1
|
Chen J, Ding Q, An L, Wang H. Ca2+-stimulated adenylyl cyclases as therapeutic targets for psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders. Front Pharmacol 2022; 13:949384. [PMID: 36188604 PMCID: PMC9523369 DOI: 10.3389/fphar.2022.949384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
As the main secondary messengers, cyclic AMP (cAMP) and Ca2+ trigger intracellular signal transduction cascade and, in turn, regulate many aspects of cellular function in developing and mature neurons. The group I adenylyl cyclase (ADCY, also known as AC) isoforms, including ADCY1, 3, and 8 (also known as AC1, AC3, and AC8), are stimulated by Ca2+ and thus functionally positioned to integrate cAMP and Ca2+ signaling. Emerging lines of evidence have suggested the association of the Ca2+-stimulated ADCYs with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, major depressive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, and autism. In this review, we discuss the molecular and cellular features as well as the physiological functions of ADCY1, 3, and 8. We further discuss the recent therapeutic development to target the Ca2+-stimulated ADCYs for potential treatments of psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Collapse
|
2
|
Integrative analysis of shared genetic pathogenesis by autism spectrum disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Biosci Rep 2020; 39:221433. [PMID: 31808517 PMCID: PMC6928520 DOI: 10.1042/bsr20191942] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Revised: 11/13/2019] [Accepted: 11/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Many common pathological features have been observed for both autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). However, no systematic analysis of the common gene markers associated with both ASD and OCD has been conducted so far. Here, two batches of large-scale literature-based disease–gene relation data (updated in 2017 and 2019, respectively) and gene expression data were integrated to study the possible association between OCD and ASD at the genetic level. Genes linked to OCD and ASD present significant overlap (P-value <2.64e-39). A genetic network of over 20 genes was constructed, through which OCD and ASD may exert influence on each other. The 2017-based analysis suggested six potential common risk genes for OCD and ASD (CDH2, ADCY8, APOE, TSPO, TOR1A, and OLIG2), and the 2019-based study identified two more genes (DISP1 and SETD1A). Notably, the gene APOE identified by the 2017-based analysis has been implicated to have an association with ASD in a recent study (2018) with DNA methylation analysis. Our results support the possible complex genetic associations between OCD and ASD. Genes linked to one disease are worth further investigation as potential risk factors for the other.
Collapse
|
3
|
Brief Report: Insistence on Sameness, Anxiety, and Social Motivation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 46:2548-54. [PMID: 27040556 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-016-2781-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
While the function of restricted repetitive behaviors (RRBs) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is unclear, RRBs may function as anxiety reduction strategies (Joosten et al. J Autism Dev Disord 39(3):521-531, 2009. Moreover, anxiety in ASD is associated with low social motivation (Swain et al. J Autism Dev Disord, 2015. The present study examined social motivation as a mediator between anxiety and RRBs in a sample of 44 children (2-17 years old; 80 % male) with ASD. The relationship between anxiety and IS, but not other RRBs, was partially mediated by social motivation. These findings suggest anxiety is linked to social motivation deficits in children with ASD, which may increase ritualized behaviors and difficulties with changes in routine. Implications are discussed for differing functions and treatment of RRB domains.
Collapse
|
4
|
Brief Report: Insistence on Sameness, Anxiety, and Social Motivation in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2016. [PMID: 27040556 DOI: 10.1007/s10803‐016‐2781‐x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
While the function of restricted repetitive behaviors (RRBs) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is unclear, RRBs may function as anxiety reduction strategies (Joosten et al. J Autism Dev Disord 39(3):521-531, 2009. Moreover, anxiety in ASD is associated with low social motivation (Swain et al. J Autism Dev Disord, 2015. The present study examined social motivation as a mediator between anxiety and RRBs in a sample of 44 children (2-17 years old; 80 % male) with ASD. The relationship between anxiety and IS, but not other RRBs, was partially mediated by social motivation. These findings suggest anxiety is linked to social motivation deficits in children with ASD, which may increase ritualized behaviors and difficulties with changes in routine. Implications are discussed for differing functions and treatment of RRB domains.
Collapse
|
5
|
Meier SM, Petersen L, Schendel DE, Mattheisen M, Mortensen PB, Mors O. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Longitudinal and Offspring Risk. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0141703. [PMID: 26558765 PMCID: PMC4641696 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0141703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2015] [Accepted: 10/11/2015] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Despite substantial similarities and overlaps in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD) and autism spectrum disorders, little is known about the clinical and etiologic cohesion of these two disorders. We therefore aimed to determine the patterns of comorbidity, longitudinal risks, and shared familial risks between these disorders. Methods In a prospective study design we explored the effect of a prior diagnosis of OCD in patients and parents on the susceptibility to autism spectrum disorders and vice versa. Analyses were adjusted for sex, age, calendar year, parental age and place at residence at time of birth. As measures of relative risk incidence rate ratios (IRR) and accompanying 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were employed. Results The risk of a comorbid diagnosis of OCD in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and aggregation of autism spectrum disorders in offspring of parents with OCD were increased. Individuals first diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders had a 2-fold higher risk of a later diagnosis of OCD (IRR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.91–2.48), whereas individuals diagnosed with OCD displayed a nearly 4-fold higher risk to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (IRR = 3.91, 95% CI = 3.46–4.40) later in life. The observed associations were somewhat stronger for less severe types of autism spectrum disorders without a comorbid diagnosis of mental disabilities. Conclusions The high comorbidity, sequential risk, and shared familial risks between OCD and autism spectrum disorders are suggestive of partially shared etiological mechanisms. The results have implications for current gene-searching efforts and for clinical practice.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sandra M Meier
- National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, DK
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, DK
- * E-mail:
| | - Liselotte Petersen
- National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, DK
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, DK
| | - Diana E Schendel
- National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, DK
- Department of Public Health, Section of Epidemiology, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, DK
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, DK
| | - Manuel Mattheisen
- Department of Biomedicine, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, DK
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, DK
| | - Preben B Mortensen
- National Centre for Register-Based Research, Aarhus University, Aarhus C, DK
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, DK
| | - Ole Mors
- Research Department P, Aarhus University Hospital, Risskov, DK
- The Lundbeck Foundation Initiative for Integrative Psychiatric Research, iPSYCH, DK
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Humble MB, Uvnäs-Moberg K, Engström I, Bejerot S. Plasma oxytocin changes and anti-obsessive response during serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment: a placebo controlled study. BMC Psychiatry 2013; 13:344. [PMID: 24359174 PMCID: PMC3877985 DOI: 10.1186/1471-244x-13-344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2013] [Accepted: 12/18/2013] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The drug treatments of choice for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs). However, a correlation between the neuropeptide oxytocin in cerebrospinal fluid and the severity of OCD has previously been shown, and oxytocin and serotonin are interconnected within the brain. Few studies have investigated whether SRIs have any effect on oxytocin; thus, our aim was to explore the possibility that oxytocinergic mechanisms contribute to the anti-obsessive effect of SRIs. METHOD In a randomized, double-blind trial, comparing SRIs (clomipramine and paroxetine) with placebo in 36 adults with OCD (characterized for subtypes), plasma oxytocin was measured with radioimmunoassay after plasma extraction, at baseline, after 1 week, and after 4 weeks of treatment, and related to baseline severity and clinical response after 12 weeks, as measured by the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). RESULTS Baseline oxytocin levels correlated positively with baseline Y-BOCS ratings, but only among the future SRI responders. Patients with early onset of OCD had higher baseline oxytocin. During treatment, plasma oxytocin did not differ between SRI and placebo treatment. In SRI responders, plasma oxytocin first decreased and then increased; in non-responders (to SRI as well as to placebo), the reverse was the case. After 4 weeks, treatment responders had attained higher oxytocin levels compared to non-responders. The intra-individual range (i.e., the variability) of plasma oxytocin between measurements was the measure that best differentiated responders from non-responders. This range was higher in responders than non-responders, and lower in patients with autistic traits. CONCLUSIONS SRIs have highly variable effects on plasma oxytocin between individuals. The associations between baseline oxytocin and OCD severity and between oxytocin changes and treatment response support the notions that oxytocin is involved in OCD pathophysiology, and that the anti-obsessive effects of SRIs are partly exerted through oxytocinergic mechanisms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mats B Humble
- Psychiatric Research Centre, Örebro County Council, School of Health and Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden.
| | - Kerstin Uvnäs-Moberg
- Department of Animal Environment and Health, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Skara, Sweden
| | - Ingemar Engström
- Psychiatric Research Centre, Örebro County Council, School of Health and Medical Sciences, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden
| | - Susanne Bejerot
- Department of clinical neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Riluzole as an adjunctive therapy to risperidone for the treatment of irritability in children with autistic disorder: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial. Paediatr Drugs 2013; 15:505-14. [PMID: 23821414 DOI: 10.1007/s40272-013-0036-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A hyperglutamatergic state has been shown to play a possible role in the pathophysiology of autistic disorders. Riluzole is a glutamate-modulating agent with neuroprotective properties, which has been shown to have positive effects in many neuropsychiatric disorders. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerability of riluzole as an adjunctive to risperidone in the treatment of irritability in autistic children who were not optimally responding to previous medications. STUDY DESIGN This was a 10-week, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group, placebo-controlled trial. PARTICIPANTS The study enrolled male and female outpatients aged 5-12 years with a diagnosis of autistic disorder based on the DSM-IV-TR criteria and a score of ≥12 on the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C) irritability subscale who had discontinued other medications because of a lack of efficacy. INTERVENTIONS Subjects received riluzole (titrated to 50 or 100 mg/day based on bodyweight) or placebo in addition to risperidone (titrated up to 2 or 3 mg/day based on bodyweight) for 10 weeks. OUTCOME Patients were assessed at baseline, week 5, and week 10. The primary outcome measure was the difference in the change in the ABC-C irritability subscale score from baseline to week 10 between the two groups. We also compared changes in other ABC-C subscale scores and Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) scale scores between the two groups. RESULTS Forty-nine patients were enrolled in the study, and forty children completed the trial (dropouts: placebo = 4, riluzole = 5). A significantly greater improvement in the study primary outcome (the ABC-C irritability subscale score) was achieved by the riluzole-treated children compared with the placebo group (P = 0.03). Patients in the riluzole group also showed significantly greater improvement on the lethargy/social withdrawal (P = 0.02), stereotypic behavior (P = 0.03), and hyperactivity/non-compliance subscales (P = 0.005), but not on the inappropriate speech subscale (P = 0.20) than patients in the placebo group. Eleven patients in the riluzole group and five patients in the placebo group were classified as responders based on their CGI-I scores [χ(2)(1) = 3.750, P = 0.05]. Children in the riluzole group experienced significantly more increases in their appetite and bodyweight than children in the placebo group by the end of the study. CONCLUSION Riluzole add-on therapy shows several therapeutic outcomes, particularly for improving irritability, in children with autism. However, its add-on to risperidone also results in significantly increased appetite and weight gain.
Collapse
|
8
|
Carrasco M, Volkmar FR, Bloch MH. Pharmacologic treatment of repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders: evidence of publication bias. Pediatrics 2012; 129:e1301-10. [PMID: 22529279 PMCID: PMC3340598 DOI: 10.1542/peds.2011-3285] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to examine the efficacy of serotonin receptor inhibitors (SRIs) for the treatment of repetitive behaviors in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). METHODS Two reviewers searched PubMed and Clinicaltrials.gov for randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials evaluating the efficacy of SRIs for repetitive behaviors in ASD. Our primary outcome was mean improvement in ratings scales of repetitive behavior. Publication bias was assessed by using a funnel plot, the Egger's test, and a meta-regression of sample size and effect size. RESULTS Our search identified 5 published and 5 unpublished but completed trials eligible for meta-analysis. Meta-analysis of 5 published and 1 unpublished trial (which provided data) demonstrated a small but significant effect of SRI for the treatment of repetitive behaviors in ASD (standardized mean difference: 0.22 [95% confidence interval: 0.07-0.37], z score = 2.87, P < .005). There was significant evidence of publication bias in all analyses. When Duval and Tweedie's trim and fill method was used to adjust for the effect of publication bias, there was no longer a significant benefit of SRI for the treatment of repetitive behaviors in ASD (standardized mean difference: 0.12 [95% confidence interval: -0.02 to 0.27]). Secondary analyses demonstrated no significant effect of type of medication, patient age, method of analysis, trial design, or trial duration on reported SRI efficacy. CONCLUSIONS Meta-analysis of the published literature suggests a small but significant effect of SRI in the treatment of repetitive behaviors in ASD. This effect may be attributable to selective publication of trial results. Without timely, transparent, and complete disclosure of trial results, it remains difficult to determine the efficacy of available medications.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Melisa Carrasco
- Neuroscience Graduate Program, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-2215, USA.
| | - Fred R. Volkmar
- Child Study Center and Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| | - Michael H. Bloch
- Child Study Center and Department of Psychiatry, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Chasson GS, Timpano KR, Greenberg JL, Shaw A, Singer T, Wilhelm S. Shared social competence impairment: Another link between the obsessive-compulsive and autism spectrums? Clin Psychol Rev 2011; 31:653-62. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cpr.2011.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2011] [Revised: 02/11/2011] [Accepted: 02/16/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
|
10
|
Hutton J, Goode S, Murphy M, Le Couteur A, Rutter M. New-onset psychiatric disorders in individuals with autism. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2008; 12:373-90. [PMID: 18579645 DOI: 10.1177/1362361308091650] [Citation(s) in RCA: 104] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
A follow-up study to at least the age of 21 years of 135 individuals with an autism spectrum disorder diagnosed in childhood and an IQ of over 30 was conducted. The study is distinctive in its large size, low attrition rate and use of systematic interviews to obtain clinical information. Questionnaires completed by caregivers asked about the development of new psychiatric disorders. For the 39 individuals with a possible new disorder, a detailed psychiatric assessment was undertaken through parental interview. Of all participants, 16 percent developed a definite new psychiatric disorder. A further 6 percent developed a possible new disorder. Five individuals developed an obsessive-compulsive disorder and/or catatonia; eight an affective disorder with marked obsessional features; three complex affective disorders; four more straightforward affective disorders; one a bipolar disorder; and one an acute anxiety state complicated by alcohol excess. There was no case of schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jane Hutton
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, London, UK.
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
11
|
Gothelf D, Goraly O, Avni S, Stawski M, Hartmann I, Basel-Vanagaite L, Apter A. Psychiatric morbidity with focus on obsessive-compulsive disorder in an Israeli cohort of adolescents with mild to moderate mental retardation. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2008; 115:929-36. [PMID: 18351287 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-008-0037-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2007] [Accepted: 02/26/2008] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
The study evaluated the prevalence of DSM-IV-TR-defined psychiatric disorders in adolescents with mental retardation, with a focus on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), for which data at present are sparse. Eighty-seven adolescents with mild to moderate mental retardation attending the Israeli special-education system were screened for psychiatric disorders in general and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in particular. Sixty-one percent had at least one psychiatric disorder. Of the 13 participants receiving antipsychotic medication, none had an underlying psychotic disorder and most had anxiety or depressive disorders. OCD was detected in 11% of participants and was characterized by high rates of psychiatric comorbidities. The severity of autistic symptoms predicted 39% of the variance in the severity of OCD symptoms. Adolescents with mild to moderate mental retardation have high rates of psychiatric morbidities that are often inappropriately treated. OCD is prevalent in this population and is strongly associated with autistic symptoms. Further studies are required in adolescents with mental retardation to better delineate psychiatric morbidities and their appropriate treatment in this at-risk population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Doron Gothelf
- The Behavioral Neurogenetics Center, Feinberg Department of Child Psychiatry, Schneider Children's Medical Center of Israel, Petah Tikva, Israel.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Cullen B, Samuels J, Grados M, Landa R, Bienvenu OJ, Liang KY, Riddle M, Hoehn-Saric R, Nestadt G. Social and communication difficulties and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Psychopathology 2008; 41:194-200. [PMID: 18337630 DOI: 10.1159/000120988] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2006] [Accepted: 07/03/2007] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The relationship between pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has not been extensively studied despite having some phenomenological features in common. Abnormal social and communication behaviors (pragmatic behaviors) are key components of PDD and are also part of the broader autism phenotype (BAP). In this study we sought to establish if there is any association between the presence of abnormal pragmatic behaviors and OCD and whether this association delineates a familial subtype of OCD. SAMPLING AND METHODS As part of the Johns Hopkins OCD Family Study, 80 OCD case probands were recruited and matched with 73 control probands. Probands and their first-degree relatives were interviewed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-Lifetime Anxiety and other diagnostic instruments. A Pragmatic Rating Scale (PRS) to assess pragmatic behaviors was completed by the examiner. RESULTS The PRS was completed on 395 subjects, of which 3% (n = 11) achieved a score of greater than 6. The prevalence of high PRS scores was significantly greater amongst case probands and relatives (5%) compared to control probands and relatives (0.5%, p = 0.011). In case relatives the prevalence of OCD was significantly higher in those relatives who had a family member with a high PRS score (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS The presence of social and communication difficulties in members of OCD case families appears to identify a familial subtype of OCD that may be related to PDD and/or BAP. This study was limited to using the PRS to identify pragmatic behaviors in subjects with OCD.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Bernadette Cullen
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md., USA.
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Eaton JL, Glasgow E. The zebrafish bHLH PAS transcriptional regulator, single-minded 1 (sim1), is required for isotocin cell development. Dev Dyn 2006; 235:2071-82. [PMID: 16691572 DOI: 10.1002/dvdy.20848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
A wide range of physiological and behavioral processes, such as social, sexual, and maternal behaviors, learning and memory, and osmotic homeostasis are influenced by the neurohypophysial peptides oxytocin and vasopressin. Disruptions of these hormone systems have been linked to several neurobehavioral disorders, including autism, Prader-Willi syndrome, affective disorders, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Studies in zebrafish promise to reveal the complex network of regulatory genes and signaling pathways that direct the development of oxytocin- and vasopressin-like neurons, and provide insight into factors involved in brain disorders associated with disruption of these systems. Isotocin, which is homologous to oxytocin, is expressed early, in a simple pattern in the developing zebrafish brain. Single-minded 1 (sim1), a member of the bHLH-PAS family of transcriptional regulatory genes, is required for terminal differentiation of mammalian oxytocin cells and is a master regulator of neurogenesis in Drosophila. Here we show that sim1 is expressed in the zebrafish forebrain and is required for isotocin cell development. The expression pattern of sim1 mRNA in the embryonic forebrain is dynamic and complex, and overlaps with isotocin expression in the preoptic area. We provide evidence that the role of sim1 in zebrafish neuroendocrine cell development is evolutionarily conserved with that of mammals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer L Eaton
- Graduate Program in Cellular and Molecular Biology, School of Biomedical Sciences, Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
14
|
Carcani-Rathwell I, Rabe-Hasketh S, Santosh PJ. Repetitive and stereotyped behaviours in pervasive developmental disorders. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 2006; 47:573-81. [PMID: 16712634 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2005.01565.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 96] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Repetitive and stereotyped behaviours are a heterogeneous group of behaviours present in many neuropsychiatric disorders. Despite their core significance in PDD, it is not clear whether there are distinct groups of these behaviours with different specificity to autism. METHODS A two-factor model of the repetitive behaviours, namely sensory/motor (lower-order) and cognitive rigidity (higher-order), was conceptualised. The model's goodness of fit to the data was examined in a clinic population of children with PDD, with and without mental retardation, and of those with only mental retardation (MR). RESULTS Subjects with PDD had higher rates of all repetitive behaviours compared to those with MR only. The existence of two independent 'lower-order' and 'higher-order' sub-groups of the repetitive behaviours was confirmed only in the MR group. The lower-order behaviours appear to be associated more with global developmental problems, whereas the higher-order behaviours were significantly associated with ruminations in the PDD group. CONCLUSIONS This study suggests that there may be two distinct sub-groups of repetitive behaviours whereby the sensory and motor repetitive behaviours are generally associated with lower developmental age and less specific to the autistic syndrome whereas the 'higher-order' behaviours may be a more 'autism specific' feature. The co-occurrence of the lower- and higher-order behaviours in PDD might reflect the end result of diffuse altered neural networks in these disorders thus being a specific feature of PDD. There is a need for more systematic studies of these behaviours not only in autistic disorders but also in other neuropsychiatric disorders.
Collapse
|
15
|
Szechtman H, Woody EZ. Obsessive-compulsive disorder as a disturbance of security motivation: Constraints on comorbidity. Neurotox Res 2006; 10:103-12. [PMID: 17062372 DOI: 10.1007/bf03033239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Patients with OCD often meet criteria for additional psychiatric disorders, with the incidence of comorbidity being as high as 75% in some studies. Here we examine the theoretical plausibility that in OCD much of the domain of co-morbid presentations encompasses related perturbations of the security motivation system. According to a recent proposal, the security motivation system represents a biologically primitive special motivation that is activated by potential (as opposed to imminent) danger to self or intimate others and engages a set of specialized species-typical behaviors (such as checking and washing) to handle potential danger. Because the task of security motivation is open ended, in the sense that no consummatory stimuli can exist in the real world to indicate the absence of potential danger, the shutdown of security motivation is produced by a self-generated feeling of knowing, a satiety signal termed yedasentience. In this schema, OCD results from a failure to generate or respond to the yedasentience signal: without this negative feedback the patient persists abnormally long in a strong motivational state having to do with primal, basic threats to existence, a condition that leads to prolonged engagement in security-related behaviors, such as the checking and washing, characteristic of OCD compulsions and obsessions. Considering the proposed neuronatomy of security motivation system and OCD, we discuss the likelihood that the phenomenon of "spread of allied reflexes" can produce other security-related psychiatric conditions, as well as the possibility that disturbances along different pathways of the security motivation system can lead to apparently different disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- H Szechtman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada L8N 3Z5.
| | | |
Collapse
|
16
|
|
17
|
Abstract
Psychiatric patients are significantly more often smokers than the general population, the only known exception being obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and catatonic schizophrenia. We have investigated nicotine use in subjects with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Ninety-five subjects (25 females and 70 males) consecutively diagnosed with any ASD and of normal intelligence were included in the study. Only 12.6% were smokers, compared with 19% in the general population and 47% in a control group of 161 outpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia or a schizophreniform disorder. The results suggest that smoking is rare among subjects with ASD, while the opposite was shown for schizophrenia. If replicated, this finding could suggest biological differences between non-catatonic schizophrenia and ASD, and support the theory of a biological link between ASD and a subtype of OCD, and between ASD and catatonic schizophrenia.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Bejerot
- Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institute, St. Goran's Hospital, SE-112 81, Stockholm, Sweden.
| | | |
Collapse
|