1
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Thomson AR, Pasanta D, Arichi T, Puts NA. Neurometabolite differences in Autism as assessed with Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105728. [PMID: 38796123 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2024] [Revised: 04/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/14/2024] [Indexed: 05/28/2024]
Abstract
1H-Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (MRS) is a non-invasive technique that can be used to quantify the concentrations of metabolites in the brain in vivo. MRS findings in the context of autism are inconsistent and conflicting. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of MRS studies measuring glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), as well as brain metabolites involved in energy metabolism (glutamine, creatine), neural and glial integrity (e.g. n-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline, myo-inositol) and oxidative stress (glutathione) in autism cohorts. Data were extracted and grouped by metabolite, brain region and several other factors before calculation of standardised effect sizes. Overall, we find significantly lower concentrations of GABA and NAA in autism, indicative of disruptions to the balance between excitation/inhibition within brain circuits, as well as neural integrity. Further analysis found these alterations are most pronounced in autistic children and in limbic brain regions relevant to autism phenotypes. Additionally, we show how study outcome varies due to demographic and methodological factors , emphasising the importance of conforming with standardised consensus study designs and transparent reporting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice R Thomson
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, King's College London, UK; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, UK; Centre for the Developing Brain, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Duanghathai Pasanta
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, King's College London, UK
| | - Tomoki Arichi
- MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, UK; Centre for the Developing Brain, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Nicolaas A Puts
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, King's College London, UK; MRC Centre for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, King's College London, UK.
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2
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Huang L, Du F, Huang W, Ren H, Qiu W, Zhang J, Wang Y. Three-stage Dynamic Brain-cognitive Model of Understanding Action Intention Displayed by Human Body Movements. Brain Topogr 2024:10.1007/s10548-024-01061-3. [PMID: 38874853 DOI: 10.1007/s10548-024-01061-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2023] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 06/15/2024]
Abstract
The ability to comprehend the intention conveyed through human body movements is crucial for effective interpersonal interactions. If people can't understand the intention behind other individuals' isolated or interactive actions, their actions will become meaningless. Psychologists have investigated the cognitive processes and neural representations involved in understanding action intention, yet a cohesive theoretical explanation remains elusive. Hence, we mainly review existing literature related to neural correlates of action intention, and primarily propose a putative Three-stage Dynamic Brain-cognitive Model of understanding action intention, which involves body perception, action identification and intention understanding. Specifically, at the first stage, body parts/shapes are processed by those brain regions such as extrastriate and fusiform body areas; During the second stage, differentiating observed actions relies on configuring relationships between body parts, facilitated by the activation of the Mirror Neuron System; The last stage involves identifying various intention categories, utilizing the Mentalizing System for recruitment, and different activation patterns concerning the nature of the intentions participants dealing with. Finally, we delves into the clinical practice, like intervention training based on a theoretical model for individuals with autism spectrum disorders who encounter difficulties in interpersonal communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liang Huang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Applied Cognition and Personality, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, China.
- Department of Psychology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Milan, Italy.
| | - Fangyuan Du
- Fuzhou University of International Studies and Trade, Fuzhou, China
| | - Wenxin Huang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Applied Cognition and Personality, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, China
- School of Management, Zhejiang University of Technology, Hangzhou, China
| | - Hanlin Ren
- Third People's Hospital of Zhongshan, Zhongshan, China
| | - Wenzhen Qiu
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Applied Cognition and Personality, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, China
| | - Jiayi Zhang
- Fujian Key Laboratory of Applied Cognition and Personality, Minnan Normal University, Zhangzhou, China
| | - Yiwen Wang
- The School of Economics and Management, Fuzhou University, Fuzhou, China.
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3
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Bravo Balsa L, Abu-Akel A, Mevorach C. Dynamic functional connectivity in the right temporoparietal junction captures variations in male autistic trait expression. Autism Res 2024; 17:702-715. [PMID: 38456581 DOI: 10.1002/aur.3117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2023] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 03/09/2024]
Abstract
Autistic individuals can experience difficulties with attention reorienting and Theory of Mind (ToM), which are closely associated with anterior and posterior subdivisions of the right temporoparietal junction. While the link between these processes remains unclear, it is likely subserved by a dynamic crosstalk between these two subdivisions. We, therefore, examined the dynamic functional connectivity (dFC) between the anterior and posterior temporoparietal junction, as a biological marker of attention and ToM, to test its contribution to the manifestation of autistic trait expression in Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). Two studies were conducted, exploratory (14 ASC, 15 TD) and replication (29 ASC, 29 TD), using resting-state fMRI data and the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) from the Autism Brain Imaging Data Exchange repository. Dynamic Independent Component Analysis was performed in both datasets using the CONN toolbox. An additional sliding-window analysis was performed in the replication study to explore different connectivity states (from highly negatively to highly positively correlated). Dynamic FC was reduced in ASC compared to TD adults in both the exploratory and replication datasets and was associated with increased SRS scores (especially in ASC). Regression analyses revealed that decreased SRS autistic expression was predicted by engagement of highly negatively correlated states, while engagement of highly positively correlated states predicted increased expression. These findings provided consistent evidence that the difficulties observed in ASC are associated with altered patterns of dFC between brain regions subserving attention reorienting and ToM processes and may serve as a biomarker of autistic trait expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Bravo Balsa
- Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
- Centre for the Developing Brain, School of Biomedical Engineering & Imaging Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Ahmad Abu-Akel
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
- Haifa Brain and Behavior Hub, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Carmel Mevorach
- Centre for Human Brain Health, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
- Centre for Developmental Science, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, UK
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4
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Hou W, Li J. Intact or impaired? The understanding of give-and-take interactions in children with autism spectrum disorder. RESEARCH IN DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES 2024; 144:104642. [PMID: 38061287 DOI: 10.1016/j.ridd.2023.104642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/04/2023] [Revised: 10/28/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/01/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding and predicting others' behavior in a dynamic and rapidly changing world is a fundamental aspect of social interactions. However, it remains unclear as to whether children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) could understand and predict goal-directed social actions. AIMS To investigate the understanding of give-and-take interactions in children with ASD with the use of eye tracking. METHODS AND PROCEDURES Experiment 1 and 2 investigated the understanding of giving and taking respectively in 5-to 8-year-old Chinese children with ASD and typically developing children by using the eye-tracking technology. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS We found that children with ASD could predict actions, but they were less proficient in processing give-and-take interactions. Moreover, children with ASD showed impaired understanding of giving but not taking. CONCLUSIONS These results indicate that the basic mechanisms of action prediction are intact in children with ASD whereas there may be deficits in the top-down social processing of the giving gesture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenwen Hou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Child Language Lab, School of Foreign Languages, Central South University, Changsha, China
| | - Jing Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
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5
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Parrella NF, Hill AT, Dipnall LM, Loke YJ, Enticott PG, Ford TC. Inhibitory dysfunction and social processing difficulties in autism: A comprehensive narrative review. J Psychiatr Res 2024; 169:113-125. [PMID: 38016393 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2023.11.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2023] [Revised: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/30/2023]
Abstract
The primary inhibitory neurotransmitter γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) has a prominent role in regulating neural development and function, with disruption to GABAergic signalling linked to behavioural phenotypes associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, particularly autism. Such neurochemical disruption, likely resulting from diverse genetic and molecular mechanisms, particularly during early development, can subsequently affect the cellular balance of excitation and inhibition in neuronal circuits, which may account for the social processing difficulties observed in autism and related conditions. This comprehensive narrative review integrates diverse streams of research from several disciplines, including molecular neurobiology, genetics, epigenetics, and systems neuroscience. In so doing it aims to elucidate the relevance of inhibitory dysfunction to autism, with specific focus on social processing difficulties that represent a core feature of this disorder. Many of the social processing difficulties experienced in autism have been linked to higher levels of the excitatory neurotransmitter glutamate and/or lower levels of inhibitory GABA. While current therapeutic options for social difficulties in autism are largely limited to behavioural interventions, this review highlights the psychopharmacological studies that explore the utility of GABA modulation in alleviating such difficulties.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Aron T Hill
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Lillian M Dipnall
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia; Early Life Epigenetics Group, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Yuk Jing Loke
- Epigenetics Group, Murdoch Children's Research Institute, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia; Department of Paediatrics, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Peter G Enticott
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Talitha C Ford
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia; Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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6
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Ramírez-Moreno MA, Cruz-Garza JG, Acharya A, Chatufale G, Witt W, Gelok D, Reza G, Contreras-Vidal JL. Brain-to-brain communication during musical improvisation: a performance case study. F1000Res 2023; 11:989. [PMID: 37809054 PMCID: PMC10558998 DOI: 10.12688/f1000research.123515.3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Understanding and predicting others' actions in ecological settings is an important research goal in social neuroscience. Here, we deployed a mobile brain-body imaging (MoBI) methodology to analyze inter-brain communication between professional musicians during a live jazz performance. Specifically, bispectral analysis was conducted to assess the synchronization of scalp electroencephalographic (EEG) signals from three expert musicians during a three-part 45 minute jazz performance, during which a new musician joined every five minutes. The bispectrum was estimated for all musician dyads, electrode combinations, and five frequency bands. The results showed higher bispectrum in the beta and gamma frequency bands (13-50 Hz) when more musicians performed together, and when they played a musical phrase synchronously. Positive bispectrum amplitude changes were found approximately three seconds prior to the identified synchronized performance events suggesting preparatory cortical activity predictive of concerted behavioral action. Moreover, a higher amount of synchronized EEG activity, across electrode regions, was observed as more musicians performed, with inter-brain synchronization between the temporal, parietal, and occipital regions the most frequent. Increased synchrony between the musicians' brain activity reflects shared multi-sensory processing and movement intention in a musical improvisation task.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mauricio A. Ramírez-Moreno
- School of Engineering and Sciences, Mechatronics Department, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, 64849, Mexico
- Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Laboratory, NSF IUCRC BRAIN, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| | - Jesús G. Cruz-Garza
- Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Laboratory, NSF IUCRC BRAIN, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| | - Akanksha Acharya
- Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Laboratory, NSF IUCRC BRAIN, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| | - Girija Chatufale
- Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Laboratory, NSF IUCRC BRAIN, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
- University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, 90095, USA
| | - Woody Witt
- Moores School of Music, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
- Houston Community College, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| | - Dan Gelok
- Moores School of Music, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
| | | | - José L. Contreras-Vidal
- Noninvasive Brain-Machine Interface Systems Laboratory, NSF IUCRC BRAIN, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, 77004, USA
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7
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Jayashankar A, Bynum B, Butera C, Kilroy E, Harrison L, Aziz-Zadeh L. Connectivity differences between inferior frontal gyrus and mentalizing network in autism as compared to developmental coordination disorder and non-autistic youth. Cortex 2023; 167:115-131. [PMID: 37549452 PMCID: PMC10543516 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2023.06.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 08/09/2023]
Abstract
Prior studies have compared neural connectivity during mentalizing tasks in autism (ASD) to non-autistic individuals and found reduced connectivity between the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and mentalizing regions. However, given that the IFG is involved in motor processing, and about 80% of autistic individuals have motor-related difficulties, it is necessary to explore if these differences are specific to ASD or instead similar across other developmental motor disorders, such as developmental coordination disorder (DCD). Participants (29 ASD, 20 DCD, 31 typically developing [TD]; ages 8-17) completed a mentalizing task in the fMRI scanner, where they were asked to think about why someone was performing an action. Results indicated that the ASD group, as compared to both TD and DCD groups, showed significant functional connectivity differences when mentalizing about other's actions. The left IFG seed revealed ASD connectivity differences with the: bilateral temporoparietal junction (TPJ), left insular cortex, and bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). Connectivity differences using the right IFG seed revealed ASD differences in the: left insula, and right DLPFC. These results indicate that connectivity differences between the IFG, mentalizing regions, emotion and motor processing regions are specific to ASD and not a result of potentially co-occurring motor differences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aditya Jayashankar
- Center for Neuroscience of Embodied Cognition (CeNEC), Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Brittany Bynum
- Center for Neuroscience of Embodied Cognition (CeNEC), Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Christiana Butera
- Center for Neuroscience of Embodied Cognition (CeNEC), Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Emily Kilroy
- Center for Neuroscience of Embodied Cognition (CeNEC), Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Laura Harrison
- Center for Neuroscience of Embodied Cognition (CeNEC), Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Lisa Aziz-Zadeh
- Center for Neuroscience of Embodied Cognition (CeNEC), Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
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8
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Gao S, Wang X, Su Y. Examining whether adults with autism spectrum disorder encounter multiple problems in theory of mind: a study based on meta-analysis. Psychon Bull Rev 2023; 30:1740-1758. [PMID: 37101097 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-023-02280-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/18/2023] [Indexed: 04/28/2023]
Abstract
Theory of mind (ToM) represents a complex ability, while persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encounter difficulties in the processing of ToM. The present ToM-focused studies on adults with ASD report inconsistent results, possibly owing to the differences between tasks. For instance, different ToM-related tasks involve different cognitive abilities, but the development of these cognitive abilities is different among adults with ASD, thereby leading to different behaviors by the same individual with ASD in different tasks. Therefore, it is of vital significance to explore the potential reasons for inconsistencies in the existing studies based on the task classification perspective. Hence, this study primarily reviews the existing ToM tasks used in studies on adults with ASD; afterward, based on the forms and characteristics of the task, the current ToM tasks are classified into four categories-reading comprehension, perceptual scene comprehension, comprehensive scene comprehension , and self-other processing. Subsequently, a meta-analysis is undertaken to determine the difference in each ToM task category between the ASD group and the typically developing (TD) group. As a result, 110 research papers (including 3,205 adults with ASD and 3,675 TD adults) that fulfilled the stated criteria are examined in this study. The study findings suggest that adults with ASD demonstrate worse performance in terms of all four ToM task categories as compared to TD adults. Furthermore, compared with tasks of self-other processing and perceptual scene comprehension, adults with ASD perform worse in reading comprehension and comprehensive scene comprehension. This shows that the differences between tasks may exert a potential influence on the study results. Future studies should focus on different abilities involved in ToM processing and the choice of ToM tasks, in order to elucidate the critical problems of ToM in adults with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shihuan Gao
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100871, China
| | - Xieshun Wang
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100871, China
- School of Psychology, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, 250014, China
| | - Yanjie Su
- School of Psychological and Cognitive Sciences and Beijing Key Laboratory of Behavior and Mental Health, Peking University, 5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian District, Beijing, 100871, China.
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9
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Parrella NF, Hill AT, Enticott PG, Barhoun P, Bower IS, Ford TC. A systematic review of cannabidiol trials in neurodevelopmental disorders. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 2023; 230:173607. [PMID: 37543051 DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2023.173607] [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: 05/04/2023] [Revised: 07/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/27/2023] [Indexed: 08/07/2023]
Abstract
Cannabis-derived compounds, such as cannabidiol (CBD) and delta-9-trans-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), are increasingly prescribed for a range of clinical indications. These phyto-cannabinoids have multiple biological targets, including the body's endocannabinoid system. There is growing scientific interest in the use of CBD, a non-intoxicating compound, to ameliorate symptoms associated with neurodevelopmental disorders. However, its suitability as a pharmaceutical intervention has not been reliably established in these clinical populations. This systematic review examines the nine published randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that have probed the safety and efficacy of CBD in individuals diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, Tourette Syndrome, and complex motor disorders. Studies were identified systematically through searching four databases: Medline, CINAHL complete, PsycINFO, and EMBASE. Inclusion criteria were randomised controlled trials involving CBD and participants with neurodevelopmental disorders. No publication year or language restrictions were applied. Relevant data were extracted from the identified list of eligible articles. After extraction, data were cross-checked between the authors to ensure consistency. Several trials indicate potential efficacy, although this possibility is currently too inconsistent across RCTs to confidently guide clinical usage. Study characteristics, treatment properties, and outcomes varied greatly across the included trials. The material lack of comparable RCTs leaves CBD's suitability as a pharmacological treatment for neurodevelopmental disorders largely undetermined. A stronger evidence base is urgently required to establish safety and efficacy profiles and guide the ever-expanding clinical uptake of cannabis-derived compounds in neurodevelopmental disorders. Prospero registration number: CRD42021267839.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nina-Francecsa Parrella
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria 3125, Australia.
| | - Aron Thomas Hill
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria 3125, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3145, Australia
| | - Peter Gregory Enticott
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria 3125, Australia; Department of Psychiatry, Central Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria 3145, Australia
| | - Pamela Barhoun
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria 3125, Australia
| | - Isabella Simone Bower
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria 3125, Australia; Behaviour, Brain, and Body Research Centre: Justice and Society, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia
| | - Talitha Caitlyn Ford
- Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, School of Psychology, Deakin University, Melbourne, Victoria 3125, Australia; Centre for Human Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Health, Arts and Design, Swinburne University of Technology, Melbourne, Victoria 3122, Australia
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10
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Bylemans T, Heleven E, Baetens K, Deroost N, Baeken C, Van Overwalle F. Mentalizing and narrative coherence in autistic adults: Cerebellar sequencing and prediction. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 146:105045. [PMID: 36646260 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2022] [Revised: 01/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2023] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
Abstract
BYLEMANS, T., et al. Mentalizing and narrative coherence in autistic adults: Cerebellar sequencing and prediction. NEUROSCI BIOBEHAV REV, 2022. - This review focuses on autistic adults and serves 4 purposes: (1) providing an overview of their difficulties regarding mentalizing (understanding others' mental states) and narrative coherence (structured storytelling), (2) highlighting the relations between both skills by examining behavioral observations and shared neural substrates, (3) providing an integrated perspective regarding novel diagnostic tools and support services, and (4) raising awareness of adult autism. We suggest that mentalizing and narrative coherence are related at the behavioral level and neural level. In addition to the traditional mentalizing network, the cerebellum probably serves as an important hub in shared cerebral networks implicated in mentalizing and narrative coherence. Future autism research and support services should tackle new questions within a framework of social cerebellar (dys)functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tom Bylemans
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Elien Heleven
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Kris Baetens
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Natacha Deroost
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
| | - Chris Baeken
- Ghent University: Department of Head and Skin (UZGent), Ghent Experimental Psychiatry (GHEP) Lab, Belgium; Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital (UZ Brussel), Brussels, Belgium; Eindhoven University of Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering, Eindhoven, the Netherlands.
| | - Frank Van Overwalle
- Brain, Body and Cognition, Department of Psychology, and Center for Neuroscience, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.
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11
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Thompson EL, Long EL, Bird G, Catmur C. Is action understanding an automatic process? Both cognitive and perceptual processing are required for the identification of actions and intentions. Q J Exp Psychol (Hove) 2023; 76:70-83. [PMID: 35045777 PMCID: PMC9773155 DOI: 10.1177/17470218221078019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability to identify others' actions and intentions, "action understanding," is crucial for successful social interaction. Under direct accounts, action understanding takes place without the involvement of inferential processes, a claim that has yet to be tested using behavioural measures. Using a dual-task paradigm, the present study aimed to establish whether the identification of others' actions and intentions depends on automatic or inferential processing, by manipulating working memory load during performance of a task designed to target the identification of actions and intentions. Experiment 1 tested a novel action understanding task targeting action identification and intention identification. This task was then combined with two working memory manipulations (cognitive: Experiment 2; perceptual: Experiment 3) to determine whether action identification and intention identification are disrupted by concurrent cognitive or perceptual load. Both action identification and intention identification were impaired by concurrent cognitive and perceptual processing, indicating that action understanding requires additional perceptual and cognitive resources. These findings contradict a direct account of action understanding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Thompson
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK,Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Emily L Long
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Geoffrey Bird
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK,MRC Social, Genetic & Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Caroline Catmur
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK,Caroline Catmur, Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King’s College London, London SE1 1UL, UK.
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12
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Comparing gratitude and pride: evidence from brain and behavior. COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2022; 22:1199-1214. [PMID: 35437682 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-022-01006-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
Gratitude and pride are both positive emotions. Yet gratitude motivates people to help others and build up relationships, whereas pride motivates people to pursue achievements and build on self-esteem. Although these social outcomes are crucial for humans to be evolutionarily adaptive, no study so far has systematically compared gratitude and pride to understand why and how they can motivate humans differently. In this review, we compared gratitude and pride from their etymologies, cognitive prerequisites, motivational functions, and brain regions involved. By integrating the evidence from brain and behavior, we suggest that gratitude and pride share a common reward basis, yet gratitude is more related to theory of mind, while pride is more related to self-referential processing. Moreover, we proposed a cognitive neuroscientific model to explain the dynamics in gratitude and pride under a reinforcement learning framework.
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13
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Giannotti M, Bentenuto A, Venuti P, de Falco S. Explicit and implicit attachment representations in cognitively able school-age children with autism spectrum disorder: A window to their inner world. Clin Child Psychol Psychiatry 2022; 27:1048-1064. [PMID: 35794823 DOI: 10.1177/13591045221113390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
The few studies available on quality of attachment in school-age children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exclusively used questionnaires assessing explicit attachment representations. Thus, in the current study we assessed both explicit and implicit attachment representations in 23 children with ASD (without intellectual disability), 22 with learning disabilities and 27 with typical development aged from 7 to 13 years. A self-reported measure on the quality of attachment to parents and a semi-structured interview were administered to the children. In addition, a developmental assessment of the child including measures of intelligence and social-communication impairment was conducted. Despite the lack of group differences on explicit attachment representations, we found that children with ASD showed higher rates of at-risk self-protective strategies and psychological trauma compared to the TD group. Children with SLD also showed a high level of at-risk implicit attachment representations than TD, albeit to a lesser extent compared to children with ASD. These results may be related to several factors associated with ASD impairment and developmental pathways, such as the atypical learning process which occur at interpersonal level, the difficulties in social information processing and reflective functioning. Our findings suggested that children with ASD may experience difficulties in the construction of balanced implicit attachment representations. Thus, a more comprehensive assessment of attachment including both implicit and explicit representations is recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Giannotti
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, 19034University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Arianna Bentenuto
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, 19034University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Paola Venuti
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, 19034University of Trento, Trento, Italy
| | - Simona de Falco
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, 19034University of Trento, Trento, Italy
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14
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Wang JX, Li Y, Mu Y, Zhuang JY. Common and unique neural mechanisms of social and nonsocial conflict resolving and adaptation. Cereb Cortex 2022; 33:3773-3786. [PMID: 35989309 PMCID: PMC10068294 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans often need to deal with various forms of information conflicts that arise when they receive inconsistent information. However, it remains unclear how we resolve them and whether the brain may recruit similar or distinct brain mechanisms to process different domains (e.g. social vs. nonsocial) of conflicts. To address this, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging and scanned 50 healthy participants when they were asked to perform 2 Stroop tasks with different forms of conflicts: social (i.e. face-gender incongruency) and nonsocial (i.e. color-word incongruency) conflicts. Neuroimaging results revealed that the ventral lateral prefrontal cortex was generally activated in processing incongruent versus congruent stimuli regardless of the task type, serving as a common mechanism for conflict resolving across domains. Notably, trial-based and model-based results jointly demonstrated that the dorsal and rostral medial prefrontal cortices were uniquely engaged in processing social incongruent stimuli, suggesting distinct neural substrates of social conflict resolving and adaptation. The findings uncover that the common but unique brain mechanisms are recruited when humans resolve and adapt to social conflicts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jia-Xi Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yuhe Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yan Mu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.,Department of Psychology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Jin-Ying Zhuang
- School of Psychology and Cognitive Science, East China Normal University, Shanghai, 200062, China
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15
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Thompson EL, Bird G, Catmur C. Mirror neuron brain regions contribute to identifying actions, but not intentions. Hum Brain Mapp 2022; 43:4901-4913. [PMID: 35906896 PMCID: PMC9582378 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.26036] [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] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Previous studies have struggled to determine the relationship between mirror neuron brain regions and two distinct “action understanding” processes: identifying actions and identifying the intentions underlying those actions. This may be because the identification of intentions from others' actions requires an initial action identification process. Disruptive transcranial magnetic stimulation was administered to left inferior frontal gyrus (lIFG) during a novel cognitive task to determine which of these “action understanding” processes is subserved by mirror neuron brain regions. Participants identified either the actions performed by observed hand actions or the intentions underlying those actions. The extent to which intention identification was disrupted by lIFG (vs. control site) stimulation was dependent on the level of disruption to action identification. We subsequently performed functional magnetic resonance imaging during the same task. During action identification, responses were widespread within mirror neuron areas including lIFG and inferior parietal lobule. However, no independent responses were found in mirror neuron brain regions during intention identification. Instead, responses occurred in brain regions associated with two distinct mentalizing localizer tasks. This supports an account in which mirror neuron brain regions are involved in an initial action identification process, but the subsequent identification of intentions requires additional processing in mentalizing brain regions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emma L Thompson
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Clinical and Health Psychology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Geoffrey Bird
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.,Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Caroline Catmur
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
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16
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Abnormal Prefrontal Functional Connectivity Is Associated with Inflexible Information Processing in Patients with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): An fNIRS Study. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10051132. [PMID: 35625869 PMCID: PMC9139038 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10051132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 01/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are characterized by impairments in flexibly acquiring and maintaining new information, as well as in applying learned information for problem solving. However, the neural mechanism underpinning such impairments remains unclear. This study investigated the flexibility in the acquisition and application of visual information in ASD (aged 14−21) when they performed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Behavioral data including response accuracy and latency, and prefrontal hemodynamic data measured by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), were collected when individuals performed WCST. Canonical general linear model and functional connectivity analyses were performed to examine the prefrontal activation and synchronization patterns, respectively. Results showed that although ASD individuals (n = 29) achieved comparable accuracy rates when compared with age- and intelligence quotient (IQ)-matched typically developing (TD; n = 26) individuals (F1,53 = 3.15, p = 0.082), ASD individuals needed significantly more time to acquire and apply WCST card sorting rules (F1,53 = 17.92, p < 0.001). Moreover, ASD individuals showed significantly lower prefrontal functional connectivity than TD individuals during WCST (F1,42 = 9.99, p = 0.003). The hypoconnectivity in ASD individuals was highly significant in the right lateral PFC in the acquisition condition (p = 0.005) and in the bilateral lateral PFC in the application condition (ps = 0.006). Furthermore, slower WCST reaction time was correlated with lower bilateral lateral PFC functional connectivity only in the application condition (ps = 0.003) but not the acquisition condition. Impairment in information acquisition and application is evident in ASD individuals and is mediated by processing speed, which is associated with lower functional connectivity in the bilateral lateral PFC when these individuals apply learned rules to solve novel problems.
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17
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Fernandes JM, Soares S, Lopes R, Jerónimo R, Barahona-Corrêa JB. Attribution of intentions in autism spectrum disorder: A study of event-related potentials. Autism Res 2022; 15:847-860. [PMID: 35274469 DOI: 10.1002/aur.2702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2021] [Revised: 02/23/2022] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by social cognition deficits, including difficulties inferring the intentions of others. Although deficits in attribution of intentions (AI) have been consistently replicated in ASD, their exact nature remains unexplored. Here we registered the electrophysiological correlates of a nonverbal social cognition task to investigate AI in autistic adults. Twenty-one male autistic adults and 30 male neurotypical volunteers performed a comic strips task depicting either intentional action (AI) or physical causality with or without human characters, while their electroencephalographic signal was recorded. Compared to neurotypical volunteers, autistic participants were significantly less accurate in correctly identifying congruence in the AI condition, but not in the physical causality conditions. In the AI condition a bilateral posterior positive event-related potential (ERP) occurred 200-400 ms post-stimulus (the ERP intention effect) in both groups. This waveform comprised a P200 and a P300 component, with the P200 component being larger for the AI condition in neurotypical volunteers but not in autistic individuals, who also showed a longer latency for this waveform. Group differences in amplitude of the ERP intention effect only became evident when we compared autistic participants to a subgroup of similarly performing neurotypical participants, suggesting that the atypical ERP waveform in ASD is an effect of group, rather than a marker of low-task performance. Together, these results suggest that the lower accuracy of the ASD group in the AI task may result from impaired early attentional processing and contextual integration of socially relevant cues. LAY SUMMARY: To understand why autistic people have difficulties in inferring others' intentions, we asked participants to judge the congruence of the endings of comic strips depicting either intentional actions (e.g., fetching a chair to reach for something) or situations solely following physical rules (e.g., an apple falling on someone's head), while their electrical brain activity was recorded. Autistic individuals had more difficulties in inferring intentions than neurotypical controls, which may reflect impaired attention and contextual integration of social cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- João Miguel Fernandes
- NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- CADIn-Neurodevelopment & Inclusion, Non-Profit Association, Cascais, Portugal
| | - Sara Soares
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte-IUL), CIS_Iscte, Lisbon, Portugal
- Unité de Recherche en Neurosciences Cognitives (Unescog), Center for Research in Cognition & Neurosciences (CRCN), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| | - Ricardo Lopes
- CADIn-Neurodevelopment & Inclusion, Non-Profit Association, Cascais, Portugal
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte-IUL), CIS_Iscte, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Rita Jerónimo
- Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (Iscte-IUL), CIS_Iscte, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - J Bernardo Barahona-Corrêa
- NOVA Medical School, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal
- Champalimaud Research & Clinical Centre, Champalimaud Foundation, Lisbon, Portugal
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18
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Giannotti M, de Falco S. Attachment and Autism Spectrum Disorder (Without Intellectual Disability) During Middle Childhood: In Search of the Missing Piece. Front Psychol 2021; 12:662024. [PMID: 34149555 PMCID: PMC8213395 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.662024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/03/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michele Giannotti
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
| | - Simona de Falco
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Sciences, University of Trento, Rovereto, Italy
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19
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Nguyen T, Miguel HO, Condy EE, Park S, Gandjbakhche A. Using Functional Connectivity to Examine the Correlation between Mirror Neuron Network and Autistic Traits in a Typically Developing Sample: A fNIRS Study. Brain Sci 2021; 11:brainsci11030397. [PMID: 33804774 PMCID: PMC8004055 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11030397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2021] [Revised: 03/12/2021] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Mirror neuron network (MNN) is associated with one's ability to recognize and interpret others' actions and emotions and has a crucial role in cognition, perception, and social interaction. MNN connectivity and its relation to social attributes, such as autistic traits have not been thoroughly examined. This study aimed to investigate functional connectivity in the MNN and assess relationship between MNN connectivity and subclinical autistic traits in neurotypical adults. Hemodynamic responses, including oxy- and deoxy-hemoglobin were measured in the central and parietal cortex of 30 healthy participants using a 24-channel functional Near-Infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) system during a live action-observation and action-execution task. Functional connectivity was derived from oxy-hemoglobin data. Connections with significantly greater connectivity in both tasks were assigned to MNN connectivity. Correlation between connectivity and autistic traits were performed using Pearson correlation. Connections within the right precentral, right supramarginal, left inferior parietal, left postcentral, and between left supramarginal-left angular regions were identified as MNN connections. In addition, individuals with higher subclinical autistic traits present higher connectivity in both action-execution and action-observation conditions. Positive correlation between MNN connectivity and subclinical autistic traits can be used in future studies to investigate MNN in a developing population with autism spectrum disorder.
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20
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Kilroy E, Harrison L, Butera C, Jayashankar A, Cermak S, Kaplan J, Williams M, Haranin E, Bookheimer S, Dapretto M, Aziz-Zadeh L. Unique deficit in embodied simulation in autism: An fMRI study comparing autism and developmental coordination disorder. Hum Brain Mapp 2020; 42:1532-1546. [PMID: 33320398 PMCID: PMC7927289 DOI: 10.1002/hbm.25312] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/15/2020] [Revised: 11/06/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
A deficit in pre‐cognitively mirroring other people's actions and experiences may be related to the social impairments observed in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it is unclear whether such embodied simulation deficits are unique to ASD or instead are related to motor impairment, which is commonly comorbid with ASD. Here we aim to disentangle how, neurologically, motor impairments contribute to simulation deficits and identify unique neural signatures of ASD. We compare children with ASD (N = 30) to children with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD; N = 23) as well as a typically developing group (N = 33) during fMRI tasks in which children observe, imitate, and mentalize about other people's actions. Results indicate a unique neural signature in ASD: during action observation, only the ASD group shows hypoactivity in a region important for simulation (inferior frontal gyrus, pars opercularis, IFGop). However, during a motor production task (imitation), the IFGop is hypoactive for both ASD and DCD groups. For all tasks, we find correlations across groups with motor ability, even after controlling for age, IQ, and social impairment. Conversely, across groups, mentalizing ability is correlated with activity in the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex when controlling for motor ability. These findings help identify the unique neurobiological basis of ASD for aspects of social processing. Furthermore, as no previous fMRI studies correlated brain activity with motor impairment in ASD, these findings help explain prior conflicting reports in these simulation networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily Kilroy
- USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Laura Harrison
- USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Christiana Butera
- USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Aditya Jayashankar
- USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Sharon Cermak
- USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jonas Kaplan
- Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Marian Williams
- USC University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Emily Haranin
- USC University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Susan Bookheimer
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Mirella Dapretto
- Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Ahmanson-Lovelace Brain Mapping Center, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Lisa Aziz-Zadeh
- USC Mrs. T.H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA.,Brain and Creativity Institute, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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21
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Ilzarbe D, Lukito S, Moessnang C, O'Daly OG, Lythgoe DJ, Murphy CM, Ashwood K, Stoencheva V, Rubia K, Simonoff E. Neural Correlates of Theory of Mind in Autism Spectrum Disorder, Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and the Comorbid Condition. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:544482. [PMID: 33240117 PMCID: PMC7677232 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.544482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Theory of mind (ToM) or mentalizing difficulties is reported in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but the mechanism underpinning these apparently shared deficits is relatively unknown. Eighty-three young adult males, 19 with ASD alone, 21 with ADHD alone, 18 with dual diagnosis of ASD and ADHD, and 25 typically developing (TD) controls completed the functional magnetic resonance imaging version of the Frith-Happé animated-triangle ToM task. We compared neural function during ToM with two non-ToM conditions, random and goal directed motions, using whole-brain and region-of-interest analysis of brain activation and functional connectivity analyses. The groups showed comparable ToM task performance. All three clinical groups lacked local connectivity increase shown by TD controls during ToM in the right temporoparietal cortex, a key mentalizing region, with a differentially increased activation pattern in both ASD and comorbid groups relative to ADHD. Both ASD groups also showed reduced connectivity between right inferior lateral prefrontal and posterior cingulate cortices that could reflect an atypical information transmission to the mentalizing network. In contrast, with mentalizing both ADHD groups showed decreasing connectivity between the medial prefrontal and left temporoparietal cortices when compared to TD controls. Therefore, despite the complex pattern of atypical brain function underpinning ToM across the three disorders, some neurofunctional abnormalities during ToM are associated with ASD and appeared differentiable from those associated with ADHD, with the comorbid group displaying combined abnormalities found in each condition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Ilzarbe
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King's College London (KCL), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), London, United Kingdom
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, Hospital Clínic de Barcelona, Institute of Neuroscience, Barcelona, Spain
- Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Psychology, August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBAPS), Barcelona, Spain
- Department of Medicine, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Steve Lukito
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King's College London (KCL), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), London, United Kingdom
| | - Carolin Moessnang
- Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Medical Faculty Mannheim, Central Institute of Mental Health, Heidelberg University, Mannheim, Germany
| | - Owen G. O'Daly
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - David J. Lythgoe
- Centre for Neuroimaging Sciences, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Clodagh M. Murphy
- Behavioural and Developmental Psychiatry Clinical Academic Group, Behavioural Genetics Clinic, Adult Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Karen Ashwood
- Behavioural and Developmental Psychiatry Clinical Academic Group, Behavioural Genetics Clinic, Adult Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Vladimira Stoencheva
- Behavioural and Developmental Psychiatry Clinical Academic Group, Behavioural Genetics Clinic, Adult Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Service, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
- Department of Forensic and Neurodevelopmental Sciences, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Katya Rubia
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King's College London (KCL), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), London, United Kingdom
| | - Emily Simonoff
- Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, King's College London (KCL), Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience (IoPPN), London, United Kingdom
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22
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Chan MMY, Han YMY. Differential mirror neuron system (MNS) activation during action observation with and without social-emotional components in autism: a meta-analysis of neuroimaging studies. Mol Autism 2020; 11:72. [PMID: 32993782 PMCID: PMC7523366 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-020-00374-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2020] [Accepted: 09/02/2020] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Impaired imitation has been found to be an important factor contributing to social communication deficits in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). It has been hypothesized that the neural correlate of imitation, the mirror neuron system (MNS), is dysfunctional in ASD, resulting in imitation impairment as one of the key behavioral manifestations in ASD. Previous MNS studies produced inconsistent results, leaving the debate of whether “broken” mirror neurons in ASD are unresolved. Methods This meta-analysis aimed to explore the differences in MNS activation patterns between typically developing (TD) and ASD individuals when they observe biological motions with or without social-emotional components. Effect size signed differential mapping (ES-SDM) was adopted to synthesize the available fMRI data. Results ES-SDM analysis revealed hyperactivation in the right inferior frontal gyrus and left supplementary motor area in ASD during observation of biological motions. Subgroup analysis of experiments involving the observation of stimuli with or without emotional component revealed hyperactivation in the left inferior parietal lobule and left supplementary motor during action observation without emotional components, whereas hyperactivation of the right inferior frontal gyrus was found during action observation with emotional components in ASD. Subgroup analyses of age showed hyperactivation of the bilateral inferior frontal gyrus in ASD adolescents, while hyperactivation in the right inferior frontal gyrus was noted in ASD adults. Meta-regression within ASD individuals indicated that the right cerebellum crus I activation increased with age, while the left inferior temporal gyrus activation decreased with age. Limitations This meta-analysis is limited in its generalization of the findings to individuals with ASD by the restricted age range, heterogeneous study sample, and the large within-group variation in MNS activation patterns during object observation. Furthermore, we only included action observation studies which might limit the generalization of our results to the imitation deficits in ASD. In addition, the relatively small sample size for individual studies might also potentially overestimate the effect sizes. Conclusion The MNS is impaired in ASD. The abnormal activation patterns were found to be modulated by the nature of stimuli and age, which might explain the contradictory results from earlier studies on the “broken mirror neuron” debate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Melody M Y Chan
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 11 Yuk Choi Road, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong
| | - Yvonne M Y Han
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, 11 Yuk Choi Road, Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
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23
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Yuk V, Anagnostou E, Taylor MJ. Altered Connectivity During a False-Belief Task in Adults With Autism Spectrum Disorder. BIOLOGICAL PSYCHIATRY: COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE AND NEUROIMAGING 2020; 5:901-912. [PMID: 32600899 DOI: 10.1016/j.bpsc.2020.04.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2019] [Revised: 04/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/15/2020] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Deficits in social communication are one of the main features of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Adults with ASD show atypical brain activity during false-belief understanding, an aspect of social communication involving the ability to infer that an individual can have an incorrect belief about a situation. Our study is the first to investigate whether adults with ASD exhibit differences in frequency-specific functional connectivity patterns during false-belief reasoning. METHODS We used magnetoencephalography to contrast functional connectivity underlying false-belief understanding between 40 adults with ASD and 39 control adults. We examined whole-brain phase synchrony measures during a false-belief task in 3 frequency bands: theta (4-7 Hz), alpha (8-14 Hz), and beta (15-30 Hz). RESULTS Adults with ASD demonstrated reduced theta-band connectivity compared with control adults between several right-lateralized and midline regions such as the medial prefrontal cortex, right temporoparietal junction, right inferior frontal gyrus, and right superior temporal gyrus. During false-belief trials, they also recruited a network in the beta band that included primary visual regions such as the bilateral inferior occipital gyri and the left anterior temporoparietal junction. CONCLUSIONS Reduced theta-band synchrony between areas associated with mentalizing, inhibition, and visual processing implies some difficulty in communication among these functions in ASD. This impairment in top-down control in the theta band may be counterbalanced by their engagement of a beta-band network because both the left anterior temporoparietal junction and beta-band oscillations are associated with attentional processes. Thus, adults with ASD demonstrate alternative neural mechanisms for successful false-belief reasoning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Yuk
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, SickKids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
| | - Evdokia Anagnostou
- Department of Neurology, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Bloorview Research Institute, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Margot J Taylor
- Department of Diagnostic Imaging, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Neurosciences and Mental Health Program, SickKids Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Psychology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada; Department of Medical Imaging, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
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Ho SS, Muzik M, Rosenblum KL, Morelen D, Nakamura Y, Swain JE. Potential Neural Mediators of Mom Power Parenting Intervention Effects on Maternal Intersubjectivity and Stress Resilience. Front Psychiatry 2020; 11:568824. [PMID: 33363481 PMCID: PMC7752922 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyt.2020.568824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 11/11/2020] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Stress resilience in parenting depends on the parent's capacity to understand subjective experiences in self and child, namely intersubjectivity, which is intimately related to mimicking other's affective expressions (i. e., mirroring). Stress can worsen parenting by potentiating problems that can impair intersubjectivity, e.g., problems of "over-mentalizing" (misattribution of the child's behaviors) and "under-coupling" (inadequate child-oriented mirroring). Previously we have developed Mom Power (MP) parenting intervention to promote maternal intersubjectivity and reduce parenting stress. This study aimed to elucidate neural mechanisms underlying the effects of MP with a novel Child Face Mirroring Task (CFMT) in functional magnetic-resonance-imaging settings. In CFMT, the participants responded to own and other's child's facial pictures in three task conditions: (1) empathic mirroring (Join), (2) non-mirroring observing (Observe), and (3) voluntary responding (React). In each condition, each child's neutral, ambiguous, distressed, and joyful expressions were repeatedly displayed. We examined the CFMT-related neural responses in a sample of healthy mothers (n = 45) in Study 1, and MP effects on CFMT with a pre-intervention (T1) and post-intervention (T2) design in two groups, MP (n = 19) and Control (n = 17), in Study 2. We found that, from T1 to T2, MP (vs. Control) decreased parenting stress, decreased dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) during own-child-specific voluntary responding (React to Own vs. Other's Child), and increased activity in the frontoparietal cortices, midbrain, nucleus accumbens, and amygdala during own-child-specific empathic mirroring (Join vs. Observe of Own vs. Other's Child). We identified that MP effects on parenting stress were potentially mediated by T1-to-T2 changes in: (1) the left superior-temporal-gyrus differential responses in the contrast of Join vs. Observe of own (vs. other's) child, (2) the dmPFC-PAG (periaqueductal gray) differential functional connectivity in the same contrast, and (3) the left amygdala differential responses in the contrast of Join vs. Observe of own (vs. other's) child's joyful vs. distressed expressions. We discussed these results in support of the notion that MP reduces parenting stress via changing neural activities related to the problems of "over-mentalizing" and "under-coupling." Additionally, we discussed theoretical relationships between parenting stress and intersubjectivity in a novel dyadic active inference framework in a two-agent system to guide future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Shaun Ho
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
| | - Maria Muzik
- Departments of Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Katherine L Rosenblum
- Departments of Psychiatry, Obstetrics & Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
| | - Diana Morelen
- Department of Psychology, East Tennessee State University, Johnson City, TN, United States
| | - Yoshio Nakamura
- Department of Anesthesiology, Pain Research Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, United States
| | - James E Swain
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, Renaissance School of Medicine at Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY, United States
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Thompson EL, Bird G, Catmur C. Conceptualizing and testing action understanding. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2019; 105:106-114. [DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2019.08.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2018] [Revised: 06/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/04/2019] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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The atypical social brain network in autism: advances in structural and functional MRI studies. Curr Opin Neurol 2019; 32:617-621. [DOI: 10.1097/wco.0000000000000713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
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