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Hartstein LE, LeBourgeois MK, Durniak MT, Najjar RP. Differences in the pupillary responses to evening light between children and adolescents. J Physiol Anthropol 2024; 43:16. [PMID: 38961509 PMCID: PMC11221120 DOI: 10.1186/s40101-024-00363-6] [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: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 06/04/2024] [Indexed: 07/05/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In the mammalian retina, intrinsically-photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGC) detect light and integrate signals from rods and cones to drive multiple non-visual functions including circadian entrainment and the pupillary light response (PLR). Non-visual photoreception and consequently non-visual sensitivity to light may change across child development. The PLR represents a quick and reliable method for examining non-visual responses to light in children. The purpose of this study was to assess differences in the PLRs to blue and red stimuli, measured one hour prior to bedtime, between children and adolescents. METHODS Forty healthy participants (8-9 years, n = 21; 15-16 years, n = 19) completed a PLR assessment 1 h before their habitual bedtime. After a 1 h dim-light adaptation period (< 1 lx), baseline pupil diameter was measured in darkness for 30 s, followed by a 10 s exposure to 3.0 × 1013 photons/cm2/s of either red (627 nm) or blue (459 nm) light, and a 40 s recovery in darkness to assess pupillary re-dilation. Subsequently, participants underwent 7 min of dim-light re-adaptation followed by an exposure to the other light condition. Lights were counterbalanced across participants. RESULTS Across both age groups, maximum pupil constriction was significantly greater (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.48) and more sustained (p < 0.001, ηp2 = 0.41) during exposure to blue compared to red light. For adolescents, the post-illumination pupillary response (PIPR), a hallmark of melanopsin function, was larger after blue compared with red light (p = 0.02, d = 0.60). This difference was not observed in children. Across light exposures, children had larger phasic (p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.20) and maximal (p < 0.01, ηp2 = 0.22) pupil constrictions compared to adolescents. CONCLUSIONS Blue light elicited a greater and more sustained pupillary response than red light in children and adolescents. However, the overall amplitude of the rod/cone-driven phasic response was greater in children than in adolescents. Our findings using the PLR highlight a higher sensitivity to evening light in children compared to adolescents, and continued maturation of the human non-visual photoreception/system throughout development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren E Hartstein
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA.
| | - Monique K LeBourgeois
- Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO, USA
| | | | - Raymond P Najjar
- Center for Innovation & Precision Eye Health, Department of Ophthalmology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
- ASPIRE Research Program, Singapore Eye Research Institute, Singapore, Singapore
- Duke-NUS School of Medicine, Singapore, Singapore
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, College of Design and Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
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2
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Hou W, Zhao W, Li J. Intact gesture cueing of attention but attenuated sensitivity to peripheral social targets in autistic children: An eye-tracking and pupillometric study. Biol Psychol 2024; 191:108822. [PMID: 38821466 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2024.108822] [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: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 05/26/2024] [Indexed: 06/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Altered automatic attention cueing has been reported in autistic children. Yet less is known about how autistic children would respond when the social cue that directs attention occurs in an implied social interaction. METHODS By using eye-tracking, the current study examined orienting responses to a socially-relevant target or a nonsocial target cued by a goal-directed social gesture in autistic children. Saccadic reaction time and pupillary responses were employed to measure gaze behavior and physiological arousal of autistic children. RESULTS Both groups of children showed reflexive orienting to the target regardless of its sociality, whereas typically developing (TD) children exhibited faster gaze shift than autistic children when the target was a social stimulus. An increased pupil dilation was observed in autistic children in response to stimuli relative to TD children. Further, autistic children showed larger baseline pupil response. CONCLUSIONS Autistic children show attenuated sensitivity to social targets and atypical pupil responses, which may be due to the dysfunction of locus coeruleus (LC) - norepinephrine (NE) system.
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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
| | - Wenlu Zhao
- 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
| | - 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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3
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Keehn B, Monahan P, Enneking B, Ryan T, Swigonski N, McNally Keehn R. Eye-Tracking Biomarkers and Autism Diagnosis in Primary Care. JAMA Netw Open 2024; 7:e2411190. [PMID: 38743420 PMCID: PMC11094561 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.11190] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 05/16/2024] Open
Abstract
Importance Finding effective and scalable solutions to address diagnostic delays and disparities in autism is a public health imperative. Approaches that integrate eye-tracking biomarkers into tiered community-based models of autism evaluation hold promise for addressing this problem. Objective To determine whether a battery of eye-tracking biomarkers can reliably differentiate young children with and without autism in a community-referred sample collected during clinical evaluation in the primary care setting and to evaluate whether combining eye-tracking biomarkers with primary care practitioner (PCP) diagnosis and diagnostic certainty is associated with diagnostic outcome. Design, Setting, and Participants Early Autism Evaluation (EAE) Hub system PCPs referred a consecutive sample of children to this prospective diagnostic study for blinded eye-tracking index test and follow-up expert evaluation from June 7, 2019, to September 23, 2022. Participants included 146 children (aged 14-48 months) consecutively referred by 7 EAE Hubs. Of 154 children enrolled, 146 provided usable data for at least 1 eye-tracking measure. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcomes were sensitivity and specificity of a composite eye-tracking (ie, index) test, which was a consolidated measure based on significant eye-tracking indices, compared with reference standard expert clinical autism diagnosis. Secondary outcome measures were sensitivity and specificity of an integrated approach using an index test and PCP diagnosis and certainty. Results Among 146 children (mean [SD] age, 2.6 [0.6] years; 104 [71%] male; 21 [14%] Hispanic or Latine and 96 [66%] non-Latine White; 102 [70%] with a reference standard autism diagnosis), 113 (77%) had concordant autism outcomes between the index (composite biomarker) and reference outcomes, with 77.5% sensitivity (95% CI, 68.4%-84.5%) and 77.3% specificity (95% CI, 63.0%-87.2%). When index diagnosis was based on the combination of a composite biomarker, PCP diagnosis, and diagnostic certainty, outcomes were concordant with reference standard for 114 of 127 cases (90%) with a sensitivity of 90.7% (95% CI, 83.3%-95.0%) and a specificity of 86.7% (95% CI, 70.3%-94.7%). Conclusions and Relevance In this prospective diagnostic study, a composite eye-tracking biomarker was associated with a best-estimate clinical diagnosis of autism, and an integrated diagnostic model including PCP diagnosis and diagnostic certainty demonstrated improved sensitivity and specificity. These findings suggest that equipping PCPs with a multimethod diagnostic approach has the potential to substantially improve access to timely, accurate diagnosis in local communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon Keehn
- Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana
| | - Patrick Monahan
- Department of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
| | - Brett Enneking
- Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
| | - Tybytha Ryan
- Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
| | - Nancy Swigonski
- Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis
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de Vries LM, Amelynck S, Nyström P, van Esch L, Van Lierde T, Warreyn P, Roeyers H, Noens I, Naulaers G, Boets B, Steyaert J. Investigating the development of the autonomic nervous system in infancy through pupillometry. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2023; 130:723-734. [PMID: 36906867 PMCID: PMC10008146 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-023-02616-7] [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: 08/05/2022] [Accepted: 02/27/2023] [Indexed: 03/13/2023]
Abstract
We aim to investigate early developmental trajectories of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) as indexed by the pupillary light reflex (PLR) in infants with (i.e. preterm birth, feeding difficulties, or siblings of children with autism spectrum disorder) and without (controls) increased likelihood for atypical ANS development. We used eye-tracking to capture the PLR in 216 infants in a longitudinal follow-up study spanning 5 to 24 months of age, and linear mixed models to investigate effects of age and group on three PLR parameters: baseline pupil diameter, latency to constriction and relative constriction amplitude. An increase with age was found in baseline pupil diameter (F(3,273.21) = 13.15, p < 0.001, [Formula: see text] = 0.13), latency to constriction (F(3,326.41) = 3.84, p = 0.010, [Formula: see text] = 0.03) and relative constriction amplitude(F(3,282.53) = 3.70, p = 0.012, [Formula: see text] = 0.04). Group differences were found for baseline pupil diameter (F(3,235.91) = 9.40, p < 0.001, [Formula: see text] = 0.11), with larger diameter in preterms and siblings than in controls, and for latency to constriction (F(3,237.10) = 3.48, p = 0.017, [Formula: see text] = 0.04), with preterms having a longer latency than controls. The results align with previous evidence, with development over time that could be explained by ANS maturation. To better understand the cause of the group differences, further research in a larger sample is necessary, combining pupillometry with other measures to further validate its value.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyssa M de Vries
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 Box 1029, 3000, Louvain, Belgium.
- University Hospital Leuven, Louvain, Belgium.
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium.
| | - Steffie Amelynck
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 Box 1029, 3000, Louvain, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Pär Nyström
- Developmental Psychology, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Lotte van Esch
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Thijs Van Lierde
- RIDDL Lab, Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Petra Warreyn
- RIDDL Lab, Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Herbert Roeyers
- RIDDL Lab, Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
| | - Ilse Noens
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
- Parenting and Special Education Research Unit, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Gunnar Naulaers
- University Hospital Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
- Woman and Child, Department of Development and Regeneration, KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 Box 1029, 3000, Louvain, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
| | - Jean Steyaert
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Herestraat 49 Box 1029, 3000, Louvain, Belgium
- University Hospital Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
- Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Louvain, Belgium
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Portugal AM, Taylor MJ, Viktorsson C, Nyström P, Li D, Tammimies K, Ronald A, Falck-Ytter T. Pupil size and pupillary light reflex in early infancy: heritability and link to genetic liability to schizophrenia. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2022; 63:1068-1077. [PMID: 34939671 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13564] [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] [Accepted: 11/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Measures based on pupillometry, such as the pupillary light reflex (PLR) and baseline pupil size, reflect physiological responses linked to specific neural circuits that have been implicated as atypical in some psychiatric and neurodevelopmental conditions. METHODS We investigated the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to the baseline pupil size and the PLR in 510 infant twins assessed at 5 months of age (281 monozygotic and 229 dizygotic pairs), and its associations with common genetic variants associated with neurodevelopmental (autism spectrum disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) and mental health (bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia) conditions using genome-wide polygenic scores (GPSs). RESULTS Univariate twin modelling showed high heritability at 5 months for both pupil size (h2 = .64) and constriction in response to light (h2 = .62), and bivariate twin modeling indicated substantial independence between the genetic factors influencing each (rG = .38). A statistically significant positive association between infant tonic pupil size and the GPS for schizophrenia was found (β = .15, p = .024), while there was no significant association with the GPS for autism or any other GPSs. CONCLUSIONS This study shows that some pupil measures are highly heritable in early infancy, although substantially independent in their genetic etiologies, and associated with common genetic variants linked to schizophrenia. It illustrates how genetically informed studies of infants may help us understand early physiological responses associated with psychiatric disorders which emerge much later in life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ana Maria Portugal
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mark J Taylor
- Department of Medical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Charlotte Viktorsson
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Pär Nyström
- Uppsala Child & BabyLab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Danyang Li
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Kristiina Tammimies
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Astrid Lindgren Children's Hospital, Karolinska University Hospital, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Angelica Ronald
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
| | - Terje Falck-Ytter
- Department of Women's and Children's Health, Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Development and Neurodiversity Lab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study, Uppsala, Sweden
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Lynch GTF, James SM, Cardon TA, McPherson SM. Sensitivity and specificity of pupillary light reflex measures for ASD using monocular pupillometry. Neurol Sci 2022; 43:4537-4545. [DOI: 10.1007/s10072-022-05976-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2021] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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7
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Tortelli C, Pomè A, Turi M, Igliozzi R, Burr DC, Binda P. Contextual Information Modulates Pupil Size in Autistic Children. Front Neurosci 2022; 16:752871. [PMID: 35431787 PMCID: PMC9011183 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2022.752871] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Recent Bayesian models suggest that perception is more “data-driven” and less dependent on contextual information in autistic individuals than others. However, experimental tests of this hypothesis have given mixed results, possibly due to the lack of objectivity of the self-report methods typically employed. Here we introduce an objective no-report paradigm based on pupillometry to assess the processing of contextual information in autistic children, together with a comparison clinical group. After validating in neurotypical adults a child-friendly pupillometric paradigm, in which we embedded test images within an animation movie that participants watched passively, we compared pupillary response to images of the sun and meaningless control images in children with autism vs. age- and IQ-matched children presenting developmental disorders unrelated to the autistic spectrum. Both clinical groups showed stronger pupillary constriction for the sun images compared with control images, like the neurotypical adults. However, there was no detectable difference between autistic children and the comparison group, despite a significant difference in pupillary light responses, which were enhanced in the autistic group. Our report introduces an objective technique for studying perception in clinical samples and children. The lack of statistically significant group differences in our tests suggests that autistic children and the comparison group do not show large differences in perception of these stimuli. This opens the way to further studies testing contextual processing at other levels of perception.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Tortelli
- Department of Surgical, Medical, Molecular and Critical Area Pathology, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
| | - Antonella Pomè
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Firenze, Firenze, Italy
| | - Marco Turi
- Fondazione Stella Maris Mediterraneo, Matera, Italy
| | | | - David C. Burr
- Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Pharmacology and Child Health, University of Firenze, Firenze, Italy
| | - Paola Binda
- Department of Translational Research on New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
- *Correspondence: Paola Binda,
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Delling JP, Boeckers TM. Comparison of SHANK3 deficiency in animal models: phenotypes, treatment strategies, and translational implications. J Neurodev Disord 2021; 13:55. [PMID: 34784886 PMCID: PMC8594088 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-021-09397-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition, which is characterized by clinical heterogeneity and high heritability. Core symptoms of ASD include deficits in social communication and interaction, as well as restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Many genes have been identified that are associated with an increased risk for ASD. Proteins encoded by these ASD risk genes are often involved in processes related to fetal brain development, chromatin modification and regulation of gene expression in general, as well as the structural and functional integrity of synapses. Genes of the SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains (SHANK) family encode crucial scaffolding proteins (SHANK1-3) of excitatory synapses and other macromolecular complexes. SHANK gene mutations are highly associated with ASD and more specifically the Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMDS), which is caused by heterozygous 22q13.3-deletion resulting in SHANK3-haploinsufficiency, or by SHANK3 missense variants. SHANK3 deficiency and potential treatment options have been extensively studied in animal models, especially in mice, but also in rats and non-human primates. However, few of the proposed therapeutic strategies have translated into clinical practice yet. MAIN TEXT This review summarizes the literature concerning SHANK3-deficient animal models. In particular, the structural, behavioral, and neurological abnormalities are described and compared, providing a broad and comprehensive overview. Additionally, the underlying pathophysiologies and possible treatments that have been investigated in these models are discussed and evaluated with respect to their effect on ASD- or PMDS-associated phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS Animal models of SHANK3 deficiency generated by various genetic strategies, which determine the composition of the residual SHANK3-isoforms and affected cell types, show phenotypes resembling ASD and PMDS. The phenotypic heterogeneity across multiple models and studies resembles the variation of clinical severity in human ASD and PMDS patients. Multiple therapeutic strategies have been proposed and tested in animal models, which might lead to translational implications for human patients with ASD and/or PMDS. Future studies should explore the effects of new therapeutic approaches that target genetic haploinsufficiency, like CRISPR-mediated activation of promotors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Philipp Delling
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, Ulm, 89081, Germany.
| | - Tobias M Boeckers
- Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology, Ulm University, Albert-Einstein-Allee 11, Ulm, 89081, Germany. .,Ulm Site, DZNE, Ulm, Germany.
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9
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Fish LA, Nyström P, Gliga T, Gui A, Begum Ali J, Mason L, Garg S, Green J, Johnson MH, Charman T, Harrison R, Meaburn E, Falck-Ytter T, Jones EJH. Development of the pupillary light reflex from 9 to 24 months: association with common autism spectrum disorder (ASD) genetic liability and 3-year ASD diagnosis. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2021; 62:1308-1319. [PMID: 34492739 DOI: 10.1111/jcpp.13518] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/10/2021] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is heritable, the mechanisms through which genes contribute to symptom emergence remain unclear. Investigating candidate intermediate phenotypes such as the pupillary light reflex (PLR) prospectively from early in development could bridge genotype and behavioural phenotype. METHODS Using eye tracking, we longitudinally measured the PLR at 9, 14 and 24 months in a sample of infants (N = 264) enriched for a family history of ASD; 27 infants received an ASD diagnosis at 3 years. We examined the 9- to 24-month developmental trajectories of PLR constriction latency (onset; ms) and amplitude (%) and explored their relation to categorical 3-year ASD outcome, polygenic liability for ASD and dimensional 3-year social affect (SA) and repetitive/restrictive behaviour (RRB) traits. Polygenic scores for ASD (PGSASD ) were calculated for 190 infants. RESULTS While infants showed a decrease in latency between 9 and 14 months, higher PGSASD was associated with a smaller decrease in latency in the first year (β = -.16, 95% CI = -0.31, -0.002); infants with later ASD showed a significantly steeper decrease in latency (a putative 'catch-up') between 14 and 24 months relative to those with other outcomes (typical: β = .54, 95% CI = 0.08, 0.99; other: β = .53, 95% CI = 0.02, 1.04). Latency development did not associate with later dimensional variation in ASD-related traits. In contrast, change in amplitude was not related to categorical ASD or genetics, but decreasing 9- to 14-month amplitude was associated with higher SA (β = .08, 95% CI = 0.01, 0.14) and RRB (β = .05, 95% CI = 0.004, 0.11) traits. CONCLUSIONS These findings corroborate PLR development as possible intermediate phenotypes being linked to both genetic liability and phenotypic outcomes. Future work should incorporate alternative measures (e.g. functionally informed structural and genetic measures) to test whether distinct neural mechanisms underpin PLR alterations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurel A Fish
- Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Pär Nyström
- Uppsala Child & Babylab, Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Teodora Gliga
- School of Psychology, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Anna Gui
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
| | - Jannath Begum Ali
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
| | - Luke Mason
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
| | - Shruti Garg
- Neuroscience & Experimental Psychology, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Jonathan Green
- Neuroscience & Experimental Psychology, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Mark H Johnson
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK.,Department of Psychology, Cambridge University, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tony Charman
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Rebecca Harrison
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
| | - Emma Meaburn
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
| | - Terje Falck-Ytter
- Development and Neurodiversity Lab (DIVE), Department of Psychology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Center of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (KIND), Centre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Women's and Children's Health, Karolinska Institutet & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.,Swedish Collegium for Advanced Study (SCAS), Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Emily J H Jones
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Birkbeck College, University of London, London, UK
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Zandi B, Lode M, Herzog A, Sakas G, Khanh TQ. PupilEXT: Flexible Open-Source Platform for High-Resolution Pupillometry in Vision Research. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:676220. [PMID: 34220432 PMCID: PMC8249868 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.676220] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Accepted: 04/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The human pupil behavior has gained increased attention due to the discovery of the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells and the afferent pupil control path's role as a biomarker for cognitive processes. Diameter changes in the range of 10-2 mm are of interest, requiring reliable and characterized measurement equipment to accurately detect neurocognitive effects on the pupil. Mostly commercial solutions are used as measurement devices in pupillometry which is associated with high investments. Moreover, commercial systems rely on closed software, restricting conclusions about the used pupil-tracking algorithms. Here, we developed an open-source pupillometry platform consisting of hardware and software competitive with high-end commercial stereo eye-tracking systems. Our goal was to make a professional remote pupil measurement pipeline for laboratory conditions accessible for everyone. This work's core outcome is an integrated cross-platform (macOS, Windows and Linux) pupillometry software called PupilEXT, featuring a user-friendly graphical interface covering the relevant requirements of professional pupil response research. We offer a selection of six state-of-the-art open-source pupil detection algorithms (Starburst, Swirski, ExCuSe, ElSe, PuRe and PuReST) to perform the pupil measurement. A developed 120-fps pupillometry demo system was able to achieve a calibration accuracy of 0.003 mm and an averaged temporal pupil measurement detection accuracy of 0.0059 mm in stereo mode. The PupilEXT software has extended features in pupil detection, measurement validation, image acquisition, data acquisition, offline pupil measurement, camera calibration, stereo vision, data visualization and system independence, all combined in a single open-source interface, available at https://github.com/openPupil/Open-PupilEXT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Babak Zandi
- Laboratory of Lighting Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Moritz Lode
- Laboratory of Lighting Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Alexander Herzog
- Laboratory of Lighting Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Georgios Sakas
- Interactive Graphic Systems, Department of Computer Science, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
| | - Tran Quoc Khanh
- Laboratory of Lighting Technology, Department of Electrical Engineering and Information Technology, Technical University of Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany
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Increasing Vegetable Diversity Consumption Impacts the Sympathetic Nervous System Activity in School-Aged Children. Nutrients 2021; 13:nu13051456. [PMID: 33922948 PMCID: PMC8146093 DOI: 10.3390/nu13051456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Revised: 04/20/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Evidence about the impact of vegetable and fruit diversity consumption on the autonomic nervous system (ANS) functioning is scarce. In this cross-sectional study (513 participants, 49.9% girls aged 7 to 12 years), we evaluated the association between vegetable and fruit diversity consumption and the ANS in school-aged children. Dietary intake was collected using a single 24-h recall questionnaire. Fruit and vegetable diversity consumption was estimated by summing up all the different individual vegetables and fruits consumed in one day. Pupillometry was used to assess pupillary light response, which evaluated the ANS activity. Adjusted linear regressions estimated the association between vegetable and fruit diversity consumption with pupillary light response measures. There was a positive and significant association between vegetable diversity consumption and the average dilation velocity, a measure related to the sympathetic nervous system activity (β-coefficient = 0.03, 95%CI: 0.002; 0.07). Our findings show that vegetable diversity consumption is associated with the ANS response, a possible early link between diet and health in school-aged children.
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Camero R, Martínez V, Gallego C. Gaze Following and Pupil Dilation as Early Diagnostic Markers of Autism in Toddlers. CHILDREN-BASEL 2021; 8:children8020113. [PMID: 33562656 PMCID: PMC7914719 DOI: 10.3390/children8020113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2020] [Revised: 01/29/2021] [Accepted: 02/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Background: Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show certain characteristics in visual attention. These may generate differences with non-autistic children in the integration of relevant social information to set the basis of communication. Reliable and objective measurement of these characteristics in a language learning context could contribute to a more accurate early diagnosis of ASD. Gaze following and pupil dilation are being studied as possible reliable measures of visual attention for the early detection of ASD. The eye-tracking methodology allows objective measurement of these biomarkers. The aim of this study is to determine whether measurements of gaze following and pupillary dilation in a linguistic interaction task are potential objective biomarkers for the early diagnosis of ASD. Method: A group of 20 children between 17 and 24 months of age, made up of 10 neurotypical children (NT) and 10 children with an increased likelihood of developing ASD were paired together according to chronological age. A human face on a monitor pronounced pseudowords associated with pseudo-objects. Gaze following and pupil dilation were registered during the task These measurements were captured using eye-tracking methodology. Results: Significant statistical differences were found in the time of gaze fixation on the human face and on the object, as well as in the number of gazes. Children with an increased possibility of developing ASD showed a slightly higher pupil dilation than NT children. However, this difference was not statistically significant. Nevertheless, their pupil dilation was uniform throughout the different periods of the task while NT participants showed greater dilation on hearing the pseudoword. Conclusions: The fixing and the duration of gaze, objectively measured by a Tobii eye-tracking system, could be considered as potential biomarkers for early detection of ASD. Additionally, pupil dilation measurement could reflect differential activation patterns during word processing in possible ASD toddlers and NT toddlers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Camero
- Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain;
| | - Verónica Martínez
- Department of Psychology, University of Oviedo, 33003 Oviedo, Spain;
- Correspondence:
| | - Carlos Gallego
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Cognitive Processes and Speech Therapy, Complutense University of Madrid, 28223 Madrid, Spain;
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de Vries L, Fouquaet I, Boets B, Naulaers G, Steyaert J. Autism spectrum disorder and pupillometry: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 120:479-508. [PMID: 33172600 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.09.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2020] [Revised: 07/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
Abstract
Pupillometry, measuring pupil size and reactivity, has been proposed as a measure of autonomic nervous system functioning, the latter which might be altered in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study aims to evaluate if pupillary responses differ in individuals with and without ASD. After performing a systematic literature search, we conducted a meta-analysis and constructed a qualitative synthesis. The meta-analysis shows a longer latency of the pupil response in the ASD-group as a substantial group difference, with a Hedges' g of 1.03 (95% CI 0.49-1.56, p = 0.008). Evidence on baseline pupil size and amplitude change is conflicting. We used the framework method to perform a qualitative evaluation of these differences. Explanations for the group differences vary between studies and are inconclusive, but many authors point to involvement of the autonomous nervous system and more specifically the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system. Pupillometry reveals differences between people with and without ASD, but the exact meaning of these differences remains unknown. Future studies should align research designs and investigate a possible effect of maturation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyssa de Vries
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Child Psychiatry, UPC KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium.
| | - Iris Fouquaet
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Bart Boets
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Gunnar Naulaers
- Department of Development and Regeneration, University Hospitals Leuven, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Jean Steyaert
- Center for Developmental Psychiatry, Department of Neurosciences, KU Leuven, Kapucijnenvoer 7, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; Department of Child Psychiatry, UPC KU Leuven, Herestraat 49, 3000, Leuven, Belgium; KU Leuven Autism Research (LAuRes), KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
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