less awkward, unpleasant experiences in the auditory and tactile sensory functioning correlated with less social difficulties. Conclusions: Given that no causal relationship could be drawn in this study, the findings complemented those of earlier studies, which suggest engagement in social interactions may be correlated with sensory response patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seyed Alireza Derakhshanrad
- Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Emily Piven
- Occupational Therapy Doctoral Program, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences, St Augustine, FL, USA
| | - Bahareh Zeynalzadeh Ghoochani
- Department of Occupational Therapy, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
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Jameson C, Boulton KA, Silove N, Guastella AJ. Eczema and related atopic diseases are associated with increased symptom severity in children with autism spectrum disorder. Transl Psychiatry 2022; 12:415. [PMID: 36171195 PMCID: PMC9519885 DOI: 10.1038/s41398-022-02185-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2022] [Revised: 09/08/2022] [Accepted: 09/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Growing evidence indicates that autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has diverse genetic, neurological, and environmental factors that contribute to its neurodevelopmental course. Interestingly, childhood ASD is often accompanied by skin disorders, such as eczema, and other related atopic manifestations. This link may be due to the shared embryonic origin of epidermal and neural tissue. Accordingly, we consider the potential influence of a skin-brain co-vulnerability and ensuing atopic cascade on ASD symptomatology by investigating whether atopic disorders (asthma, allergies, eczema and hay fever) are associated with increased symptom severity in children with ASD. Overall, 45 atopic and 93 non-atopic children with ASD were assessed using the ADOS-2 on scores of total, social and non-social symptoms. Differences in ASD symptom severity were further evaluated as a function of atopic disease type. Atopic children displayed greater symptom severity overall and in the social domain, relative to non-atopic participants. Atopic children were 2.4 times more likely to experience overall impairments classified within the ADOS-2 highest-level severity bracket and 2.7 times more likely to show social difficulties in this range. Moreover, those reporting comorbid eczema displayed increased symptom severity relative to both their non-atopic peers and those reporting asthma and allergies. Taken together, findings indicate that atopic disorders, and particularly comorbid eczema, are associated with increases in ASD symptom severity. Findings provide grounds for future investigations into this link between childhood skin diseases and ASD symptom severity to advance our understanding of neurodevelopment and to develop targeted assessment and intervention opportunities.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Jameson
- grid.1013.30000 0004 1936 834XClinic for Autism and Neurodevelopment (CAN) Research, Brain and Mind Centre, Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - K. A. Boulton
- grid.1013.30000 0004 1936 834XClinic for Autism and Neurodevelopment (CAN) Research, Brain and Mind Centre, Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia ,grid.1013.30000 0004 1936 834XChild Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
| | - N. Silove
- grid.1013.30000 0004 1936 834XChild Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia ,grid.413973.b0000 0000 9690 854XChild Development Unit, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Westmead, NSW 2145 Australia
| | - A. J. Guastella
- grid.1013.30000 0004 1936 834XClinic for Autism and Neurodevelopment (CAN) Research, Brain and Mind Centre, Children’s Hospital Westmead Clinical School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia ,grid.1013.30000 0004 1936 834XChild Neurodevelopment and Mental Health Team, Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney, Camperdown, Australia
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Wen TH, Cheng A, Andreason C, Zahiri J, Xiao Y, Xu R, Bao B, Courchesne E, Barnes CC, Arias SJ, Pierce K. Large scale validation of an early-age eye-tracking biomarker of an autism spectrum disorder subtype. Sci Rep 2022; 12:4253. [PMID: 35277549 PMCID: PMC8917231 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-08102-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Few clinically validated biomarkers of ASD exist which can rapidly, accurately, and objectively identify autism during the first years of life and be used to support optimized treatment outcomes and advances in precision medicine. As such, the goal of the present study was to leverage both simple and computationally-advanced approaches to validate an eye-tracking measure of social attention preference, the GeoPref Test, among 1,863 ASD, delayed, or typical toddlers (12-48 months) referred from the community or general population via a primary care universal screening program. Toddlers participated in diagnostic and psychometric evaluations and the GeoPref Test: a 1-min movie containing side-by-side dynamic social and geometric images. Following testing, diagnosis was denoted as ASD, ASD features, LD, GDD, Other, typical sibling of ASD proband, or typical. Relative to other diagnostic groups, ASD toddlers exhibited the highest levels of visual attention towards geometric images and those with especially high fixation levels exhibited poor clinical profiles. Using the 69% fixation threshold, the GeoPref Test had 98% specificity, 17% sensitivity, 81% PPV, and 65% NPV. Sensitivity increased to 33% when saccades were included, with comparable validity across sex, ethnicity, or race. The GeoPref Test was also highly reliable up to 24 months following the initial test. Finally, fixation levels among twins concordant for ASD were significantly correlated, indicating that GeoPref Test performance may be genetically driven. As the GeoPref Test yields few false positives (~ 2%) and is equally valid across demographic categories, the current findings highlight the ability of the GeoPref Test to rapidly and accurately detect autism before the 2nd birthday in a subset of children and serve as a biomarker for a unique ASD subtype in clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Teresa H Wen
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, 8110 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
| | - Amanda Cheng
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, 8110 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Charlene Andreason
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, 8110 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Javad Zahiri
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, 8110 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Yaqiong Xiao
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, 8110 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Ronghui Xu
- Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Department of Mathematics, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Bokan Bao
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, 8110 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
- Department of Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Eric Courchesne
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, 8110 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Cynthia Carter Barnes
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, 8110 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Steven J Arias
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, 8110 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Karen Pierce
- Autism Center of Excellence, Department of Neurosciences, University of California, San Diego, 8110 La Jolla Shores Dr., La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA.
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