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Shan J, Gu Y, Zhang J, Hu X, Wu H, Yuan T, Zhao D. A scoping review of physiological biomarkers in autism. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1269880. [PMID: 37746140 PMCID: PMC10512710 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1269880] [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] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 08/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by pervasive deficits in social interaction, communication impairments, and the presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors. This complex disorder is a significant public health concern due to its escalating incidence and detrimental impact on quality of life. Currently, extensive investigations are underway to identify prospective susceptibility or predictive biomarkers, employing a physiological biomarker-based framework. However, knowledge regarding physiological biomarkers in relation to Autism is sparse. We performed a scoping review to explore putative changes in physiological activities associated with behaviors in individuals with Autism. We identified studies published between January 2000 and June 2023 from online databases, and searched keywords included electroencephalography (EEG), magnetoencephalography (MEG), electrodermal activity markers (EDA), eye-tracking markers. We specifically detected social-related symptoms such as impaired social communication in ASD patients. Our results indicated that the EEG/ERP N170 signal has undergone the most rigorous testing as a potential biomarker, showing promise in identifying subgroups within ASD and displaying potential as an indicator of treatment response. By gathering current data from various physiological biomarkers, we can obtain a comprehensive understanding of the physiological profiles of individuals with ASD, offering potential for subgrouping and targeted intervention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiatong Shan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Brain Health Institute, National Center for Mental Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
- Department of Arts and Sciences, New York University Shanghai, Shanghai, China
| | - Yunhao Gu
- Graduate School of Education, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
| | - Jie Zhang
- Department of Neurology, Institute of Neurology, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xiaoqing Hu
- Department of Psychology, The State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- HKU, Shenzhen Institute of Research and Innovation, Shenzhen, China
| | - Haiyan Wu
- Center for Cognitive and Brain Sciences and Department of Psychology, Macau, China
| | - Tifei Yuan
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Brain Health Institute, National Center for Mental Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Di Zhao
- Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Brain Health Institute, National Center for Mental Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
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Sadigurschi N, Scrift G, Hirrlinger J, Golan HM. Genetic impairment of folate metabolism regulates cortical interneurons and social behavior. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1203262. [PMID: 37449270 PMCID: PMC10338116 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1203262] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/10/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The implications of folate deficiency in neuropsychiatric disorders were demonstrated in numerous studies. Genetic deficiency in a key folate metabolism enzyme, MTHFR, is an example of the interaction between genetic and environmental risk factors: the maternal MTHFR deficiency governs in-utero nutrient availability, and the embryo's Mthfr genotype influences its ability to metabolize folates. Here, we explore how the maternal and offspring Mthfr genotypes affect cortical interneuron densities and distributions, mouse social outcome, and the relation of the different interneuron patterns to cortical excitability. Methods Two experiments were conducted to examine the effects of maternal and offspring Mthfr-KO heterozygosity. Mice were tested for direct social interactions (DSIs), repetitive behavior and cortical laminar distribution of interneuron populations expressing glutamate-decarboxylase-65, parvalbumin and somatostatin. Susceptibility to seizure was tested by exposure to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ). Results Maternal Mthfr+/- genotype was associated with suppressed social activities and reduced interneuron densities in all layers of the retrosplenial cortex (RSC). Somatostatin density and the somatostatin/parvalbumin ratio in the RSC and frontal cortex positively correlated with social behavior in the mice. An interaction between maternal and offspring Mthfr genotypes resulted in higher susceptibility of wild-type offspring to PTZ induced seizure. Discussion Maternal folate metabolism was shown to be critical to interneuron ontogenesis. Our results demonstrate that interneurons have a specific susceptibility to folate deficiency that may mediate folate's involvement in neuropsychiatric disease. The relations between cortical somatostatin interneuron patterns and social behavior highlight this subpopulation of interneurons as a target for further research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Noa Sadigurschi
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Gilad Scrift
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
| | - Johannes Hirrlinger
- Carl-Ludwig-Institute for Physiology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Neurogenetics, Max-Planck-Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Hava M. Golan
- Department of Physiology and Cell Biology, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
- Azrieli National Center for Autism and Neurodevelopment Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel
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Kurokami T, Kobayashi H, Nakajima M, Mikami M, Koeda T. Establishment of an objective index for the diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder by the continuous performance test "MOGRAZ". Brain Dev 2022; 44:664-671. [PMID: 35879141 DOI: 10.1016/j.braindev.2022.07.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 07/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The diagnosis of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) in Japan is mainly based on information obtained from caregivers. There is therefore a need to establish an objectivity index that can be easily used in clinical practice. The purpose of the study was to create a predictive model for the diagnosis of AD/HD using the MOGRAZ, a visual continuous performance test developed in Japan. METHODS We collected data from an AD/HD group and a non-AD/HD group. The AD/HD group included 75 children with predominantly inattentive type AD/HD and 48 with combined type AD/HD who were aged 6 to 12 years and diagnosed at our department. The non-AD/HD group included 153 Japanese children aged 6 to 11 years enrolled in regular classes at a public elementary school. In both groups, multiple logistic regression analysis was performed using the results of MOGRAZ, age, and sex as parameters, and algorithms for a predictive diagnostic model of AD/HD were created. RESULTS The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC-AUC) between the predominantly inattentive type AD/HD subgroup and non-AD/HD group was 0.884 (95% confidence interval: 0.837-0.932), and the ROC-AUC between the combined type AD/HD subgroup and non-AD/HD group was 0.914 (95% CI: 0.869-0.959). CONCLUSION The prediction model using the MOGRAZ score allowed us to create an objectivity index to determine the diagnosis of AD/HD that can be easily used in clinical practice. We plan additional verification of this prediction model with additional participants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tsunehiko Kurokami
- Department of Psychosocial Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan; Department of Pediatrics and Developmental Biology, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Tokyo, Japan.
| | | | - Moe Nakajima
- Department of Psychosocial Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Masashi Mikami
- Biostatistics Unit, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Tatsuya Koeda
- Department of Psychosocial Medicine, National Center for Child Health and Development, Tokyo, Japan
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Cardillo R, Lievore R, Mammarella IC. Do children with and without autism spectrum disorder use different visuospatial processing skills to perform the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test? Autism Res 2022; 15:1311-1323. [PMID: 35384343 PMCID: PMC9325558 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2717] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Visuospatial organization abilities are closely related to other visuospatial processing skills, such as visuomotor coordination, perceptual abilities, mental rotation, and working memory (WM). One task that enables visuospatial organization abilities to be investigated is the Rey-Osterrieth complex figure test (ROCFT). When examining visuospatial functioning, individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have proved capable of operating both locally and globally, depending on the sub-domain embraced, with a preference for a locally-oriented processing of visuospatial information. The present research aimed to establish whether different underlying visuospatial skills might account for performance in the ROCFT in children and adolescents with ASD, compared with typically developing (TD), by considering the role of local/global visuospatial processing. The study involved 39 participants who have ASD without intellectual disability, and 57 TD aged 8-16 years. The participants were administered tasks assessing visuospatial organization abilities, manual dexterity, visual perception, mental rotation, spatial-sequential, spatial-simultaneous WM, and visuospatial processing. Our results suggest that manual dexterity and visuospatial processing similarly explain performance in both groups, while differences in visuospatial WM account for the two groups' visuospatial organization abilities. Spatial-simultaneous WM predicted performance in copy and recall conditions in the TD group but not in the ASD group, while spatial-sequential WM only did so in the latter group, reinforcing the tendency of children with ASD towards local bias in the visuospatial organization domain. The implications of these findings are discussed. LAY SUMMARY: The visuospatial organization abilities of children and adolescents with and without autism were compared, considering their underlying visuospatial skills. Visuospatial organization impairments emerged for children with autism, who differed from typically developing children in the underlying visuospatial skills involved. Given the crucial role of visuospatial organization abilities in everyday life, our results could inspire practitioners to develop training interventions that take into account the strengths and weaknesses of individuals with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ramona Cardillo
- Department of Developmental and Social PsychologyUniversity of PadovaPadova
| | - Rachele Lievore
- Department of Developmental and Social PsychologyUniversity of PadovaPadova
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Neuhaus E, Lowry SJ, Santhosh M, Kresse A, Edwards LA, Keller J, Libsack EJ, Kang VY, Naples A, Jack A, Jeste S, McPartland JC, Aylward E, Bernier R, Bookheimer S, Dapretto M, Van Horn JD, Pelphrey K, Webb SJ. Resting state EEG in youth with ASD: age, sex, and relation to phenotype. J Neurodev Disord 2021; 13:33. [PMID: 34517813 PMCID: PMC8439051 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-021-09390-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2020] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Identification of ASD biomarkers is a key priority for understanding etiology, facilitating early diagnosis, monitoring developmental trajectories, and targeting treatment efforts. Efforts have included exploration of resting state encephalography (EEG), which has a variety of relevant neurodevelopmental correlates and can be collected with minimal burden. However, EEG biomarkers may not be equally valid across the autism spectrum, as ASD is strikingly heterogeneous and individual differences may moderate EEG-behavior associations. Biological sex is a particularly important potential moderator, as females with ASD appear to differ from males with ASD in important ways that may influence biomarker accuracy. METHODS We examined effects of biological sex, age, and ASD diagnosis on resting state EEG among a large, sex-balanced sample of youth with (N = 142, 43% female) and without (N = 138, 49% female) ASD collected across four research sites. Absolute power was extracted across five frequency bands and nine brain regions, and effects of sex, age, and diagnosis were analyzed using mixed-effects linear regression models. Exploratory partial correlations were computed to examine EEG-behavior associations in ASD, with emphasis on possible sex differences in associations. RESULTS Decreased EEG power across multiple frequencies was associated with female sex and older age. Youth with ASD displayed decreased alpha power relative to peers without ASD, suggesting increased neural activation during rest. Associations between EEG and behavior varied by sex. Whereas power across various frequencies correlated with social skills, nonverbal IQ, and repetitive behavior for males with ASD, no such associations were observed for females with ASD. CONCLUSIONS Research using EEG as a possible ASD biomarker must consider individual differences among participants, as these features influence baseline EEG measures and moderate associations between EEG and important behavioral outcomes. Failure to consider factors such as biological sex in such research risks defining biomarkers that misrepresent females with ASD, hindering understanding of the neurobiology, development, and intervention response of this important population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Neuhaus
- Center on Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Ave, CURE-03, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Sarah J Lowry
- Center on Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Ave, CURE-03, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Megha Santhosh
- Center on Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Ave, CURE-03, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA
| | - Anna Kresse
- Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA
| | - Laura A Edwards
- School of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
- Marcus Autism Center, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Jack Keller
- Division of Developmental Medicine, Department of Medicine, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, USA
| | - Erin J Libsack
- Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, USA
| | - Veronica Y Kang
- Department of Special Education, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, USA
| | - Adam Naples
- Yale Child Study Center, Yale University, New Haven, USA
| | - Allison Jack
- Department of Psychology, George Mason University, Fairfax, USA
| | - Shafali Jeste
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | | | - Elizabeth Aylward
- Center for Integrative Brain Research, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, USA
| | - Raphael Bernier
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA
| | - Susan Bookheimer
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - Mirella Dapretto
- Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine, Los Angeles, USA
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, USA
| | - John D Van Horn
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
- School of Data Science, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
| | - Kevin Pelphrey
- Department of Psychology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
- Department of Neurology, Brain Institute and School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, USA
| | - Sara Jane Webb
- Center on Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, 1920 Terry Ave, CURE-03, Seattle, WA, 98101, USA.
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
- Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
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Demetriou EA, Pepper KL, Park SH, Pellicano L, Song YJC, Naismith SL, Hickie IB, Thomas EE, Guastella AJ. Autism spectrum disorder: An examination of sex differences in neuropsychological and self-report measures of executive and non-executive cognitive function. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2021; 25:2223-2237. [PMID: 34169770 DOI: 10.1177/13623613211014991] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Research comparing females and males with a diagnosis of autism suggests that there are sex differences in some characteristics such as behaviour regulation. One area not studied in detail is whether females and males with autism perform differently in tests of cognitive ability. The results of previous research are quite mixed. One explanation may be that some research comparing females and males with autism did not include a neurotypical control group for comparison. As a result, it is not clear whether the sex differences in cognitive ability observed in people with autism are similar to differences between neurotypical males and females. To better understand whether there are unique differences between males and females with autism, it is important to also compare them with neurotypical males and females. In our research, we included a neurotypical group and compared males and females with and without a diagnosis of autism. We found that the sex differences in autism are similar to what we observe in males and females without autism. Our study showed that compared with males, females (with and without autism) do better in assessments of processing speed, cognitive flexibility, verbal learning and memory and semantic fluency. Our results suggest that although females show different cognitive performance to males, these sex differences were not specific to the group with a diagnosis of autism.
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Brief Report: Mindfulness Training for Chinese Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Their Parents in Hong Kong. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 51:4147-4159. [PMID: 33484370 PMCID: PMC8510984 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04729-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of a concurrent mindfulness program (MYmind) on Chinese adolescents with autism spectrum disorder and their parents in Hong Kong, China using a randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control group. Results showed the study had 80% compliance rate, 0% dropout rate, and 89% response rate. Between-group comparisons showed mindfulness had trend effects on parent’s rumination (g = 1.16), mindful parenting (d = 0.6), parenting style (d = 0.59), and parenting stress (d = 0.5). The study demonstrated the feasibility of the MYmind program in the Chinese context. A larger trial with longer follow-up period is suggested to better examine the effect of mindfulness on adolescents with ASD and their parents.
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Behavioral and Neuropsychological Evaluation of Executive Functions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder in the Gulf Region. Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10020120. [PMID: 32098341 PMCID: PMC7071509 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10020120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 02/08/2020] [Accepted: 02/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
This study examined the executive functioning abilities and development profiles of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The participants were 119 children with ASD and 30 typically developing children (age range: 6–12 years) who were recruited from three Gulf states. The findings revealed executive functioning deficits in the ASD population when compared to the normative data or to those children without ASD. However, not all the forms of executive functioning were found to be impaired. Age-related differences in the patterns of performance on the utilized measures of executive functioning were also identified. The overall findings provide valuable information regarding the different components of the executive functions, which may prove useful in relation to the development of assessment protocols for ASD.
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Abdolzadegan D, Moattar MH, Ghoshuni M. A robust method for early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder from EEG signals based on feature selection and DBSCAN method. Biocybern Biomed Eng 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbe.2020.01.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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Hutchison SM, Müller U, Iarocci G. Parent Reports of Executive Function Associated with Functional Communication and Conversational Skills Among School Age Children With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 50:2019-2029. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-03958-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Driving among Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. SAFETY 2018. [DOI: 10.3390/safety4030040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Over the past several decades there has been a surge of research on the contextual, biological, and psychological factors associated with transportation safety in adolescence. However, we know much less about the factors contributing to transportation safety among adolescents who do not follow a typical developmental trajectory. Adolescents with developmental disabilities (DD) such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) have a wide range of behavioral and psychological deficits that may make the complex task of driving even more challenging. Because these adolescents often retain characteristic symptoms of their disorder into adulthood, it may impede their ability to achieve important milestones during the developmental transition from adolescent to adult. As the motivating force behind autonomous living and employment, the capacity for independent transportation is paramount to an adolescent’s overall success. This critical review will draw from the current body of literature on adolescent drivers with developmental disabilities to determine (1) areas of impairment; (2) safety risk factors; and (3) effective interventions for improving driving safety in this vulnerable population of adolescent drivers between the ages of 15–22. This review will also identify important unanswered research questions, and summarize the current state of the literature.
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Lam CB, Chung KKH, Li X. Parental Warmth and Hostility and Child Executive Function Problems: A Longitudinal Study of Chinese Families. Front Psychol 2018; 9:1063. [PMID: 30022960 PMCID: PMC6040216 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2018.01063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Accepted: 06/06/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
This study examined the longitudinal associations of maternal and paternal warmth and hostility with child executive function problems. Data were collected for two consecutive years from 333 kindergarten children who resided in Hong Kong, China, as well as their mothers, fathers, and class teachers. At Time 1, the average age of children was 57.73 months, and 56% of them were girls. At Time 1, mothers and fathers rated their own parenting practices with their children. At Times 1 and 2, class teachers rated children’s problems in three aspects of executive functions, including updating/working memory, inhibition, and shifting/cognitive flexibility. As control variables, at Time 1, parents provided information on child and family demographic factors, and children completed verbal ability tasks. Multilevel modeling revealed that controlling for child and family demographic factors, child verbal abilities, and paternal parenting practices, maternal hostility, but not maternal warmth, was linked to increases in child inhibition and shifting/cognitive flexibility problems. Moreover, paternal hostility, but not paternal warmth, was linked to increases in updating/working memory problems. Theoretically, this study highlighted the importance of considering the contributions of both mothers and fathers, and differentiating between positive and negative aspects of parenting, when examining the development of child executive functions. Practically, this study pointed to the utility of targeting maternal and paternal hostility in family intervention and community education in order to reduce child executive function problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chun Bun Lam
- Department of Early Childhood Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong
| | - Kevin Kien Hoa Chung
- Department of Early Childhood Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong
| | - Xiaomin Li
- Department of Early Childhood Education, The Education University of Hong Kong, Tai Po, Hong Kong
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The effects of different combinations of perceptual-motor exercises, music, and vitamin D supplementation on the nerve growth factor in children with high-functioning autism. Complement Ther Clin Pract 2018; 31:139-145. [PMID: 29705446 DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2018.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/01/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
The present study investigated the effects of different combinations of perceptual-motor exercises, music, and Vitamin D consumption on the nerve growth factor (NGF) in children with high-functioning autism. 48 children with autism, aged between six and nine years, were divided into four groups: Group A- perceptual-motor activities along with music (n = 12); Group B-Vitamin D supplementation (n = 12); Group C-perceptual-motor activities along with music and Vitamin D (n = 12); and Group D-control (n = 12). Participants' blood NGF level was measured before and after the intervention. The results showed a significant improvement in the NGF levels in Groups B and C due to the interventions. Also, in Group A, the NGF levels increased compared to Group D, although this increase was not significant. In addition, the intake of Vitamin D along with perceptual-motor exercises resulted in a significant increase in the levels of NGF compared to Groups A, B and D. These findings suggest that perceptual-motor exercises along with music as well as taking Vitamin D may provide two appropriate interventions for improving NGF in children with autism.
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Gardiner E, Iarocci G. Everyday executive function predicts adaptive and internalizing behavior among children with and without autism spectrum disorder. Autism Res 2017; 11:284-295. [PMID: 28960841 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2017] [Revised: 08/03/2017] [Accepted: 09/15/2017] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emily Gardiner
- BC Children's Hospital Research Institute, 950 West 28th Avenue; Vancouver BC V5Z 4H4 Canada
- Department of Pediatrics; University of British Columbia, 4480 Oak Street; Vancouver BC V6H 3V4 Canada
| | - Grace Iarocci
- Department of Psychology; Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive; Burnaby BC V5A 1S6 Canada
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Gardiner E, Hutchison SM, Müller U, Kerns KA, Iarocci G. Assessment of executive function in young children with and without ASD using parent ratings and computerized tasks of executive function. Clin Neuropsychol 2017; 31:1283-1305. [DOI: 10.1080/13854046.2017.1290139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Emily Gardiner
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
- Department of Pediatrics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada
| | - Sarah M. Hutchison
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | - Ulrich Müller
- Department of Psychology, University of Victoria, Victoria, Canada
| | | | - Grace Iarocci
- Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada
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Kuiper MWM, Verhoeven EWM, Geurts HM. The role of interstimulus interval and "Stimulus-type" in prepotent response inhibition abilities in people with ASD: A quantitative and qualitative review. Autism Res 2016; 9:1124-1141. [PMID: 27091394 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2015] [Revised: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 03/19/2016] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are associated with prepotent response inhibition difficulties. However, the large variation between studies suggests that understudied factors, such as interstimulus interval (ISI) and "stimulus-type" (both hypothesized proxies of stressors influencing arousal), might influence the inhibitory abilities of people with ASD. Using meta-analysis, we tested whether differences in prepotent response inhibition between people with and without ASD was influenced by ISI. There was not enough variation in "stimulus-type" between the studies to include it as a moderator. Thirty-seven studies met inclusion criteria, with a combined sample size of 950 people with ASD and 966 typically developing controls. Additionally, a qualitative review including studies comparing a neutral and an arousing condition in one experiment was performed to examine whether fast ISI or specific arousing stimuli directly influence prepotent response inhibition. The meta-analysis indicated that ISI was not a relevant moderator. The qualitative review showed that ISI and "stimulus-type" had the same effect for both groups. Although all studies regarding ISI indicated that fast ISI worsened performance, different types of stimuli had either a positive or a negative influence. This could suggest that distinctive stimuli might affect arousal differently. While we replicated the inhibition difficulties in people with ASD (g = .51), our results do not show strong ASD-specific effects of ISI or "stimulus-type" on inhibition. Nonetheless, ISI and "stimulus-type" do seem to influence performance. Future research focusing on potential underlying factors (e.g., baseline physiological arousal) is needed to examine why this is the case. Autism Res 2016, 9: 1124-1141. © 2016 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marieke W M Kuiper
- Dr. Leo Kannerhuis, Houtsniplaan 1, 6865 XZ, Doorwerth, The Netherlands.,University van Amsterdam Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Programme group Brain and Cognition, Weesperplein 4, 1018 XA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | | | - Hilde M Geurts
- Dr. Leo Kannerhuis, Houtsniplaan 1, 6865 XZ, Doorwerth, The Netherlands.,University van Amsterdam Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, Programme group Brain and Cognition, Weesperplein 4, 1018 XA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Kerns KA, Macoun S, MacSween J, Pei J, Hutchison M. Attention and working memory training: A feasibility study in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-CHILD 2016; 6:120-137. [PMID: 27049769 DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2015.1109513] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The current study investigated the efficacy of a game-based process specific intervention for improving attention and working memory in children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The Caribbean Quest (CQ) is a 'serious game' that consists of five hierarchically structured tasks, delivered in an adaptive format, targeting different aspects of attention and/or working memory. In addition to game play, the intervention incorporates metacognitive strategies provided by trained educational assistants (EAs), to facilitate generalization and far transfer to academic and daily skills. EAs delivered the intervention to children (ages 6-13) during their regular school day, providing children with instruction in metacognitive strategies to improve game play, with participants completing approximately 12 hours of training over an 8 to 12 school week period. Pre- and post-test analyses revealed significant improvement on measures of working memory and attention, including reduced distractibility and improved divided attention skills. Additionally, children showed significant gains in performance on an academic measure of reading fluency, suggesting that training-related gains in attention and working memory transferred to classroom performance. Exit interviews with EAs revealed that the intervention was easily delivered within the school day, that children enjoyed the intervention, and that children transferred metacognitive strategies learned in game play into the classroom. Preliminary results support this game-based process specific intervention as a potentially effective treatment and useful tool for supporting cognitive improvements in children with FASD or ASD, when delivered as part of an overall treatment plan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly A Kerns
- a Department of Psychology , University of Victoria , Victoria , British Columbia , Canada
| | - Sarah Macoun
- a Department of Psychology , University of Victoria , Victoria , British Columbia , Canada
| | - Jenny MacSween
- a Department of Psychology , University of Victoria , Victoria , British Columbia , Canada
| | - Jacqueline Pei
- b Department of Educational Psychology , University of Alberta , Edmonton , Alberta , Canada
| | - Marnie Hutchison
- b Department of Educational Psychology , University of Alberta , Edmonton , Alberta , Canada
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Chan AS, Han YMY, Sze SL, Lau EM. Neuroenhancement of Memory for Children with Autism by a Mind-Body Exercise. Front Psychol 2015; 6:1893. [PMID: 26696946 PMCID: PMC4676196 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2015.01893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2015] [Accepted: 11/23/2015] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The memory deficits found in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be caused by the lack of an effective strategy to aid memory. The executive control of memory processing is mediated largely by the timely coupling between frontal and posterior brain regions. The present study aimed to explore the potential effect of a Chinese mind–body exercise, namely Nei Gong, for enhancing learning and memory in children with ASD, and the possible neural basis of the improvement. Sixty-six children with ASD were randomly assigned to groups receiving Nei Gong training (NGT), progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) training, or no training for 1 month. Before and after training, the participants were tested individually on a computerized visual memory task while EEG signals were acquired during the memory encoding phase. Children in the NGT group demonstrated significantly enhanced memory performance and more effective use of a memory strategy, which was not observed in the other two groups. Furthermore, the improved memory after NGT was consistent with findings of elevated EEG theta coherence between frontal and posterior brain regions, a measure of functional coupling. The scalp EEG signals were localized by the standardized low resolution brain electromagnetic tomography method and found to originate from a neural network that promotes effective memory processing, including the prefrontal cortex, the parietal cortex, and the medial and inferior temporal cortex. This alteration in neural processing was not found in children receiving PMR or in those who received no training. The present findings suggest that the mind–body exercise program may have the potential effect on modulating neural functional connectivity underlying memory processing and hence enhance memory functions in individuals with autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes S Chan
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China ; Chanwuyi Research Center for Neuropsychological Well-Being, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China ; Henan Songshan Research Institute for Chanwuyi Henan, China
| | - Yvonne M Y Han
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University Hong Kong, China
| | - Sophia L Sze
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China ; Chanwuyi Research Center for Neuropsychological Well-Being, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China
| | - Eliza M Lau
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong Hong Kong, China
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Garon NM, Piccinin C, Smith IM. Does the BRIEF-P Predict Specific Executive Function Components in Preschoolers? APPLIED NEUROPSYCHOLOGY-CHILD 2015; 5:110-8. [DOI: 10.1080/21622965.2014.1002923] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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20
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Zamani MH, Fatemi R, Karimi S. Effects of Feedback With Different Frequency on Throwing Skill Learning in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Compared to Normal Children. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SCHOOL HEALTH 2015. [DOI: 10.17795/intjsh-23760] [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] Open
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21
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Gaigg SB, Bowler DM, Ecker C, Calvo-Merino B, Murphy DG. Episodic Recollection Difficulties in ASD Result from Atypical Relational Encoding: Behavioral and Neural Evidence. Autism Res 2015; 8:317-27. [PMID: 25630307 PMCID: PMC4949632 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2014] [Accepted: 11/25/2014] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Memory functioning in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is characterized by impairments in the encoding of relational but not item information and difficulties in the recollection of contextually rich episodic memories but not in the retrieval of relatively context‐free memories through processes of familiarity. The neural underpinnings of this profile and the extent to which encoding difficulties contribute to retrieval difficulties in ASD remain unclear. Using a paradigm developed by Addis and McAndrews [2006; Neuroimage, 33, 1194–1206] we asked adults with and without a diagnosis of ASD to study word‐triplets during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) scanning that varied in the number of category relations amongst component words. Performance at test confirmed attenuated recollection in the context of preserved familiarity based retrieval in ASD. The results also showed that recollection but not familiarity based retrieval increases as a function of category relations in word triads for both groups, indicating a close link between the encoding of relational information and recollection. This link was further supported by the imaging results, where blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) signal responses in overlapping regions of the inferior prefrontal cortex were sensitive to the relational encoding manipulation as well as the contrast between recollection versus familiarity based retrieval. Interestingly, however, there was no evidence of prefrontal signal differentiation for this latter contrast in the ASD group for whom signal changes in a left hippocampal region were also marginally attenuated. Together, these observations suggest that attenuated levels of episodic recollection in ASD are, at least in part, attributable to anomalies in relational encoding processes. Autism Res2015, 8: 317–327. © 2015 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sebastian B Gaigg
- Department of Psychology, City University London, London, EC1V, 0HB, UK
| | - Dermot M Bowler
- Department of Psychology, City University London, London, EC1V, 0HB, UK
| | - Christine Ecker
- Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, SE5, 8AF, UK
| | | | - Declan G Murphy
- Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, London, SE5, 8AF, UK
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van den Bergh SFWM, Scheeren AM, Begeer S, Koot HM, Geurts HM. Age related differences of executive functioning problems in everyday life of children and adolescents in the autism spectrum. J Autism Dev Disord 2014; 44:1959-71. [PMID: 24562693 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-014-2071-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Numerous studies investigated executive functioning (EF) problems in people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) using laboratory EF tasks. As laboratory task performances often differ from real life observations, the current study focused on EF in everyday life of 118 children and adolescents with ASD (6-18 years). We investigated age-related and individual differences in EF problems as reported by parents on the Behavioral Rating Inventory Executive Functions (BRIEF: Gioia et al. in Behavior rating inventory of executive function. Psychological Assessment Resources, Odesse 2000), and examined the association with autism severity. Inhibition problems were mostly found in the youngest group (6- to 8-year-olds), whereas problems with planning where more evident for 12- to 14-year-olds as compared to 9- to 11-year-olds. In a subsample of participants meeting the ADOS ASD cut-off criteria the age related differences in planning were absent, while problems with cognitive flexibility were less apparent in 15- to 18-year-olds, compared to 9- to 11-, and 12- to 14-year olds. EF problems surpassing the clinical cutoff were only observed in 20% (planning) to 51% (cognitive flexibility) of the children and adolescents, and no relation was found with ASD symptom severity. This underlines the heterogeneous nature of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sanne F W M van den Bergh
- Autism Clinic, Research and Development, Dr. Leo Kannerhuis, Houtsniplaan 1, 6865 XZ, Doorwerth, The Netherlands,
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23
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Hashemian M, Pourghassem H. Diagnosing Autism Spectrum Disorders Based on EEG Analysis: a Survey. NEUROPHYSIOLOGY+ 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s11062-014-9427-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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24
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Siu AFY, Zhou Y. Behavioral Assessment of the Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children: an examination of clinical utility for children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). J Child Neurol 2014; 29:608-16. [PMID: 24453147 DOI: 10.1177/0883073813516191] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The present study evaluated the utility of the Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children for discerning differences in executive functioning between attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) children and normal controls and examined its associations with real-life executive function as rated by parent reports on the Dysexecutive Questionnaire for Children. Sixty-three children diagnosed with ADHD and 60 normal healthy peers were recruited for this study. All participants completed the Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children, while their parents completed the Dysexecutive Questionnaire for Children. Results revealed that the ADHD group exhibited significantly poorer performance than the controls on 3 subtests of the Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children (ie, Playing Cards Test, Water Test, and Zoo Map Test 2), as well as on the total Dysexecutive Questionnaire for Children. Significant correlation was found between the total Dysexecutive Questionnaire for Children and the 6-Part Test. Findings suggested that some subtests of the Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome for Children were particularly useful for detecting real-life executive dysfunction in ADHD. Yet, further studies are needed to provide extended validity data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela F Y Siu
- 1Department of Educational Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong
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25
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Geurts HM, van den Bergh SFWM, Ruzzano L. Prepotent response inhibition and interference control in autism spectrum disorders: two meta-analyses. Autism Res 2014; 7:407-20. [PMID: 24596300 DOI: 10.1002/aur.1369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 140] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2013] [Accepted: 02/02/2014] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
There is a substantial amount of data providing evidence for, but also against the hypothesis that individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) encounter inhibitory control deficits. ASD is often associated with interference control deficits rather than prepotent response inhibition. Moreover, the developmental trajectory for these inhibitory control processes is hypothesized to differ in ASD as compared to typical development. In efforts to gain a more comprehensive perspective of inhibition in ASD, separate quantitative analysis for prepotent response inhibition studies and interference control studies were conducted. Together, these two meta-analyses included 41 studies with a combined sample size of 1,091 people with ASD (M age 14.8 years), and 1,306 typically developing (TD) controls (M age 13.8 years).The meta-analyses indicated that individuals with ASD show increased difficulties in prepotent response inhibition (effect size 0.55) and in interference control (effect size 0.31). In addition, age was a relevant moderator for prepotent response inhibition but not for interference control. Exploratory analyses revealed that when IQ was taken into account, heterogeneity considerably decreased among interference control studies but not among prepotent response inhibition. In contrast to the general belief, both prepotent response inhibition and interference control problems were observed in individuals with ASD. However, a large variation between studies was also found. Therefore, there remain factors beyond inhibition type, age, or IQ that significantly influence inhibitory control performance among individuals with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hilde M Geurts
- Department of Psychology, Brain & Cognition, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Research & Development, Dr Leo Kannerhuis, Center for Autism, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Dutch Autism and ADHD Research Center (d'Arc), Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Cognitive Science Center Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
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Panerai S, Tasca D, Ferri R, Genitori D'Arrigo V, Elia M. Executive Functions and Adaptive Behaviour in Autism Spectrum Disorders with and without Intellectual Disability. PSYCHIATRY JOURNAL 2014; 2014:941809. [PMID: 24829905 PMCID: PMC3994905 DOI: 10.1155/2014/941809] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/26/2013] [Revised: 10/28/2013] [Accepted: 11/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/04/2022]
Abstract
Executive functions (EF) in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been often investigated, although results seem to be rather inconsistent. The first aim of this study was to detect which EF components are common to the ASD continuum (from high- to low-functioning ASD) and identify a possible EF profile for ASD people. Planning, mental flexibility, inhibition of response, generativity, and ecologic EF were investigated. This study was extended not only to high-functioning ASD, but also to ASD with intellectual disability (ID). The second aim was to find EF aspects correlating with adaptive skills in ASD. A total of 61 children participated in the study (27 ASD with and without ID and 34 controls). Results highlight an executive profile characterised by impaired flexibility and deficient planning; these deficits are associated with decreased adaptive ability, particularly socialization, and a deficient shifting in ecologic conditions. These features are present in all ASD subgroups with and without ID; for this reason, they might be assumed as being specific features in ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Domenica Tasca
- IRCCS Oasi Maria SS., Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
| | - Raffaele Ferri
- IRCCS Oasi Maria SS., Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
| | | | - Maurizio Elia
- IRCCS Oasi Maria SS., Via Conte Ruggero 73, 94018 Troina, Italy
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Beighley JS, Matson JL, Rieske RD, Jang J, Cervantes PE, Goldin RL. Comparing challenging behavior in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders according to the DSM-IV-TR and the proposed DSM-5. Dev Neurorehabil 2013; 16:375-81. [PMID: 23477536 DOI: 10.3109/17518423.2012.760119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The aim of the current study is to investigate challenging behavior in children who may no longer meet criteria for an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis according to the proposed fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5). METHOD Children and adolescents (n = 459) were separated into three groups including those who met criteria for ASD according to the DSM-5 criteria (n = 219); those who will no longer qualify for an ASD diagnosis according to the DSM-5 but met criteria according to the DSM-IV-TR (n = 109); and a control group (n = 131). Scores on the Autism Spectrum Disorders - Problem Behaviors for Children (ASD-PB-C) were compared among groups. RESULTS The DSM-5 captured a slightly more impaired population in terms of problem behavior. CONCLUSION Implications regarding access to treatment for those no longer meeting criteria need to be taken into consideration in the coming months.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer S Beighley
- Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University , Baton Rouge, LA , USA
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Smithson PE, Kenworthy L, Wills MC, Jarrett M, Atmore K, Yerys BE. Real world executive control impairments in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorders. J Autism Dev Disord 2013; 43:1967-75. [PMID: 23283628 PMCID: PMC3636150 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-012-1747-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
This study examined executive control (EC) in preschoolers with and without autism spectrum disorders (ASD) using the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Functions-Preschool Version (BRIEF-P). ASD participants were a clinically referred sample of preschoolers; the typically developing control group was selected from the BRIEF-P standardization sample. The ASD group was rated significantly worse on all BRIEF-P scores, and these impairments did not correlate with ASD symptoms. These findings document impairments in real world EC in preschoolers with ASD, and have implications for assessing preschoolers suspected of having an ASD. Furthermore, the findings also converge with BRIEF studies of school-aged children with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pontea Etemad Smithson
- Graduate School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Lauren Kenworthy
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders/Children’s Research Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA. George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Meagan C. Wills
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders/Children’s Research Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Marian Jarrett
- Graduate School of Education and Human Development, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Kathleen Atmore
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders/Children’s Research Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA. George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Benjamin E. Yerys
- Center for Neuroscience Research, Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders/Children’s Research Institute, Children’s National Medical Center, Washington, DC, USA. George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Services, Washington, DC, USA. Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, 3535 Market Street, Suite 860, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
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Sass K, Fetz K, Oetken S, Habel U, Heim S. Emotional verbal fluency: a new task on emotion and executive function interaction. Behav Sci (Basel) 2013; 3:372-387. [PMID: 25379243 PMCID: PMC4217594 DOI: 10.3390/bs3030372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2013] [Revised: 06/21/2013] [Accepted: 06/24/2013] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The present study introduces "Emotional Verbal Fluency" as a novel (partially computerized) task, which is aimed to investigate the interaction between emotionally loaded words and executive functions. Verbal fluency tasks are thought to measure executive functions but the interaction with emotional aspects is hardly investigated. In the current study, a group of healthy subjects (n = 21, mean age 25 years, 76% females) were asked to generate items that are either part of a semantic category (e.g., plants, toys, vehicles; standard semantic verbal fluency) or can trigger the emotions joy, anger, sadness, fear and disgust. The results of the task revealed no differences between performance on semantic and emotional categories, suggesting a comparable task difficulty for healthy subjects. Hence, these first results on the comparison between semantic and emotional verbal fluency seem to highlight that both might be suitable for examining executive functioning. However, an interaction was found between the category type and repetition (first vs. second sequence of the same category) with larger performance decrease for semantic in comparison to emotional categories. Best performance overall was found for the emotional category "joy" suggesting a positivity bias in healthy subjects. To conclude, emotional verbal fluency is a promising approach to investigate emotional components in an executive task, which may stimulate further research, especially in psychiatric patients who suffer from emotional as well as cognitive deficits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharina Sass
- School of Psychology, University of Queensland, St. Lucia, Brisbane QLD 4072, Australia
- Author to whom correspondence should be addressed; E-Mail: ; Tel.: +61-451-650-958 (ext. 123); Fax: +61-733-654-466
| | - Karolina Fetz
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, Aachen 52074, Germany; E-Mails: (S.H.); (K.F.); (S.O.); (U.H.)
- JARA–Translational Brain Medicine Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Sarah Oetken
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, Aachen 52074, Germany; E-Mails: (S.H.); (K.F.); (S.O.); (U.H.)
- JARA–Translational Brain Medicine Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Ute Habel
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, Aachen 52074, Germany; E-Mails: (S.H.); (K.F.); (S.O.); (U.H.)
- JARA–Translational Brain Medicine Aachen 52074, Germany
| | - Stefan Heim
- Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, Aachen 52074, Germany; E-Mails: (S.H.); (K.F.); (S.O.); (U.H.)
- JARA–Translational Brain Medicine Aachen 52074, Germany
- Section Neurological Cognition Research, Department of Neurology, Medical School, RWTH Aachen University, Pauwelsstr. 30, Aachen 52074, Germany
- Institute of Neurosciences and Medicine (INM-1), Research Centre Jülich, Jülich 52428, Germany
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Vahabzadeh A, Buxton D, McDougle CJ, Stigler KA. Current state and future prospects of pharmacological interventions for autism. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.2217/npy.13.22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
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Abstract
Iconic memory is the ability to accurately recall a number of items after a very brief visual exposure. Previous research has examined these capabilities in typically developing (TD) children and individuals with intellectual disabilities (ID); however, there is limited research on these abilities in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Twenty-one TD and eighteen ASD children were presented with circular visual arrays of letters for 100 ms and were asked to recall as many letters as possible or a single letter that was cued for recall. Groups did not differ in the number of items recalled, the rate of information decay, or speed of information processing. These findings suggest that iconic memory is an intact skill for children with ASD, a result that has implications for subsequent information processing.
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Ahmadlou M, Adeli H, Adeli A. Fuzzy Synchronization Likelihood-wavelet methodology for diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. J Neurosci Methods 2012; 211:203-9. [PMID: 22968137 DOI: 10.1016/j.jneumeth.2012.08.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2012] [Revised: 07/29/2012] [Accepted: 08/21/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
This paper presents a methodology for investigation of functional connectivity in patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using Fuzzy Synchronization Likelihood (Fuzzy SL). Fuzzy SLs between and within brain regions are calculated in all EEG sub-bands produced by the wavelet decomposition as well as in the full-band EEG. Then, discriminative Fuzzy SLs between and within different regions and different EEG sub-bands or full-band EEG for distinguishing autistic children from healthy control children are determined based on Analysis of Variation (ANOVA). Finally, the selected features are used as input to an Enhanced Probabilistic Neural Network classifier to make an accurate diagnosis of ASD based on the detected differences in the regional functional connectivity of autistic and healthy EEGs. The methodology is validated using EEG data obtained from 9 autistic and 9 healthy children. The ANOVA test showed high ability of the regional Fuzzy SLs in low frequency bands, delta and theta, as well as alpha band for discriminating the two groups. A high classification accuracy of 95.5% was achieved for distinguishing autistic EEGs from healthy EEGs. It is concluded that the methodology presented in this paper can be used as an effective tool for diagnosis of the autism. Further, the regional Fuzzy SLs discovered in this research can be used as reliable markers in neurofeedback treatments to improve neuronal plasticity and connectivity in autistic patients.
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White SJ. The Triple I Hypothesis: Taking Another(’s) Perspective on Executive Dysfunction in Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2012; 43:114-21. [DOI: 10.1007/s10803-012-1550-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
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Zhang L, Zhu C, Ye R, Cao Z, Tian Y, Yang P, Hu P, Wang K. Impairment of conflict processing in alexithymic individuals. Neurosci Lett 2011; 504:261-4. [PMID: 21970973 DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2011.09.043] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2011] [Revised: 09/18/2011] [Accepted: 09/20/2011] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Alexithymia is characterized by difficulties in identifying and describing feelings and in distinguishing between feelings and bodily sensations. Several researchers have examined the impairment of executive functioning in alexithymia; however, only a few studies have been specifically concerned with conflict processing in alexithymia. Utilizing the attention network test (ANT), we investigated whether alexithymia is related to or independent of executive function, especially with respect to conflict processing. Participants included 33 subjects with high alexithymia scores on the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and 30 matched subjects with low alexithymia scores. On the ANT, we found a significant difference between the two groups in conflict processing, and no significant difference in alerting and orienting dimensions. These findings suggested that subjects with high alexithymia scores have selective impairment in conflict processing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lei Zhang
- Laboratory of Neuropsychology, Department of Medical Psychology, Anhui Medical University, Hefei, Anhui Province, PR China
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Chan AS, Cheung MC, Sze SL, Leung WW, Shi D. An herbal nasal drop enhanced frontal and anterior cingulate cortex activity. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2011; 2011:543648. [PMID: 19996154 PMCID: PMC3140066 DOI: 10.1093/ecam/nep198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2009] [Accepted: 10/26/2009] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
The present study examined the neuro-electrophysiological activity of the brain associated with the application of a herbal remedy developed by a Shaolin monk based upon the Chan healing principle of clearing the orifices (i.e., the nasal cavities). A repeated-measures design was used. Fourteen normal adults were administered herbal remedy and saline solution intranasally on separate sessions. Two intervals of eyes-closed resting EEG data were obtained individually before and after each administration. Results showed that only the herbal remedy but not the saline solution induced elevation in cordance, an index correlated with cerebral perfusion, in the anterior brain region. In addition, the activity of the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), as examined by the LORETA analysis, was also increased after the application of the herbal remedy but not saline solution. The present study provided some preliminary evidence suggesting that the herbal nasal drop enhanced the activity of the frontal lobe and ACC. Implications for the potential clinical application of the herbal remedy to treat patients with frontal lobe disorders were discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agnes S Chan
- Neuropsychology Laboratory, Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong
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Dejian mind-body intervention improves the cognitive functions of a child with autism. EVIDENCE-BASED COMPLEMENTARY AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE 2011; 2011:549254. [PMID: 21584249 PMCID: PMC3092624 DOI: 10.1155/2011/549254] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2010] [Revised: 01/25/2011] [Accepted: 01/25/2011] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
There has been increasing empirical evidence for the enhancing effects of Dejian Mind-Body Intervention (DMBI), a traditional Chinese Shaolin healing approach, on human frontal brain activity/functions, including patients with autism who are well documented to have frontal lobe problems. This study aims to compare the effects of DMBI with a conventional behavioural/cognitive intervention (CI) on enhancing the executive functions and memory of a nine-year-old boy with low-functioning autism (KY) and to explore possible underlying neural mechanism using EEG theta cordance. At post-one-month DMBI, KY's inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and memory functioning have significantly improved from “severely-to-moderately impaired” to “within-normal” range. This improvement was not observed from previous 12-month CI. Furthermore, KY showed increased cordance gradually extending from the anterior to the posterior brain region, suggesting possible neural mechanism underlying his cognitive improvement. These findings have implicated potential applicability of DMBI as a rehabilitation program for patients with severe frontal lobe and/or memory disorders.
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Fractality and a wavelet-chaos-neural network methodology for EEG-based diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder. J Clin Neurophysiol 2011; 27:328-33. [PMID: 20844443 DOI: 10.1097/wnp.0b013e3181f40dc8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
A method is presented for investigation of EEG of children with autistic spectrum disorder using complexity and chaos theory with the goal of discovering a nonlinear feature space. Fractal Dimension is proposed for investigation of complexity and dynamical changes in autistic spectrum disorder in brain. Two methods are investigated for computation of fractal dimension: Higuchi's Fractal Dimension and Katz's Fractal Dimension. A wavelet-chaos-neural network methodology is presented for automated EEG-based diagnosis of autistic spectrum disorder. The model is tested on a database of eyes-closed EEG data obtained from two groups: nine autistic spectrum disorder children, 6 to 13 years old, and eight non-autistic spectrum disorder children, 7 to 13 years old. Using a radial basis function classifier, an accuracy of 90% was achieved based on the most significant features discovered via analysis of variation statistical test, which are three Katz's Fractal Dimensions in delta (of loci Fp2 and C3) and gamma (of locus T6) EEG sub-bands with P < 0.001.
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LeJeune B, Beebe D, Noll J, Kenealy L, Isquith P, Gioia G. Psychometric support for an abbreviated version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Parent Form. Child Neuropsychol 2009; 16:182-201. [PMID: 20029694 DOI: 10.1080/09297040903352556] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
The objectives of this study were to systematically develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of an abbreviated version of the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF) Parent Report; a questionnaire widely used by pediatric neuropsychologists. A total of 24 items from the original BRIEF Parent Form were selected for the short-form, which was then evaluated in three complementary samples, according to six a priori psychometric criteria. The short-form generally demonstrated appropriate psychometric qualities, with convincing evidence for the reliability and validity of the three composite indices: Behavioral Regulation, Metacognition, and the Global Executive Composite. Potential clinical applications include screening at-risk children in medical clinics to facilitate appropriate referrals for further psychological consultation. In research settings, the short-form can be easily integrated into studies involving mass collection of data (e.g., large-scale epidemiological research), facilitating advancements in the scientific understanding of neuropsychological morbidity in medically involved populations.
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