Infants later diagnosed with autism have lower canonical babbling ratios in the first year of life
ConclusionsLower canonical babbling ratios are apparent by the end of the first year of life in ASD regardless of later language delay, but are also observed for infants with later language delay without ASD. Canonical babbling may lack specificity as an early marker when used on its own. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - June 27, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
WDFY3 mutation alters laminar position and morphology of cortical neurons
ConclusionsOur genetic approach revealed several cell autonomous requirements of WDFY3 in neuronal development that could underlie the pathogenic mechanisms ofWDFY3-related neurodevelopmental conditions. The results are also consistent with findings in other ASD animal models and patients and suggest an important role for WDFY3 in regulating neuronal function and interconnectivity in postnatal life. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - June 22, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Maternal age, autistic-like traits and mentalizing as predictors of child autistic-like traits in a population-based cohort
ConclusionsThe relationships between older and younger mothers may have comparable underlying mechanisms, but it is also possible that the tails of the U-shaped curve are influenced by disparate mechanisms. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - June 15, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Large multicenter randomized trials in autism: key insights gained from the balovaptan clinical development program
ConclusionTaken together, the balovaptan clinical development program has advanced our understanding of the key challenges facing ASD treatment research. The insights gained can be used to inform and improve the design of future clinical trials with the collective aim of developing efficacious therapies to support individuals with ASD. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - June 11, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Autism-associated protein POGZ controls ESCs and ESC neural induction by association with esBAF
ConclusionsThe data suggest that POGZ is both a transcription factor and a genome regulator, and its loss leads to defects in neural induction and neurogenesis. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - June 1, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Autistic adults have poorer quality healthcare and worse health based on self-report data
ConclusionsAutistic adults are more likely to have chronic health conditions alongside self-reported lower quality healthcare than others. Health inequalities between these groups are widespread and dramatic; unfortunately, they existed before and have persisted after the onset of the coronavirus pandemic. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - May 26, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Resting state EEG power spectrum and functional connectivity in autism: a cross-sectional analysis
ConclusionsThis suggests that PS and FC values in ASD and NT have a strong overlap, and that differences between both groups (in both mean and variance) have, at best, a small effect size. Larger studies would be needed to investigate and replicate such potential effects. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - May 18, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
White matter microstructural and morphometric alterations in autism: implications for intellectual capabilities
ConclusionsASD-associated white matter alterations appear driven by individuals with II and potentially further by MV. Results suggest that changes in the corpus callosum and cerebellum are key for psychopathology and cognition associated with ASD. Our work highlights an essential to include understudied subpopulations on the spectrum in research. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - May 18, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Globally elevated excitation –inhibition ratio in children with autism spectrum disorder and below-average intelligence
ConclusionsThe atypically flattened spectral slope of aperiodic activity in children with ASD and below-average IQ suggests a shift of the global E –I balance toward hyper-excitation. The spectral slope can provide an accessible noninvasive biomarker of the E–I ratio for making objective judgments about treatment effectiveness in people with ASD and comorbid intellectual disability. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - May 12, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Myt1l haploinsufficiency leads to obesity and multifaceted behavioral alterations in mice
ConclusionsBehavioral alterations inMyt1l haploinsufficient mice recapitulate several clinical phenotypes observed in humans carrying heterozygousMYT1L mutations and thus serve as an informative model of the humanMYT1L syndrome. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - May 10, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
A constellation of eye-tracking measures reveals social attention differences in ASD and the broad autism phenotype
ConclusionsFixations over time and perseverative fixations differentiated ASD and the ASD parent groups from controls, with the PCA most robustly capturing social attention differences. Findings highlight their methodological utility in studies of the (broad) autism spectrum to capture nuanced visual attention differences that may relate to clinical symptoms in ASD, and reflect genetic liability in clinically unaffected relatives. This proof-of-concept study may inform future studies using eye tracking across populations where social attention is impacted. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - May 4, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Clinical trial of insulin-like growth factor-1 in Phelan-McDermid syndrome
ConclusionIGF-1 is efficacious in improving sensory reactivity symptoms, repetitive behaviors, and hyperactivity in children with PMS.Trial registration NCT01525901. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - April 8, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
Correction to: The relevance of the interpersonal theory of suicide for predicting past-year and lifetime suicidality in autistic adults
(Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - March 28, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
The relevance of the interpersonal theory of suicide for predicting past-year and lifetime suicidality in autistic adults
ConclusionsPerceived burdensomeness and acquired capability appear potentially important to suicide in autistic people, and may mediate the effects of some risk factors. Future research should explore the temporal dynamics of suicide trajectories in longitudinal, prospective designs. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - March 21, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
The autism biomarkers consortium for clinical trials: evaluation of a battery of candidate eye-tracking biomarkers for use in autism clinical trials
ConclusionsAll ET tasks met expectations regarding biomarker properties, with strongest performance for tasks associated with attention to human faces and weakest performance associated with biological motion preference. Based on these data, the OMI has been accepted to the FDA ’s Biomarker Qualification program, providing a path for advancing efforts to develop biomarkers for use in clinical trials. (Source: Molecular Autism)
Source: Molecular Autism - March 21, 2022 Category: Molecular Biology Source Type: research
