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Riboldi EM, Capelli E, Cantiani C, Beretta C, Molteni M, Riva V. Differentiating early sensory profiles in toddlers at elevated likelihood of autism and association with later clinical outcome and diagnosis. AUTISM : THE INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RESEARCH AND PRACTICE 2024; 28:1654-1666. [PMID: 37795823 PMCID: PMC11191663 DOI: 10.1177/13623613231200081] [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] [Indexed: 10/06/2023]
Abstract
LAY ABSTRACT Early sensory responsiveness may produce cascading effects on later development, but the relation between sensory profiles and autistic diagnosis remains unclear. In a longitudinal sample of toddlers at elevated likelihood for autism, we aimed to characterize sensory subgroups and their association with clinical outcomes later on. Three sensory subgroups were described and early sensory sensitivity plays a significant role in later development and diagnosis. This study supported the importance of examining different levels of sensory patterns to dissect the phenotypic heterogeneity in sensory processing. As sensory differences are associated with later developmental outcomes, these results may be critical when designing intervention needs and support for children at increased likelihood for neurodevelopmental disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Elena Capelli
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Chiara Cantiani
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Carolina Beretta
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Valentina Riva
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
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2
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Bettoni R, Cantiani C, Riboldi EM, Molteni M, Bulf H, Riva V. Visual statistical learning in preverbal infants at a higher likelihood of autism and its association with later social communication skills. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300274. [PMID: 38748641 PMCID: PMC11095754 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 02/25/2024] [Indexed: 05/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Visual statistical Learning (SL) allows infants to extract the statistical relationships embedded in a sequence of elements. SL plays a crucial role in language and communication competencies and has been found to be impacted in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This study aims to investigate visual SL in infants at higher likelihood of developing ASD (HL-ASD) and its predictive value on autistic-related traits at 24-36 months. At 6 months of age, SL was tested using a visual habituation task in HL-ASD and neurotypical (NT) infants. All infants were habituated to a visual sequence of shapes containing statistically predictable patterns. In the test phase, infants viewed the statistically structured, familiar sequence in alternation with a novel sequence that did not contain any statistical information. HL-ASD infants were then evaluated at 24-36 months to investigate the associations between visual SL and ASD-related traits. Our results showed that NT infants were able to learn the statistical structure embedded in the visual sequences, while HL-ASD infants showed different learning patterns. A regression analysis revealed that SL ability in 6-month-old HL-ASD infants was related to social communication and interaction abilities at 24-36 months of age. These findings indicate that early differences in learning visual statistical patterns might contribute to later social communication skills.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roberta Bettoni
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Cantiani
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Elena Maria Riboldi
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Hermann Bulf
- Department of Psychology, University of Milano-Bicocca, Milan, Italy
| | - Valentina Riva
- Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Child Psychopathology Unit, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
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3
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Ronconi L, Cantiani C, Riva V, Franchin L, Bettoni R, Gori S, Bulf H, Valenza E, Facoetti A. Infants' reorienting efficiency depends on parental autistic traits and predicts future socio-communicative behaviors. Cereb Cortex 2024; 34:40-49. [PMID: 38696607 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhae089] [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: 09/29/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Attentional reorienting is dysfunctional not only in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but also in infants who will develop ASD, thus constituting a potential causal factor of future social interaction and communication abilities. Following the research domain criteria framework, we hypothesized that the presence of subclinical autistic traits in parents should lead to atypical infants' attentional reorienting, which in turn should impact on their future socio-communication behavior in toddlerhood. During an attentional cueing task, we measured the saccadic latencies in a large sample (total enrolled n = 89; final sample n = 71) of 8-month-old infants from the general population as a proxy for their stimulus-driven attention. Infants were grouped in a high parental traits (HPT; n = 23) or in a low parental traits (LPT; n = 48) group, according to the degree of autistic traits self-reported by their parents. Infants (n = 33) were then longitudinally followed to test their socio-communicative behaviors at 21 months. Results show a sluggish reorienting system, which was a longitudinal predictor of future socio-communicative skills at 21 months. Our combined transgenerational and longitudinal findings suggest that the early functionality of the stimulus-driven attentional network-redirecting attention from one event to another-could be directly connected to future social and communication development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luca Ronconi
- School of Psychology, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina, 58, 20132 Milan, Italy
- Division of Neuroscience, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Via Olgettina, 60, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Chiara Cantiani
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Via Don Luigi Monza, 20, 23842 Lecco, Italy
| | - Valentina Riva
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Via Don Luigi Monza, 20, 23842 Lecco, Italy
| | - Laura Franchin
- Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, University of Trento, Corso Bettini, 84, 38068 Rovereto, Italy
| | - Roberta Bettoni
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Simone Gori
- Department of Human and Social Sciences, University of Bergamo, Piazzale Sant'Agostino, 2, 24129 Bergamo, Italy
| | - Herman Bulf
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza dell'Ateneo Nuovo, 1, 20126 Milano, Italy
| | - Eloisa Valenza
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Via Venezia 8, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
| | - Andrea Facoetti
- Developmental and Cognitive Neuroscience Lab, Department of General Psychology, Via Venezia 8, University of Padova, 35131 Padova, Italy
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4
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Gu J, Li T, Dong H. Maternal autistic traits and anxiety in children with typical development in Chinese families: a moderated mediation model of mothers' negative emotional expressions and child gender. Front Psychol 2024; 15:1264173. [PMID: 38375119 PMCID: PMC10875098 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1264173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Prior studies have focused on the effects of maternal autistic traits on children with autism, but little attention has been paid to the effects of maternal autistic traits on typically developing children, while the mechanisms of the effects are not clear. Objective Given that, a moderated mediation model was conducted to examine the association between maternal autistic traits and typically developing children's anxiety and the underlying mechanisms. Methods and results Participants were 648 mother-child dyads in which these children had no autistic siblings. Mothers reported their autistic traits and negative emotional expressions in the family and children's anxiety. The results indicated that children's anxiety was predicted by maternal autistic traits. Mediating analysis revealed that mothers' negative emotional expressions partially mediated the association between their autistic traits and children's anxiety. The findings also indicated that child gender moderated the relationship between maternal emotional expressions and children's anxiety. Specifically, anxiety in girls was more strongly predicted by negative emotional expressions from their mothers than in boys. Conclusion These results have important theoretical and practical implications for reducing the adverse effect of maternal autistic traits on children's anxiety, especially for girls. The present study also reveals that maternal negative emotional expression is an important mechanism. Causal conclusions cannot be drawn based on cross-sectional research design, so it is necessary to conduct longitudinal studies in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Huiqin Dong
- Faculty of Education, Shandong Normal University, Jinan, China
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Cantiani C, Dondena C, Molteni M, Riva V, Lorusso ML. Intergenerational longitudinal associations between parental reading/musical traits, infants' auditory processing, and later phonological awareness skills. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1201997. [PMID: 37539387 PMCID: PMC10394385 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1201997] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 08/05/2023] Open
Abstract
The intergenerational transmission of language/reading skills has been demonstrated by evidence reporting that parental literacy abilities contribute to the prediction of their offspring's language and reading skills. According to the "Intergenerational Multiple Deficit Model," literacy abilities of both parents are viewed as indicators of offspring's liability for literacy difficulties, since parents provide offspring with genetic and environmental endowment. Recently, studies focusing on the heritability of musical traits reached similar conclusions. The "Musical Abilities, Pleiotropy, Language, and Environment (MAPLE)" framework proposed that language/reading and musical traits share a common genetic architecture, and such shared components have an influence on the heritable neural underpinnings of basic-level skills underlying musical and language traits. Here, we investigate the intergenerational transmission of parental musical and language-related (reading) abilities on their offspring's neural response to a basic auditory stimulation (neural intermediate phenotype) and later phonological awareness skills, including in this complex association pattern the mediating effect of home environment. One-hundred and seventy-six families were involved in this study. Through self-report questionnaires we assessed parental reading abilities and musicality, as well as home literacy and musical environment. Offspring were involved in a longitudinal study: auditory processing was measured at 6 months of age by means of a Rapid Auditory Processing electrophysiological paradigm, and phonological awareness was assessed behaviorally at 5 years of age. Results reveal significant correlations between parents' reading skills and musical traits. Intergenerational associations were investigated through mediation analyses using structural equation modeling. For reading traits, the results revealed that paternal reading was indirectly associated with children's phonological awareness skills via their electrophysiological MisMatch Response at 6 months, while maternal reading was directly associated with children's phonological awareness. For musical traits, we found again that paternal musicality, rather than maternal characteristics, was associated with children's phonological phenotypes: in this case, the association was mediated by musical environment. These results provide some insight about the intergenerational pathways linking parental reading and musical traits, neural underpinnings of infants' auditory processing and later phonological awareness skills. Besides shedding light on possible intergenerational transmission mechanisms, this study may open up new perspectives for early intervention based on environmental enrichment.
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Ippolito G, Bertaccini R, Tarasi L, Di Gregorio F, Trajkovic J, Battaglia S, Romei V. The Role of Alpha Oscillations among the Main Neuropsychiatric Disorders in the Adult and Developing Human Brain: Evidence from the Last 10 Years of Research. Biomedicines 2022; 10:biomedicines10123189. [PMID: 36551945 PMCID: PMC9775381 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines10123189] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 20.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2022] [Revised: 12/03/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Alpha oscillations (7-13 Hz) are the dominant rhythm in both the resting and active brain. Accordingly, translational research has provided evidence for the involvement of aberrant alpha activity in the onset of symptomatological features underlying syndromes such as autism, schizophrenia, major depression, and Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, findings on the matter are difficult to reconcile due to the variety of paradigms, analyses, and clinical phenotypes at play, not to mention recent technical and methodological advances in this domain. Herein, we seek to address this issue by reviewing the literature gathered on this topic over the last ten years. For each neuropsychiatric disorder, a dedicated section will be provided, containing a concise account of the current models proposing characteristic alterations of alpha rhythms as a core mechanism to trigger the associated symptomatology, as well as a summary of the most relevant studies and scientific contributions issued throughout the last decade. We conclude with some advice and recommendations that might improve future inquiries within this field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giuseppe Ippolito
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum—Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Riccardo Bertaccini
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum—Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Luca Tarasi
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum—Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Francesco Di Gregorio
- UO Medicina Riabilitativa e Neuroriabilitazione, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale, 40133 Bologna, Italy
| | - Jelena Trajkovic
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum—Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
| | - Simone Battaglia
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum—Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Torino, 10124 Torino, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Romei
- Centro Studi e Ricerche in Neuroscienze Cognitive, Dipartimento di Psicologia, Alma Mater Studiorum—Università di Bologna, 47521 Cesena, Italy
- Correspondence:
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Shuffrey LC, Pini N, Potter M, Springer P, Lucchini M, Rayport Y, Sania A, Firestein M, Brink L, Isler JR, Odendaal H, Fifer WP. Aperiodic electrophysiological activity in preterm infants is linked to subsequent autism risk. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22271. [PMID: 35452546 PMCID: PMC9169229 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2021] [Revised: 01/31/2022] [Accepted: 03/04/2022] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Abstract
Approximately 7% of preterm infants receive an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis. Yet, there is a significant gap in the literature in identifying prospective markers of neurodevelopmental risk in preterm infants. The present study examined two electroencephalography (EEG) parameters during infancy, absolute EEG power and aperiodic activity of the power spectral density (PSD) slope, in association with subsequent autism risk and cognitive ability in a diverse cohort of children born preterm in South Africa. Participants were 71 preterm infants born between 25 and 36 weeks gestation (34.60 ± 2.34 weeks). EEG was collected during sleep between 39 and 41 weeks postmenstrual age adjusted (40.00 ± 0.42 weeks). The Bayley Scales of Infant Development and Brief Infant Toddler Social Emotional Assessment (BITSEA) were administered at approximately 3 years of age adjusted (34 ± 2.7 months). Aperiodic activity, but not the rhythmic oscillatory activity, at multiple electrode sites was associated with subsequent increased autism risk on the BITSEA at three years of age. No associations were found between the PSD slope or absolute EEG power and cognitive development. Our findings highlight the need to examine potential markers of subsequent autism risk in high-risk populations other than infants at familial risk.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren C Shuffrey
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.,Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Nicolò Pini
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.,Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Mandy Potter
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Western Cape, South Africa
| | - Priscilla Springer
- Paediatrics and Child Health, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Western Cape, South Africa
| | - Maristella Lucchini
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.,Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Yael Rayport
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Ayesha Sania
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.,Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Morgan Firestein
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.,Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA
| | - Lucy Brink
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Western Cape, South Africa
| | - Joseph R Isler
- Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
| | - Hein Odendaal
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Stellenbosch University, Tygerberg, Western Cape, South Africa
| | - William P Fifer
- Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA.,Division of Developmental Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, New York, USA.,Department of Pediatrics, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York, USA
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8
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Norton ES, Manning BL, Harriott EM, Nikolaeva JI, Nyabingi OS, Fredian KM, Page JM, McWeeny S, Krogh-Jespersen S, MacNeill LA, Roberts MY, Wakschlag LS. Social EEG: A novel neurodevelopmental approach to studying brain-behavior links and brain-to-brain synchrony during naturalistic toddler-parent interactions. Dev Psychobiol 2022; 64:e22240. [PMID: 35312062 PMCID: PMC9867891 DOI: 10.1002/dev.22240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2021] [Revised: 10/26/2021] [Accepted: 10/29/2021] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Despite increasing emphasis on emergent brain-behavior patterns supporting language, cognitive, and socioemotional development in toddlerhood, methodologic challenges impede their characterization. Toddlers are notoriously difficult to engage in brain research, leaving a developmental window in which neural processes are understudied. Further, electroencephalography (EEG) and event-related potential paradigms at this age typically employ structured, experimental tasks that rarely reflect formative naturalistic interactions with caregivers. Here, we introduce and provide proof of concept for a new "Social EEG" paradigm, in which parent-toddler dyads interact naturally during EEG recording. Parents and toddlers sit at a table together and engage in different activities, such as book sharing or watching a movie. EEG is time locked to the video recording of their interaction. Offline, behavioral data are microcoded with mutually exclusive engagement state codes. From 216 sessions to date with 2- and 3-year-old toddlers and their parents, 72% of dyads successfully completed the full Social EEG paradigm, suggesting that it is possible to collect dual EEG from parents and toddlers during naturalistic interactions. In addition to providing naturalistic information about child neural development within the caregiving context, this paradigm holds promise for examination of emerging constructs such as brain-to-brain synchrony in parents and children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S. Norton
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Department of Medical Social Sciences and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Brittany L. Manning
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Emily M. Harriott
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Julia I. Nikolaeva
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Olufemi S. Nyabingi
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Kaitlyn M. Fredian
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Jessica M. Page
- Department of Medical Social Sciences and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Sean McWeeny
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
| | - Sheila Krogh-Jespersen
- Department of Medical Social Sciences and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Leigha A. MacNeill
- Department of Medical Social Sciences and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Megan Y. Roberts
- Roxelyn and Richard Pepper Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, USA
- Department of Medical Social Sciences and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
| | - Lauren S. Wakschlag
- Department of Medical Social Sciences and Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, USA
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Clairmont C, Wang J, Tariq S, Sherman HT, Zhao M, Kong XJ. The Value of Brain Imaging and Electrophysiological Testing for Early Screening of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Front Neurosci 2022; 15:812946. [PMID: 35185452 PMCID: PMC8851356 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.812946] [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: 11/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Given the significance of validating reliable tests for the early detection of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), this systematic review aims to summarize available evidence of neuroimaging and neurophysiological changes in high-risk infants to improve ASD early diagnosis. We included peer-reviewed, primary research in English published before May 21, 2021, involving the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalogram (EEG), or functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) in children with high risk for ASD under 24 months of age. The main exclusion criteria includes diagnosis of a genetic disorder and gestation age of less the 36 weeks. Online research was performed on PubMed, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and CINAHL. Article selection was conducted by two reviewers to minimize bias. This research was funded by Massachusetts General Hospital Sundry funding. IRB approval was not submitted as it was deemed unnecessary. We included 75 primary research articles. Studies showed that high-risk infants had divergent developmental trajectories for fractional anisotropy and regional brain volumes, increased CSF volume, and global connectivity abnormalities on MRI, decreased sensitivity for familiar faces, atypical lateralization during facial and auditory processing, and different spectral powers across multiple band frequencies on EEG, and distinct developmental trajectories in functional connectivity and regional oxyhemoglobin concentrations in fNIRS. These findings in infants were found to be correlated with the core ASD symptoms and diagnosis at toddler age. Despite the lack of quantitative analysis of the research database, neuroimaging and electrophysiological biomarkers have promising value for the screening of ASD as early as infancy with high accuracy, which warrants further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cullen Clairmont
- Synapse Lab, Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Jiuju Wang
- Synapse Lab, Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health, National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders, Peking University Sixth Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Samia Tariq
- Synapse Lab, Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Hannah Tayla Sherman
- Synapse Lab, Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
| | - Mingxuan Zhao
- Department of Business Analytics, Bentley University, Waltham, MA, United States
| | - Xue-Jun Kong
- Synapse Lab, Athinoula A. Martinos Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, United States
- Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, MA, United States
- *Correspondence: Xue-Jun Kong,
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10
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Riva V, Riboldi EM, Dondena C, Piazza C, Molteni M, Cantiani C. Atypical ERP responses to audiovisual speech integration and sensory responsiveness in infants at risk for autism spectrum disorder. INFANCY 2022; 27:369-388. [PMID: 35037381 DOI: 10.1111/infa.12456] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2020] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 01/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Atypical sensory responses are included in the diagnostic criteria of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Autistic individuals perform poorly during conditions that require integration across multiple sensory modalities such as audiovisual (AV) integration. Previous research investigated neural processing of AV integration in infancy. Yet, this has never been studied in infants at higher likelihood of later ASD (HR) using neurophysiological (EEG/ERP) techniques. In this study, we investigated whether ERP measures of AV integration differentiate HR infants from low-risk (LR) infants and whether early AV integration abilities are associated with clinical measures of sensory responsiveness. At age 12 months, AV integration in HR (n = 21) and LR infants (n = 19) was characterized in a novel ERP paradigm measuring the McGurk effect, and clinical measures of sensory responsiveness were evaluated. Different brain responses over the left temporal area emerge between HR and LR infants, specifically when AV stimuli cannot be integrated into a fusible percept. Furthermore, ERP responses related to integration of AV incongruent stimuli were found to be associated with sensory responsiveness, with reduced effects of AV incongruency being associated with reduced sensory reactivity. These data suggest that early identification of AV deficits may pave the way to innovative therapeutic strategies for the autistic symptomatology. Further replications in independent cohorts are needed for generalizability of findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valentina Riva
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Lecco, Italy
| | - Elena Maria Riboldi
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Lecco, Italy
| | - Chiara Dondena
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Lecco, Italy
| | - Caterina Piazza
- Bioengineering Lab, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Lecco, Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Lecco, Italy
| | - Chiara Cantiani
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Lecco, Italy
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11
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Cantiani C, Riva V, Dondena C, Riboldi EM, Lorusso ML, Molteni M. Detection without further processing or processing without automatic detection? Differential ERP responses to lexical-semantic processing in toddlers at high clinical risk for autism and language disorder. Cortex 2021; 141:465-481. [PMID: 34147828 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2021.04.020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Revised: 03/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Delays in early expressive vocabulary can reflect a specific delay in language acquisition or more general impairments in social communication. The neural mechanisms underlying the (dis)ability to establish the first lexical-semantic representations remain relatively unknown. Here, we investigate the electrophysiological underpinnings of these mechanisms during the critical phase of lexical acquisition in two groups of 19-month-old toddlers at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders, i.e., children characterized by low expressive vocabulary (late talkers, N = 18) and children with early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD, N = 18) as compared to typically developing children (N = 28), with the aim to identify similarities and specificities in lexical-semantic processing between these groups. ERPs elicited by words (either congruous or incongruous with the previous picture context) and pseudo-words are investigated within a picture-word matching paradigm. In order to further interpret ERP responses, we look at longitudinal intra-group associations with language and socio-communications skills at age 24 months. As expected, we found differences between the groups that might underlie specificities, but also similarities. On the one side, late talkers differed from the other two groups in the early component (phonological-lexical priming effect) reflecting detection of the correspondence between the heard word and the lexical representation pre-activated by the picture. On the other side, children with early symptoms of ASD differed from the other two groups in the late component (late positive component) reflecting the effortful semantic re-analysis following a violation. The functional interpretation of the two components is corroborated by significant correlations suggesting that the early component is associated with later socio-communication skills, whereas the late component is associated with linguistic skills. Results point in the direction of differential impaired mechanisms in the two populations, i.e., impaired automatic detection of incongruencies in late talkers vs. absence of high-level re-analysis of such incongruencies in children with early signs of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Cantiani
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy.
| | - Valentina Riva
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Chiara Dondena
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Elena Maria Riboldi
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Maria Luisa Lorusso
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
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Cantiani C, Dondena C, Capelli E, Riboldi EM, Molteni M, Riva V. Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on the Emotional and Behavioral Profiles of Preschool Italian Children with and without Familial Risk for Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Brain Sci 2021; 11:477. [PMID: 33918593 PMCID: PMC8070543 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci11040477] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2021] [Revised: 04/05/2021] [Accepted: 04/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The effects of COVID-19 containment measures on the emotional and behavioral development of preschoolers are not clear. We investigated them within an ongoing longitudinal project including typically developing children (TD) and children at high familial risk for neurodevelopmental disorders (HR-NDD) who were potentially more vulnerable. The study included ninety children aged 2-6 years (TD = 48; HR-NDD = 42). Before the emergency phase (T0), all children received a clinical assessment, including the parent questionnaire Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1.5-5 (CBCL 1.5-5). The same questionnaire was filled out again during the emergency (T1), together with an ad-hoc questionnaire investigating environmental factors characterizing the specific period. Changes in the CBCL profiles between T0 and T1 were evaluated. Overall, irrespective of familial risk, the average T-scores on specific CBCL scales at T1 were higher than at T0. Associations emerged between delta scores reflecting worsening scores on specific CBCL scales and clinical and environmental factors. Our results confirmed the negative impact of the lockdown on preschool children's emotional/behavioral profiles, and highlight the need for strategic approaches in the age range of 2-6 years, especially for more susceptible children owing to environmental factors and pre-existing emotional problems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Cantiani
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS Eugenio Medea, Bosisio Parini, 23842 Lecco, Italy; (C.D.); (E.C.); (E.M.R.); (M.M.); (V.R.)
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13
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Roberta B, Riva V, Cantiani C, Riboldi EM, Molteni M, Macchi Cassia V, Bulf H. Dysfunctions in Infants' Statistical Learning are Related to Parental Autistic Traits. J Autism Dev Disord 2021; 51:4621-4631. [PMID: 33582879 PMCID: PMC8531064 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-021-04894-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 01/21/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Statistical learning refers to the ability to extract the statistical relations embedded in a sequence, and it plays a crucial role in the development of communicative and social skills that are impacted in the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Here, we investigated the relationship between infants’ SL ability and autistic traits in their parents. Using a visual habituation task, we tested infant offspring of adults (non-diagnosed) who show high (HAT infants) versus low (LAT infants) autistic traits. Results demonstrated that LAT infants learned the statistical structure embedded in a visual sequence, while HAT infants failed. Moreover, infants’ SL ability was related to autistic traits in their parents, further suggesting that early dysfunctions in SL might contribute to variabilities in ASD symptoms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettoni Roberta
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza Ateneo Nuovo, 1 (U6), 20126, Milano, Italy. .,NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milano, Italy.
| | - Valentina Riva
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Chiara Cantiani
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Elena Maria Riboldi
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Massimo Molteni
- Child Psychopathology Unit, Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea, Bosisio Parini, Lecco, Italy
| | - Viola Macchi Cassia
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza Ateneo Nuovo, 1 (U6), 20126, Milano, Italy.,NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milano, Italy
| | - Hermann Bulf
- Department of Psychology, Università degli Studi di Milano-Bicocca, Piazza Ateneo Nuovo, 1 (U6), 20126, Milano, Italy.,NeuroMi, Milan Center for Neuroscience, Milano, Italy
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14
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The Challenging Heterogeneity of Autism: Editorial for Brain Sciences Special Issue "Advances in Autism Research". Brain Sci 2020; 10:brainsci10120948. [PMID: 33297430 PMCID: PMC7762320 DOI: 10.3390/brainsci10120948] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2020] [Accepted: 11/30/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
My personal experience as Guest Editor of the Special Issue (SI) entitled "Advances in Autism Research" began with a nice correspondence with Andrew Meltzoff, from the University of Washington, Seattle (WA, USA), which, in hindsight, I consider as a good omen for the success of this Special Issue: "Dear Antonio… [...].
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