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Wieting J, Jahn K, Bleich S, Frieling H, Deest M. A targeted long-read sequencing approach questions the association of OXTR methylation with high-functioning autism. Clin Epigenetics 2023; 15:195. [PMID: 38124130 PMCID: PMC10734107 DOI: 10.1186/s13148-023-01616-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/14/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND DNA sequence variation and altered epigenetic regulation of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) have been implicated in autism and autistic-like behaviors. While previous studies have examined subsegments of OXTR, nanopore Cas9-targeted sequencing (nCATS) allows deep characterization of entire genes with simultaneous assessment of epigenetic 5-methylcytosine (5mC) modification and without the need for prior DNA amplification or bisulfite conversion. This pilot study uses an nCATS approach to sequence the entire OXTR gene and its regulatory construct and screen for 5mC modification to compare results between individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) and neurotypical controls (NC). METHODS Using DNA extracted from peripheral blood, OXTR (Hg38, chr3: 8750381-8770434, 20,054 base pairs) was analyzed by nCATS. 5mC modification probabilities were calculated and visualized across the gene and differential methylation analysis was performed. RESULTS Twenty adults with HFA (10 males, 10 females) and 20 age- and sex-matched NC (± 5 years) were included. There were no apparent group differences in the entire OXTR gene sequence, except for the intron variant rs918316, which was clustered in the HFA group. However, differential methylation analysis did not reveal a single significant group-dependent differentially methylated site among the 412 CpG sites captured. LIMITATIONS Limitations of this study include the small number of samples due to the pilot nature of the study, which particularly limits the relevance of the sequence variants found. It should also be noted that the use of peripheral blood material limits the ability to draw conclusions about central processes. CONCLUSIONS Previous findings of autism-associated OXTR epigenetic alterations were not reproducible with our method. In our opinion, this may lead to a reconsideration of the relevance of altered methylation at individual OXTR CpG positions in autism research. However, given the pilot nature of the study, these results need to be replicated in independent cohorts and with larger sample sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelte Wieting
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuroscience, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 35, 30625, Hannover, Germany.
| | - Kirsten Jahn
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuroscience, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 35, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Stefan Bleich
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuroscience, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 35, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Helge Frieling
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuroscience, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 35, 30625, Hannover, Germany
| | - Maximilian Deest
- Hannover Medical School, Department of Psychiatry, Social Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Carl-Neuberg-Str. 1, 30625, Hannover, Germany
- Laboratory for Molecular Neuroscience, Feodor-Lynen-Str. 35, 30625, Hannover, Germany
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Wang J, Yu J, Wang M, Zhang L, Yang K, Du X, Wu J, Wang X, Li F, Qiu Z. Discovery and Validation of Novel Genes in a Large Chinese Autism Spectrum Disorder Cohort. Biol Psychiatry 2023; 94:792-803. [PMID: 37393044 DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2023.06.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2022] [Revised: 06/02/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that causes impairments in social communication and stereotypical behaviors, often accompanied by developmental delay or intellectual disability. A growing body of evidence suggests that ASD is highly heritable, and genetic studies have defined numerous risk genes. However, most studies have been conducted with individuals of European and Hispanic ancestry, and there is a lack of genetic analyses of ASD in the East Asian population. METHODS We performed whole-exome sequencing on 772 Chinese ASD trios and combined the data with a previous study of 369 Chinese ASD trios, identifying de novo variants in 1141 ASD trios. We used single-cell RNA sequencing analysis to identify the cell types in which ASD-related genes were enriched. In addition, we validated the function of a candidate high-functioning autism gene in mouse models using genetic approaches. RESULTS Our findings showed that ASD without developmental delay or intellectual disability carried fewer disruptive de novo variants than ASD with developmental delay or intellectual disability. Moreover, we identified 9 novel ASD candidate genes that were not present in the current ASD gene database. We further validated one such novel ASD candidate gene, SLC35G1, by showing that mice harboring a heterozygous deletion of Slc35g1 exhibited defects in interactive social behaviors. CONCLUSIONS Our work nominates novel ASD candidate genes and emphasizes the importance of genome-wide genetic studies with ASD cohorts of different ancestries to reveal the comprehensive genetic architecture of ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jincheng Wang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China
| | - Juehua Yu
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Mengdi Wang
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Lingli Zhang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Kan Yang
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Xiujuan Du
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China
| | - Jinyu Wu
- Institute of Genomic Medicine, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, Zhejiang, China
| | - Xiaoqun Wang
- Institute of Biophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; State Key Laboratory of Cognitive Neuroscience and Learning, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China
| | - Fei Li
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
| | - Zilong Qiu
- Department of Developmental and Behavioural Pediatric & Child Primary Care, Brain and Behavioural Research Unit of Shanghai Institute for Pediatric Research, Institute of Autism, and MOE-Shanghai Key Laboratory for Children's Environmental Health, Xinhua Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Institute of Neuroscience, State Key Laboratory of Neuroscience, CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai, China; Songjiang Research Institute, Songjiang District Central Hospital, and Institute of Autism, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Clinical Neuroscience Center, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; National Clinical Research Center for Aging and Medicine, Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
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Macinska S, Lindsay S, Jellema T. Visual Attention to Dynamic Emotional Faces in Adults on the Autism Spectrum. J Autism Dev Disord 2023:10.1007/s10803-023-05979-8. [PMID: 37079180 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-023-05979-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/29/2023] [Indexed: 04/21/2023]
Abstract
Using eye-tracking, we studied allocation of attention to faces where the emotional expression and eye-gaze dynamically changed in an ecologically-valid manner. We tested typically-developed (TD) adults low or high in autistic-like traits (Experiment 1), and adults with high-functioning autism (HFA; Experiment 2). All groups fixated more on the eyes than on any of the other facial area, regardless of emotion and gaze direction, though the HFA group fixated less on the eyes and more on the nose than TD controls. The sequence of dynamic facial changes affected the groups similarly, with reduced attention to the eyes and increased attention to the mouth. The results suggest that dynamic emotional face scanning patterns are stereotypical and differ only modestly between TD and HFA adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylwia Macinska
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Road Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Shane Lindsay
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Road Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK
| | - Tjeerd Jellema
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Hull, Cottingham Road Hull, Hull, HU6 7RX, UK.
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Marocchini E, Di Paola S, Mazzaggio G, Domaneschi F. Understanding indirect requests for information in high-functioning autism. Cogn Process 2021. [PMID: 34487273 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-021-01056-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2021] [Accepted: 08/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Few works have addressed the processing of indirect requests in High-Functioning Autism (HFA), and results are conflicting. Some studies report HFA individuals’ difficulties in indirect requests comprehension; others suggest that it might be preserved in HFA. Furthermore, the role of Theory of Mind in understanding indirect requests is an open issue. The goal of this work is twofold: first, assessing whether comprehension of indirect requests for information is preserved in HFA; second, exploring whether mind-reading skills predict this ability. We tested a group of (n = 14; 9–12 years) HFA children and two groups of younger (n = 19; 5–6 years) and older (n = 28; 9–12 years) typically developing (TD) children in a semi-structured task involving direct, indirect and highly indirect requests for information. Results suggested that HFA can understand indirect and highly indirect requests, as well as TD children. Yet, while Theory of Mind skills seem to enhance older TD children understanding, this is not the case for HFA children. Therefore, interestingly, they could rely on different interpretative strategies.
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Sun YJ, Xu LZ, Ma ZH, Yang YL, Yin TN, Gong XY, Gao ZL, Liu YL, Liu J. Health-related risky behaviors and their risk factors in adolescents with high-functioning autism. World J Clin Cases 2021; 9:6329-6342. [PMID: 34434999 PMCID: PMC8362546 DOI: 10.12998/wjcc.v9.i22.6329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2021] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 06/02/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health-related risky behaviors generally refer to behaviors that have a negative impact on health and quality of life. Health-related risky behaviors in adolescents with high-functioning autism (HFA) have not been well understood so far. Adolescents with HFA may have more health-related risky behaviors than neurotypical adolescents.
AIM To investigate health-related risky behaviors and their risk factors with HFA.
METHODS This is an observational study. Our study enrolled 110 adolescents aged 12-19-years-old meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition criteria for HFA. They were recruited from Peking University Sixth Hospital. There were also 110 age, sex and nationality matched controls enrolled who came from a public school in Beijing, China. Both groups completed the Adolescents Health-related Risky Behavior Inventory. Nonparametric tests were carried out for comparison of the Adolescents Health-related Risky Behavior Inventory scores between the two groups. Expression recognition, the Inventory of Subjective Life Quality for Child and Adolescent, Chinese Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children, Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Adult-Chinese Revised, Theory of Mind test and Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire were assessed in the autism group to explore factors associated with health-related risky behaviors. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to explore the risk factors of health-related risky behaviors in the HFA group.
RESULTS The results showed that the total score of the Adolescents Health-related Risky Behavior Inventory and scores of “aggression and violence,” “suicide and self-injury,” “health compromising behavior” and “unprotected sex” subscales in the HFA group were significantly higher than those in the control group (Z range -4.197 to -2.213, P < 0.05). Among the associated factors, poor emotional experience (B = -0.268, P < 0.001), depression (B = -0.321, P < 0.001), low score of intelligence (B = -0.032, P = 0.042), low score of Theory of Mind test (B = -1.321, P = 0.003) and poor adaptation to school life (B = -0.152, P = 0.006) were risk factors. These risky behaviors may promote the occurrence of health-related risky behaviors in adolescents with HFA.
CONCLUSION This study showed that adolescents with HFA were more likely to be involved in health-related risky behaviors. Different health-related risky behaviors have different reasons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ya-Jing Sun
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Ling-Zi Xu
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Zeng-Hui Ma
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Yu-Lu Yang
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Ting-Ni Yin
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Xiao-Yun Gong
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
| | - Zi-Lin Gao
- Quanzhou Children’s and Women’s Hospital, Quanzhou 362000, Fujian Province, China
| | - Yan-Ling Liu
- Department of Mathematics, Changzhi Medical College, Changzhi 046000, Shanxi Province, China
| | - Jing Liu
- Peking University Sixth Hospital, Peking University Institute of Mental Health, NHC Key Laboratory of Mental Health (Peking University), National Clinical Research Center for Mental Disorders (Peking University Sixth Hospital), Beijing 100191, China
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Makris G, Pervanidou P, Chouliaras G, Stachtea X, Valavani E, Bastaki D, Korkoliakou P, Bali P, Poulaki K, Chrousos GP, Papageorgiou C. Diverse patterns of vulnerability to visual illusions in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Cogn Process 2021; 22:659-673. [PMID: 34152544 DOI: 10.1007/s10339-021-01041-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2020] [Accepted: 06/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Research on how children with neurodevelopmental disorders perceive, process, and interpret visual illusions (VIs) has been extensively focused on children with autism spectrum disorder providing controversial findings. In this study, we investigated the patterns of vulnerability to a wide set of VIs comprising 23 standard text book VIs and their variations in a clinical sample of children with neurodevelopmental disorders compared to typically developing children (TD). A total of 176 children, aged between 4.6 and 13.8 years old, were distributed into four groups: high-functioning autism (HFA; N = 23), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD; N = 42), specific learning disorder (SLD; N = 70), and TD (N = 41). Regression models, adjusted for sex, age, and non-verbal IQ, showed that HFA was associated with greater responses accuracy than TD children to the full battery of VIs, to the cognitive illusions, to the distortions, and to both geometrical illusions of size/shape (cognitive distortions) and lightness contrast effects (physical distortions). The susceptibility of ADHD children was found attenuated for illusory contours and greater for paradoxical illusions in comparison with TD children. No significant differences were shown between the SLD group and the TD children. Our findings, which were adjusted for the same duration of visual working memory across groups, showed that there is a potential specific tendency of HFA children to failure of processing visual information in context. Contrarily, children with ADHD showed in general normal global processing such as children diagnosed with SLD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerasimos Makris
- Laboratory of Developmental Psychophysiology and Stress Research, Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Thivon & Levadias, 11527, Athens, Goudi, Greece.
| | - Panagiota Pervanidou
- Laboratory of Developmental Psychophysiology and Stress Research, Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Thivon & Levadias, 11527, Athens, Goudi, Greece
| | - Giorgos Chouliaras
- Laboratory of Developmental Psychophysiology and Stress Research, Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Thivon & Levadias, 11527, Athens, Goudi, Greece
| | - Xanthi Stachtea
- First Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Eginition" University Hospital, Vasilissis Sophias 72-74, 11528, Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Valavani
- Laboratory of Developmental Psychophysiology and Stress Research, Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Thivon & Levadias, 11527, Athens, Goudi, Greece
| | - Despoina Bastaki
- Laboratory of Developmental Psychophysiology and Stress Research, Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Thivon & Levadias, 11527, Athens, Goudi, Greece
| | - Panagiota Korkoliakou
- Second Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Attikon" University Hospital, Rimini 1, 12462, Athens, Haidari, Greece
| | - Paraskevi Bali
- Second Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Attikon" University Hospital, Rimini 1, 12462, Athens, Haidari, Greece
| | - Kiriaki Poulaki
- Laboratory of Developmental Psychophysiology and Stress Research, Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Thivon & Levadias, 11527, Athens, Goudi, Greece
| | - George P Chrousos
- Laboratory of Developmental Psychophysiology and Stress Research, Unit of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, First Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Aghia Sophia" Children's Hospital, Thivon & Levadias, 11527, Athens, Goudi, Greece
| | - Charalabos Papageorgiou
- First Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, "Eginition" University Hospital, Vasilissis Sophias 72-74, 11528, Athens, Greece
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Tebartz van Elst L, Fangmeier T, Schaller UM, Hennig O, Kieser M, Koelkebeck K, Kuepper C, Roessner V, Wildgruber D, Dziobek I. FASTER and SCOTT&EVA trainings for adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials 2021; 22:261. [PMID: 33832537 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-021-05205-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/29/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a chronic neurodevelopmental condition with a prevalence rate above 1%, characterized by deficits in social communication and interaction; restrictive, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities; and a preference for sameness and routines. The majority of adult ASD patients suffer from comorbid conditions such as depression and anxiety. Therapy options for adult ASD patients are lacking, with presently no available evidence-based interventions in Germany. Recently, two interventions to improve social responsiveness have been published. FASTER ("Freiburger Asperger-Spezifische Therapie für ERwachsene" = Freiburg Asperger-specific therapy for adults) is a manualized group psychotherapy program including three modules on psychoeducation, stress regulation management, and non-verbal and verbal social communication training with videotaped tasks. SCOTT&EVA ("Social Cognition Training Tool", and its enhancement "Emotionen Verstehen und Ausdruecken" = understanding and expressing emotions) is a computer-based training program to enhance social cognition including video and audio material of emotional expressions and complex real-life social situations. Initial studies for both programs have shown good feasibility and efficacy. METHODS Three hundred sixty adult participants with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) will take part in a randomized controlled three-armed multi-center trial to prove the efficacy of manualized group psychotherapy and a manualized computer-based training program. Both interventions will be compared with a treatment as usual (TAU) group, aiming to establish evidence-based psychotherapy approaches for adult individuals with ASD. The primary outcome is evaluated by parents, spouses, or others who have sufficient insight into the respective participant's social communication and interaction, and will be measured with the Social Responsiveness Scale. First, each of both interventions will be compared to TAU. If at least one of the differences is significant, both interventions will be compared against each other. The primary outcome will be measured at baseline (T0) and 4 months after baseline (T1). DISCUSSION The trial is the first to validate psychiatric therapeutic and training interventions for adult ASD patients in Germany. A trial is needed because the prevalence of ASD in adulthood without intellectual disability is high, and no evidence-based intervention can be offered in Germany. TRIAL REGISTRATION German Clinical Trial Register DRKS00017817 . Registered on 20 April 2020.
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Song Y, Zhong J, Jia Z, Liang D. Emotional prosody recognition in children with high-functioning autism under the influence of emotional intensity: Based on the perspective of emotional dimension theory. J Commun Disord 2020; 88:106032. [PMID: 32937183 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2020.106032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2018] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
This paper investigated the ability of Mandarin-speaking children with high-functioning autism (HFA) to recognize the four categories of emotional prosody, namely, happiness, anger, sadness and fear, in moderate- and high-intensity emotional conditions using auditory discrimination tasks. Thirty-four children with HFA between 5 and 7 years of age and 34 typically developing (TD) controls participated in this study. In moderate-intensity conditions, children with HFA scored lower than TD children in the recognition of the four categories of emotional prosody, indicating an overall impairment. With an increase in the intensity of emotion, children with HFA showed improved accuracy for anger, decreased accuracy for happiness, but no change in accuracy for either sadness or fear. An analysis of error patterns demonstrated that unlike TD children, children with HFA were inclined to mistake happiness for anger, with the two categories differing in valence, and this inclination deepened as the intensity increased. In discriminating between sadness and fear, which have a slight arousal difference, both groups showed difficulty in moderate-intensity conditions. In high-intensity conditions, TD children were inclined to perceive stimuli as exhibiting fear, which demonstrates comparatively high arousal; thus, they were more accurate for fear, while HFA children were not sensitive to increases in arousal, showing no noticeable effect. These findings indicated that children with HFA have a mechanism distinct from that of TD children in emotional prosody recognition, exhibiting various degrees of impairment in this regard.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiqi Song
- School of Chinese Language and Culture, Nanjing Normal University, PR China
| | - Jianxiu Zhong
- School of Chinese Language and Culture, Nanjing Normal University, PR China
| | - Zhongheng Jia
- Foreign Languages Department, Tongji Zhejiang College, PR China
| | - Dandan Liang
- School of Chinese Language and Culture, Nanjing Normal University, PR China; Collaborative Innovation Center for Language Ability, Jiangsu Normal University, PR China.
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Abstract
This paper analyses disfluencies and ungrammatical expressions in the speech of 11-13-year-old Finnish-speaking boys with ASD (N = 5) and with neurotypical development (N = 6). The ASD data were from authentic group therapy sessions and neurotypical data from teacher-led group discussions. The proportion of disfluencies and ungrammatical expressions was greater in the speech of participants with ASD (26.4%) than in the control group (15.5%). Furthermore, a qualitative difference was noted: The ASD group produced long, complex disfluent turns with word searches, self-repairs, false starts, fillers, prolongations, inconsistent syntactic structures and grammatical errors, whereas in the control group, the disfluencies were mainly fillers and sound prolongations. The disfluencies and ungrammatical expressions occurring in the ASD participants' interactions also caused comprehension problems.
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Poletti M, Raballo A. Childhood schizotypal features vs. high-functioning autism spectrum disorder: Developmental overlaps and phenomenological differences. Schizophr Res 2020; 223:53-58. [PMID: 33046336 DOI: 10.1016/j.schres.2020.09.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Revised: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/26/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Although autism spectrum disorder and schizophrenia have allegedly different onset timelines (e.g. in early years of life vs adolescence/early adulthood), there is nonetheless a diagnostic grey-zone along developmental stages, in which overlapping clinical features related to social impairment and oddity could impact on the differential diagnosis between childhood schizotypal features and high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. A phenomenological perspective may be helpful for the purpose of timely differential diagnosis also in developmental years.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michele Poletti
- Department of Mental Health and Pathological Addiction, Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry Service, Azienda USL-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Reggio Emilia, Italy.
| | - Andrea Raballo
- Section of Psychiatry, Clinical Psychology and Rehabilitation, Department of Medicine, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
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Werling AM, Grünblatt E, Oneda B, Bobrowski E, Gundelfinger R, Taurines R, Romanos M, Rauch A, Walitza S. High-resolution chromosomal microarray analysis for copy-number variations in high-functioning autism reveals large aberration typical for intellectual disability. J Neural Transm (Vienna) 2020; 127:81-94. [PMID: 31838600 DOI: 10.1007/s00702-019-02114-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2019] [Accepted: 12/03/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
Copy-number variants (CNVs), in particular rare, small and large ones (< 1% frequency) and those encompassing brain-related genes, have been shown to be associated with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and intellectual disability (ID). However, the vast majority of CNV findings lack specificity with respect to autistic or developmental-delay phenotypes. Therefore, the aim of the study was to investigate the size and frequency of CNVs in high-functioning ASD (HFA) without ID compared with a random population sample and with published findings in ASD and ID. To investigate the role of CNVs for the "core symptoms" of high-functioning autism, we included in the present exploratory study only patients with HFA without ID. The aim was to test whether HFA have similar large rare (> 1 Mb) CNVs as reported in ASD and ID. We performed high-resolution chromosomal microarray analysis in 108 children and adolescents with HFA without ID. There was no significant difference in the overall number of rare CNVs compared to 124 random population samples. However, patients with HFA carried significantly more frequently CNVs containing brain-related genes. Surprisingly, six HFA patients carried very large CNVs known to be typically present in ID. Our findings provide new evidence that not only small, but also large CNVs affecting several key genes contribute to the genetic etiology/risk of HFA without affecting their intellectual ability.
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12
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Peyroux E, Franck N. Is social cognitive training efficient in autism? A pilot single-case study using the RC2S+ program. Neurocase 2019; 25:217-224. [PMID: 31522609 DOI: 10.1080/13554794.2019.1666877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
In high-functioning autism, deficits in emotional processing and theory of mind are relevant to understanding the particularities of social functioning. Here we used a multiple baseline and ABA single-case design to assess the efficacy of an individualized social cognitive training program using both pen-and-paper and computerized materials for an 18-year old patient. After the treatment phase, we found significant improvement in both emotional processes and theory of mind. These results provide further significant data showing that therapeutic tools based on digital relational simulation are a promising way for helping people with autism to compensate for their impaired social functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elodie Peyroux
- University Department of Rehabilitation (SUR-CL3R), Le Vinatier hospital , Lyon , France.,Reference Center for Rare Diseases (GénoPsy), Le Vinatier hospital , Lyon , France
| | - Nicolas Franck
- University Department of Rehabilitation (SUR-CL3R), Le Vinatier hospital , Lyon , France.,Ressource Center for psychosocial rehabilitation and cognitive remediation (CRR), Le Vinatier hospital , Lyon , France.,UMR 5229, CNRS et Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Université de Lyon, Institut des Sciences Cognitives Marc Jeannerod , Lyon , France
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13
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Bennabi M, Tarantino N, Gaman A, Scheid I, Krishnamoorthy R, Debré P, Bouleau A, Caralp M, Gueguen S, Le-Moal ML, Bouvard M, Amestoy A, Delorme R, Leboyer M, Tamouza R, Vieillard V. Persistence of dysfunctional natural killer cells in adults with high-functioning autism spectrum disorders: stigma/consequence of unresolved early infectious events? Mol Autism 2019; 10:22. [PMID: 31123562 PMCID: PMC6521549 DOI: 10.1186/s13229-019-0269-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2019] [Accepted: 03/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by abnormal neurodevelopment, genetic, and environmental risk factors, as well as immune dysfunctions. Several lines of evidence suggest alterations in innate immune responses in children with ASD. To address this question in adults with high-functioning ASD (hf-ASD), we sought to investigate the role of natural killer (NK) cells in the persistence of ASD. Methods NK cells from 35 adults with hf-ASD were compared to that of 35 healthy controls (HC), selected for the absence of any immune dysfunctions, at different time-points, and over a 2-year follow-up period for four patients. The phenotype and polyfunctional capacities of NK cells were explored according to infectious stigma and clinical parameters (IQ, social, and communication scores). Results As compared to HC, NK cells from patients with hf-ASD showed a high level of cell activation (p < 0.0001), spontaneous degranulation (p < 0.0001), and interferon-gamma production (p = 0.0004), whereas they were exhausted after in vitro stimulations (p = 0.0006). These data yielded a specific HLA-DR+KIR2DL1+NKG2C+ NK-cell signature. Significant overexpression of NKG2C in hf-ASD patients (p = 0.0005), indicative of viral infections, was inversely correlated with the NKp46 receptor level (r = − 0.67; p < 0.0001), regardless of the IgG status of tested pathogens. Multivariate linear regression analysis also revealed that expression of the late-activating HLA-DR marker was both associated with structural language (r = 0.48; p = 0.007) and social awareness (r = 0.60; p = 0.0007) scores in adult patients with hf-ASD, while KIR2DL1 expression correlated with IQ scores (p = 0.0083). Conclusions This study demonstrates that adults with hf-ASD have specific NK-cell profile. Presence of NKG2C overexpression together with high-level activation of NK cells suggest an association with underlying pathogens, a hypothesis warranting further exploration in future studies. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13229-019-0269-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Meriem Bennabi
- 1INSERM, U1160, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris, France.,2Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France.,4DHU PePSY, Department of psychiatry, Mondor Hospital, Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, U955, Psychiatrie Translationnelle, Créteil, France
| | - Nadine Tarantino
- 3Sorbonne Université, UPMC, INSERM U1135, CNRS ERL8255, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (CIMI-Paris), Paris, France
| | - Alexandru Gaman
- 2Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France.,4DHU PePSY, Department of psychiatry, Mondor Hospital, Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, U955, Psychiatrie Translationnelle, Créteil, France
| | - Isabelle Scheid
- 2Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France.,4DHU PePSY, Department of psychiatry, Mondor Hospital, Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, U955, Psychiatrie Translationnelle, Créteil, France
| | | | - Patrice Debré
- 3Sorbonne Université, UPMC, INSERM U1135, CNRS ERL8255, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (CIMI-Paris), Paris, France
| | - Arthur Bouleau
- 4DHU PePSY, Department of psychiatry, Mondor Hospital, Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, U955, Psychiatrie Translationnelle, Créteil, France
| | - Mireille Caralp
- 5Inserm Transfer, Paris, France.,6French Institute of Health and Medical Research, Paris, France
| | - Sonia Gueguen
- 5Inserm Transfer, Paris, France.,6French Institute of Health and Medical Research, Paris, France
| | | | - Manuel Bouvard
- 2Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France.,8Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Anouck Amestoy
- 2Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France.,8Institut de Neurosciences Cognitives et Intégratives d'Aquitaine, Université de Bordeaux, Bordeaux, France
| | - Richard Delorme
- 2Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France.,DHU Protect, Service de Psychiatrie de l'Enfant et de l'Adolescent, Hôpital Robert Debré, Département de Génétique Humaine et Fonctions Cognitives, Institut Pasteur, Paris, France
| | - Marion Leboyer
- 2Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France.,4DHU PePSY, Department of psychiatry, Mondor Hospital, Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, U955, Psychiatrie Translationnelle, Créteil, France
| | - Ryad Tamouza
- 1INSERM, U1160, Hôpital Saint Louis, Paris, France.,2Fondation FondaMental, Créteil, France.,4DHU PePSY, Department of psychiatry, Mondor Hospital, Université Paris Est Créteil, INSERM, U955, Psychiatrie Translationnelle, Créteil, France
| | - Vincent Vieillard
- 3Sorbonne Université, UPMC, INSERM U1135, CNRS ERL8255, Centre d'Immunologie et des Maladies Infectieuses (CIMI-Paris), Paris, France
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14
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McLeod JD, Meanwell E, Hawbaker A. The Experiences of College Students on the Autism Spectrum: A Comparison to Their Neurotypical Peers. J Autism Dev Disord 2019; 49:2320-36. [PMID: 30734173 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-019-03910-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
This study describes the academic, social, and health experiences of college students on the autism spectrum as they compare to students with other disabilities and their non-disabled, neurotypical peers. Data were from an online survey of college students at 14 public institutions (N = 3073). There were few significant differences between students on the spectrum and students with other disabilities. Both groups of students reported significantly worse outcomes than neurotypical students on academic performance, social relationships and bullying, and physical and mental health. The findings suggest that some of the challenges students on the spectrum face in college result from the stigma and social rejection associated with disability rather than from the unique characteristics of autism.
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15
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Stuger J. Autism and Religious Beliefs: Clues from Kafka Research. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 49:1559-1569. [PMID: 30539371 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3858-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Abstract
Religious beliefs and faith in high-functioning autistic persons are analyzed by discussing the work and biography of Franz Kafka. It enables researchers to differentiate between how autistic and non-autistic persons experience and express religious beliefs and spiritual issues because Kafka as an autistic person also wrote about these topics in his philosophical-religious writings. This Franz Kafka case study provides additional inner (cognitive) state input to better understand high-functioning autism. This contribution with new and different perspectives to the field of autism and religious beliefs could help to explore the varieties of religious experience and cognition, and to improve our insights in high-functioning autism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jerry Stuger
- Independent Researcher, Overvoorde 19, 1082GA, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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16
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Taylor JM, Volker MA, Rispoli KM, Rodgers JD, Thomeer ML, Lopata C, Chow SY, Toomey JA, Smerbeck A. Depression, Anxiety, and Hyperactivity in Youth with HFASD: A Replication and Extension of Symptom Level Differences in Self-Report Versus Parent Report. J Autism Dev Disord 2018; 50:2424-2438. [PMID: 30357643 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3779-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
The present study compared parent ratings to self-report ratings of depression, anxiety, hyperactivity, attention problems, and atypical behaviors in youth with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (HFASD) and typically developing (TD) controls. Measures included parent and self-report forms from the Behavioral Assessment System for Children-Second Edition (BASC-2), and self-report forms from the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI) and the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC). Results across all five BASC-2 scales indicated parent ratings for the HFASD condition were significantly higher than HFASD self-ratings, and were significantly higher than parent and self-ratings from the TD condition. In addition, average self-report scores did not differ significantly between HFASD and TD conditions on any of the BASC-2 scales, the CDI, or the MASC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Janelle M Taylor
- Michigan State University, 431 Erickson Hall, 620 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA.
| | - Martin A Volker
- Michigan State University, 431 Erickson Hall, 620 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA
| | - Kristin M Rispoli
- Michigan State University, 431 Erickson Hall, 620 Farm Lane, East Lansing, MI, 48823, USA
| | | | - Macus L Thomeer
- Institute for Autism Research, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, USA
| | | | | | | | - A Smerbeck
- Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, USA
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17
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Borowiak K, Schelinski S, von Kriegstein K. Recognizing visual speech: Reduced responses in visual-movement regions, but not other speech regions in autism. Neuroimage Clin 2018; 20:1078-1091. [PMID: 30368195 PMCID: PMC6202694 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2018.09.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/09/2018] [Revised: 09/19/2018] [Accepted: 09/21/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
Speech information inherent in face movements is important for understanding what is said in face-to-face communication. Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have difficulties in extracting speech information from face movements, a process called visual-speech recognition. Currently, it is unknown what dysfunctional brain regions or networks underlie the visual-speech recognition deficit in ASD. We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study with concurrent eye tracking to investigate visual-speech recognition in adults diagnosed with high-functioning autism and pairwise matched typically developed controls. Compared to the control group (n = 17), the ASD group (n = 17) showed decreased Blood Oxygenation Level Dependent (BOLD) response during visual-speech recognition in the right visual area 5 (V5/MT) and left temporal visual speech area (TVSA) - brain regions implicated in visual-movement perception. The right V5/MT showed positive correlation with visual-speech task performance in the ASD group, but not in the control group. Psychophysiological interaction analysis (PPI) revealed that functional connectivity between the left TVSA and the bilateral V5/MT and between the right V5/MT and the left IFG was lower in the ASD than in the control group. In contrast, responses in other speech-motor regions and their connectivity were on the neurotypical level. Reduced responses and network connectivity of the visual-movement regions in conjunction with intact speech-related mechanisms indicate that perceptual mechanisms might be at the core of the visual-speech recognition deficit in ASD. Communication deficits in ASD might at least partly stem from atypical sensory processing and not higher-order cognitive processing of socially relevant information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamila Borowiak
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Berlin School of Mind and Brain, Humboldt University of Berlin, Luisenstraße 56, 10117 Berlin, Germany; Technische Universität Dresden, Bamberger Straße 7, 01187 Dresden, Germany.
| | - Stefanie Schelinski
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Technische Universität Dresden, Bamberger Straße 7, 01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - Katharina von Kriegstein
- Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences, Stephanstraße 1a, 04103 Leipzig, Germany; Technische Universität Dresden, Bamberger Straße 7, 01187 Dresden, Germany
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18
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Lintas C, Sacco R, Tabolacci C, Brogna C, Canali M, Picinelli C, Tomaiuolo P, Castronovo P, Baccarin M, Persico AM. An Interstitial 17q11.2 de novo Deletion Involving the CDK5R1 Gene in a High-Functioning Autistic Patient. Mol Syndromol 2018; 9:247-252. [PMID: 30733659 DOI: 10.1159/000491802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/25/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
We describe a 32-year-old male patient diagnosed with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder carrying a de novo 196-kb interstitial deletion at chromosome 17q11.2. The deletion was detected by array CGH (180K Agilent) and confirmed by quantitative PCR on genomic DNA. The deleted region spans the entire PSMD11 and CDK5R1 genes and partially the MYO1D gene. The CDK5R1 gene encodes for a regulatory subunit of the cyclin-dependent kinase 5 responsible for its brain-specific activation. This gene has been previously associated with intellectual disability in humans. A reduction in CDK5R1 transcript was detected, consistent with the genomic deletion. Based on the functional role of CDK5R1, this gene appears as the best candidate to explain the clinical phenotype of our patient, whose neuropsychological profile has more resemblance with some of the higher brain function anomalies recently described in the CreER-p35 conditional knockout mouse model than previously described patients with intellectual disability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla Lintas
- Service for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy.,Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Roberto Sacco
- Service for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy.,Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudio Tabolacci
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Brogna
- Service for Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Marco Canali
- Laboratory of Molecular Psychiatry and Neurogenetics, Department of Medicine, University Campus Bio-Medico, Rome, Italy
| | - Chiara Picinelli
- Mafalda Luce Center for Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Paola Castronovo
- Mafalda Luce Center for Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Milan, Italy
| | - Marco Baccarin
- Mafalda Luce Center for Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Milan, Italy
| | - Antonio M Persico
- Mafalda Luce Center for Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Milan, Italy.,Interdepartmental Program "Autism 0-90," "G. Martino" University Hospital, University of Messina, Messina, Italy
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19
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Tin LNW, Lui SSY, Ho KKY, Hung KSY, Wang Y, Yeung HKH, Wong TY, Lam SM, Chan RCK, Cheung EFC. High-functioning autism patients share similar but more severe impairments in verbal theory of mind than schizophrenia patients. Psychol Med 2018; 48:1264-1273. [PMID: 28920569 DOI: 10.1017/s0033291717002690] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence suggests that autism and schizophrenia share similarities in genetic, neuropsychological and behavioural aspects. Although both disorders are associated with theory of mind (ToM) impairments, a few studies have directly compared ToM between autism patients and schizophrenia patients. This study aimed to investigate to what extent high-functioning autism patients and schizophrenia patients share and differ in ToM performance. METHODS Thirty high-functioning autism patients, 30 schizophrenia patients and 30 healthy individuals were recruited. Participants were matched in age, gender and estimated intelligence quotient. The verbal-based Faux Pas Task and the visual-based Yoni Task were utilised to examine first- and higher-order, affective and cognitive ToM. The task/item difficulty of two paradigms was examined using mixed model analyses of variance (ANOVAs). Multiple ANOVAs and mixed model ANOVAs were used to examine group differences in ToM. RESULTS The Faux Pas Task was more difficult than the Yoni Task. High-functioning autism patients showed more severely impaired verbal-based ToM in the Faux Pas Task, but shared similar visual-based ToM impairments in the Yoni Task with schizophrenia patients. CONCLUSIONS The findings that individuals with high-functioning autism shared similar but more severe impairments in verbal ToM than individuals with schizophrenia support the autism-schizophrenia continuum. The finding that verbal-based but not visual-based ToM was more impaired in high-functioning autism patients than schizophrenia patients could be attributable to the varied task/item difficulty between the two paradigms.
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Affiliation(s)
- L N W Tin
- Castle Peak Hospital,Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China
| | - S S Y Lui
- Castle Peak Hospital,Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China
| | - K K Y Ho
- Castle Peak Hospital,Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China
| | - K S Y Hung
- Castle Peak Hospital,Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China
| | - Y Wang
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory,CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health,Institute of Psychology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,China
| | - H K H Yeung
- Castle Peak Hospital,Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China
| | - T Y Wong
- Castle Peak Hospital,Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China
| | - S M Lam
- Castle Peak Hospital,Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China
| | - R C K Chan
- Neuropsychology and Applied Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory,CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health,Institute of Psychology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing,China
| | - E F C Cheung
- Castle Peak Hospital,Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China
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20
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Song Y, Jia Z, Liu S, Liang D. Discourse production of mandarin-speaking children with high-functioning autism: The effect of mental and action verbs' semantic-pragmatic features. J Commun Disord 2017; 70:12-24. [PMID: 29054073 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcomdis.2017.10.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/19/2016] [Revised: 10/06/2017] [Accepted: 10/09/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
The present study investigated the syntactic and pragmatic performance of children with high-functioning autism (HFA) during a discourse production task with mental verbs. Children with HFA and typically developing (TD) children were matched by chronological age, verbal IQ (VIQ) and full-scale IQ (FIQ). We found that children with HFA tended to select a nominal object given a mental verb with either a nominal or clausal object. They committed few syntactic errors but generated syntactic stereotypes with mental verbs. However, this behavior was not observed with action verbs. Thus, children with HFA were specifically impaired in the argument structures of mental verbs. In pragmatic performance, children with HFA produced significantly fewer clauses or sentences with lower syntactic complexity for mental verbs than TD controls. This result might be due to the semantic-pragmatic impairment of children with HFA in the use of mental verbs. This study concludes that children with HFA were able to acquire the syntactic frames of mental verbs but were nevertheless impaired in the acquisition of pragmatic information inherent in those verbs.
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21
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Bishop-Fitzpatrick L, Minshew NJ, Mazefsky CA, Eack SM. Perception of Life as Stressful, Not Biological Response to Stress, is Associated with Greater Social Disability in Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder. J Autism Dev Disord 2017; 47:1-16. [PMID: 27696184 PMCID: PMC5225258 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-016-2910-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
This study examined differences between adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD; N = 40) and typical community volunteers (N = 25) on measures of stressful life events, perceived stress, and biological stress response (cardiovascular and cortisol reactivity) during a novel social stress task. Additional analyses examined the relationship between stress and social functioning as measured by the Social Adjustment Scale-II and the Waisman Activities of Daily Living scale. Results indicated that adults with ASD experienced significantly more stressful life events and perceived stress, and greater systolic blood pressure reactivity than typical community volunteers. Results also indicated that perceived stress and stressful life events were significantly associated with social disability. Interventions targeting stress management might improve social function in adults with ASD.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nancy J Minshew
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Webster Hall - Suite 300, 3811 O'Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Carla A Mazefsky
- University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Webster Hall - Suite 300, 3811 O'Hara St., Pittsburgh, PA, 15213, USA
| | - Shaun M Eack
- University of Pittsburgh, School of Social Work, 4200 Fifth Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA, 15260, USA
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22
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Hames EC, Rajmohan R, Fang D, Anderson R, Baker M, Richman DM, O'Boyle M. Attentional Networks in Adolescents with High-functioning Autism: An fMRI Investigation. Open Neuroimag J 2016; 10:102-110. [PMID: 27843514 PMCID: PMC5074002 DOI: 10.2174/1874440001610010102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2016] [Revised: 07/27/2016] [Accepted: 08/23/2016] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Attentional deficits in Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are often noted, but their specific nature remains unclear. Objective: The present study used the child Attentional Network Task (Child ANT) in combination with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to determine if the consistently cited deficits of orienting attention are truly due to dysfunctions of orienting-based networks. We hypothesized that these observations are, in fact, a reflection of executive dysfunctions. As such, we expected that although ASD adolescents would perform worse on the orienting portion of the Child ANT, the strongest differences in activation between them and the neurotypical (NT) control group would be in areas classically associated with executive functioning (e.g., the frontal gyri and anterior cingulate cortex). Method: The brain activity of six high-functioning adolescents with ASD and six NT adolescents was recorded while these individuals performed the three subcomponents of the Child ANT. Results: ASDs were shown to be more accurate than NTs for the alerting, less accurate for the orienting, and similar in accuracy for the executive portions of the Child ANT. fMRI data showed increased bilateral frontal gyri recruitment, areas conventionally associated with executive control, during the orienting task for the ASD group. Conclusion: We submit that the increased activations represent neurocorrelates of signal fixation attributable to the subset of executive control responsible for sustained maintenance signals, not the main components of orienting. Therefore, excessive fixation in ASD adolescents is likely due to dysfunctions of executive control and not the orienting subcomponent of the attention network.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C Hames
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Ravi Rajmohan
- Department of Pharmacology and Neuroscience, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, TX 79430, USA
| | - Dan Fang
- College of Human Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Ronald Anderson
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Mary Baker
- Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - David M Richman
- College of Education, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
| | - Michael O'Boyle
- College of Human Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX 79409, USA
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Burrows CA, Usher LV, Schwartz CB, Mundy PC, Henderson HA. Supporting the Spectrum Hypothesis: Self-Reported Temperament in Children and Adolescents with High Functioning Autism. J Autism Dev Disord 2016; 46:1184-95. [PMID: 26589536 PMCID: PMC4788516 DOI: 10.1007/s10803-015-2653-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
This study tested the spectrum hypothesis, which posits that children and adolescents with high functioning autism (HFA) differ quantitatively but not qualitatively from typically developing peers on self-reported temperament. Temperament refers to early-appearing, relatively stable behavioral and emotional tendencies, which relate to maladaptive behaviors across clinical populations. Quantitatively, participants with HFA (N = 104, aged 10-16) self-reported less surgency and more negative affect but did not differ from comparison participants (N = 94, aged 10-16) on effortful control or affiliation. Qualitatively, groups demonstrated comparable reliability of self-reported temperament and associations between temperament and parent-reported behavior problems. These findings support the spectrum hypothesis, highlighting the utility of self-report temperament measures for understanding individual differences in comorbid behavior problems among children and adolescents with HFA.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Lauren V Usher
- Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, USA
| | | | | | - Heather A Henderson
- Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, N2L 3G1, Canada.
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Vesperini S, Askenazy F, Renaudo N, Staccini P, Hun S, Legall E, Serret S. [Prosocial intervention in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disability: benefits of videotaping therapy sessions]. Encephale 2014; 41:47-55. [PMID: 25439857 DOI: 10.1016/j.encep.2013.04.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2011] [Accepted: 04/04/2013] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The category of pervasive developmental disorders (PDD) without intellectual disability (including Asperger syndrome and high-functioning autism) has increased steadily among individuals since the 1980s. Although some symptoms may decrease with age, functional disability persists and is largely related to abnormalities in social interaction. Within the framework of PDD without intellectual disability, improving social skills appears to be a primary target for intervention programs. Despite a recent increase in the number of studies on this topic, few validated programs are yet available for clinical settings. BACKGROUND We have developed an intervention targeting the improvement of social skills from the analysis of video sequences. The goal of this intervention is to promote communication within the group through sharing their interests and emotions, and to enhance the understanding of social situations. In order to assess the efficiency of this intervention, we have conducted a prospective, open, and uncontrolled study. First, it aimed at assessing the immediate effect of our intervention on a single social skill (communication) in an experimental situation (in the group) and in an ecological situations (family and school). Second, this study aimed at assessing the effects of this intervention on the subjects' social adjustment. METHOD This study included 16 individuals with high-functioning autism/Asperger syndrome. Participants were evaluated before and after a 6-month video-based training using measures of socio-communicative and adaptive skills. RESULTS Results revealed a statistically significant increase in the communication skills not only in the group (15.5%), but also at home (13.7%) and at school (8.7%). The evaluation of socio-adaptive behavior indicates a statistically significant increase in communication (12%), family (7%) and social autonomy (8%), and leisure activities (8%). DISCUSSION The communication and social adjustment scores obtained upon inclusion were low, despite low autistic intensity scores. However, the improvement at six months was significant for most studied variables. These results are consistent with our clinical findings and seem partly explained by the use of video supports as the mediator of exchanges within the group. However, because of some methodological limitations, the conclusions on the effects of the intervention should be nuanced. CONCLUSIONS This type of intervention seems to be an interesting therapeutic indication for individuals with high-functioning autism/Asperger syndrome. The first results are encouraging, and all participants enjoyed attending the meetings. These conclusion elements encourage us to continue this intervention and to pursue further research by studying the impact on the individuals' quality of life.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Vesperini
- Service universitaire de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, hôpitaux pédiatriques de Nice, CHU-Lenval, 57, avenue de la Californie, 06200 Nice, France.
| | - F Askenazy
- Service universitaire de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, hôpitaux pédiatriques de Nice, CHU-Lenval, 57, avenue de la Californie, 06200 Nice, France
| | - N Renaudo
- Service universitaire de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, hôpitaux pédiatriques de Nice, CHU-Lenval, 57, avenue de la Californie, 06200 Nice, France
| | - P Staccini
- Département d'information médicale, CHU de Nice, 06000 Nice, France
| | - S Hun
- Service universitaire de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, hôpitaux pédiatriques de Nice, CHU-Lenval, 57, avenue de la Californie, 06200 Nice, France
| | - E Legall
- Service universitaire de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, hôpitaux pédiatriques de Nice, CHU-Lenval, 57, avenue de la Californie, 06200 Nice, France
| | - S Serret
- Service universitaire de psychiatrie de l'enfant et de l'adolescent, hôpitaux pédiatriques de Nice, CHU-Lenval, 57, avenue de la Californie, 06200 Nice, France
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Schwarzkopf S, Schilbach L, Vogeley K, Timmermans B. "Making it explicit" makes a difference: evidence for a dissociation of spontaneous and intentional level 1 perspective taking in high-functioning autism. Cognition 2014; 131:345-54. [PMID: 24632324 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2014.02.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2012] [Revised: 02/03/2014] [Accepted: 02/12/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
The ability of perspective taking is a fundamental aspect of social cognition. The ability to decide, what another person can or cannot see is referred to as "level 1 perspective taking." This is thought to be a process that we can make use of intentionally, but which also takes place spontaneously. Autism is characterized by impairments of social interaction, which are thought to be related to deficits in implicit rather than explicit perspective taking. In order to assess both levels of processing with regard to perspective taking, we employed an established task in patients and controls. Our results demonstrate that both groups engage in spontaneous level 1 perspective taking. In contrast to controls, however, patients reacted more slowly if they had to verify the other's as compared to their own perspective, which shows that participants with high-functioning autism have selective difficulties in explicit, but not implicit, level 1 perspective taking. These findings demonstrate that while spontaneous level 1 perspective taking appears to be intact in autism, this ability is impaired in patients when used explicitly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Schwarzkopf
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Cologne, Germany; Center for Cognitive Science, University of Freiburg, Germany.
| | | | - Kai Vogeley
- Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital of Cologne, Germany; Institute for Neuroscience and Medicine, Cognitive Neuroscience (INM3), Research Center Juelich, Germany
| | - Bert Timmermans
- School of Psychology, University of Aberdeen, Scotland, United Kingdom
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Georgescu AL, Kuzmanovic B, Schilbach L, Tepest R, Kulbida R, Bente G, Vogeley K. Neural correlates of "social gaze" processing in high-functioning autism under systematic variation of gaze duration. Neuroimage Clin 2013; 3:340-51. [PMID: 24273718 DOI: 10.1016/j.nicl.2013.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/19/2013] [Revised: 08/15/2013] [Accepted: 08/27/2013] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Direct gaze is a salient nonverbal signal for social interest and the intention to communicate. In particular, the duration of another's direct gaze can modulate our perception of the social meaning of gaze cues. However, both poor eye contact and deficits in social cognitive processing of gaze are specific diagnostic features of autism. Therefore, investigating neural mechanisms of gaze may provide key insights into the neural mechanisms related to autistic symptoms. Employing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and a parametric design, we investigated the neural correlates of the influence of gaze direction and gaze duration on person perception in individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA) and a matched control group. For this purpose, dynamically animated faces of virtual characters, displaying averted or direct gaze of different durations (1 s, 2.5 s and 4 s) were evaluated on a four-point likeability scale. Behavioral results revealed that HFA participants showed no significant difference in likeability ratings depending on gaze duration, while the control group rated the virtual characters as increasingly likeable with increasing gaze duration. On the neural level, direct gaze and increasing direct gaze duration recruit regions of the social neural network (SNN) in control participants, indicating the processing of social salience and a perceived communicative intent. In participants with HFA however, regions of the social neural network were more engaged by averted and decreasing amounts of gaze, while the neural response for processing direct gaze in HFA was not suggestive of any social information processing.
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Troyb E, Rosenthal M, Eigsti IM, Kelley E, Tyson K, Orinstein A, Barton M, Fein D. Executive functioning in individuals with a history of ASDs who have achieved optimal outcomes. Child Neuropsychol 2013; 20:378-97. [PMID: 23731181 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2013.799644] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Executive functioning (EF) is examined among children and adolescents once diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but who no longer meet diagnostic criteria. These individuals have average social and language skills, receive minimal school support and are considered to have achieved "optimal outcomes" (OOs). Since residual impairments in these individuals might be expected in deficits central to autism, and in developmentally advanced skills, EF was examined in 34 individuals who achieved OOs, 43 individuals with high-functioning autism (HFA), and 34 typically developing (TD) peers. Groups were matched on age (M = 13.49), gender, and nonverbal IQ (NVIQ) but differed on verbal IQ (VIQ; HFA < TD, OO). On direct assessment, all three groups demonstrated average EF; however, the OO and HFA groups exhibited more impulsivity and less efficient planning and problem-solving than the TD group, and more HFA participants exhibited below average inhibition than did OO and TD participants. Parent-report measures revealed average EF among the OO and TD groups; however, the OO group exhibited more difficulty than the TD group on set-shifting and working memory. HFA participants demonstrated more difficulty on all parent-reported EF domains, with a clinical impairment in attention-shifting. Results suggest that EF in OO appears to be within the average range, even for functions that were impaired among individuals with HFA. Despite their average performance, however, the OO and TD groups differed on measures of impulsivity, set-shifting, problem-solving, working memory, and planning, suggesting that the OO group does not have the above-average EF scores of the TD group despite their high-average IQs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Troyb
- a Department of Psychology , University of Connecticut , Storrs , Connecticut , USA
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28
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Ohkouchi O. High-Functioning Autistic Children: -From a clinical psychologist's perspective-. Japan Med Assoc J 2012; 55:303-306. [PMID: 25237237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
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