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Sobering statistics on suicide

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Suicidal thoughts and suicidal attempts have been shown to be increased in people with ASD.  Rates are similar to those with bipolar depression and schizophrenia, but are higher even without psychosis.  This is shocking and an urgent health issue in the autism community.    This week’s podcast summarizes recent data, publications, presentations and concerns of thought leaders in autism about rates of suicide, what the risk factors are, and where research should be directed to prevent suicide.  If you or anyone you know is thinking about ending their life, please reach out to the National Suicide Prevention Hotline :  800 273 8255.

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In partial praise of the DSM5

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While much work needs to be done to include individual abilities and disabilities into the DSM5, after the CDC prevalence numbers were published last month, it became clear the old DSMIV was not working.  In a replication of a previous finding, it showed that the DSMIV categories of Aspergers, PDDNOS and autistic disorder were just not being use consistently across states, and left the interpretation of those diagnoses somewhat meaningless.  While DSM5 is a step in the right direction, more work needs to be done to ensure everyone is receiving the most specific diagnosis possible, and getting the services they need.

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The sticky subject of cost effectiveness

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In a perfect world, money would not matter.  But in this world, it does, and a dollar spent on one thing in the clinic by families, society and insurance companies means a dollar not spent somewhere else.  Therefore, studies on cost effectiveness need to be conducted to determine how resources may be best used.  In this podcast, Dr. Tracy Yuen of University of Toronto explains two different analyses which looked at 1) universal screening for ASD and 2) use of genomic sequencing to identify novel variants in people with ASD.  Thank you to Dr. Yuen for explaining the process behind this and these intriguing findings.  You’ll have to listen to find out what they are.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29651777

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29644584

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A sampling of science from the International Meeting of Autism Research

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In case you didn’t have time to jump on a plane and fly to the Netherlands last week for the International Society of Autism Research meeting, this week’s podcast is a short summary of just a few of the presentations.  There was more of an emphasis on what has been called “real life” research questions like employment, quality of life, and relationships.  As a result, some of the more basic science questions around autism are now being presented at other meetings.  This is a shame.   This podcast follows some of those basic science questions to the now translational opportunities that were presented at the meeting.  It also highlights some newer findings that will provide help to people at all ages who need supports and services.

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Where the wild new genetic hot spots are

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Three new studies, all with the common element of inclusion of ASF postdoctoral fellowships as authors, appeared this week using whole genome sequencing technologies to look at new areas of the genome.  Not just new genes, but totally unexplored ares of DNA that were only possible to examine through these newer technologies.  They are called regulatory non-coding regions, because they regulate genes known to be associated with autism – but don’t code for any proteins.  Interestingly enough, they are carried by the unaffected father.  As one of the authors on the studies and guest on this podcast, William Brandler explains, they regulate genes, they don’t cause autism, otherwise the non-affected fathers would not be non-affected.  Another ASF fellow, Donna Werling, published an analysis which called for careful consideration of the statistics around these findings.  After all, this is a relatively unexplored territory.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29674594

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29703944

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29700473

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Clinical trials talk with Tom Frazier from Autism Speaks

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This week, a special surprise:  a conversation with Dr. Thomas Frazier, Chief Science Officer of Autism Speaks, on what is needed for better clinical trials for drug treatments for ASD, and what they are going to be doing to help move the science along.  Of course, the conversation hit on other topics, like disclosure of a diagnosis, sex differences, and some of the newest more exciting findings in autism research.

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Just to be clear: people with Aspergers are not Nazi’s

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This week, a disturbing report from Molecular Autism published by an Austrian historian with no affiliation with autism, linked Hans Asperger to a eugenics facility in Germany and labeled him a Nazi sympathizer.   This was the first investigative report of the link using primary documents.  He had previously been considered a hero from trying to save his patients from the gestapo, and plead for them to be rehabilitated.    So which is true?   Hero or potential war criminal?  Maybe both.  This podcast goes through the 43 page article with the message that:  if you have Aspergers, you are not necessarily a Nazi.  Don’t let anyone tell you that, and if they do, email me at ahalladay@autismsciencefoundation.org

 

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The ASF Day of Learning mini-recap

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Did you miss the ASF Day of Learning in NYC but want to hear some teasers before they are available online?  Listen to this week’s podcast, and you’ll hear the 12 minute talks distilled to 2 minutes, leaving out a lot of details and eliminating the video part but giving you a quick recap of each.  Topics this year included:  1) What have we learned this last year?  2) Are Boys and Girls with Autism Different? 3) Does diet make a difference in autism?  4) Is medical marijuana a treatment option? 5) Why won’t my child sleep and 6) How can we improve adult outcomes in people with autism?  ASF also announced 8 new pre and post-doctoral fellowships on Wednesday, filling out an already amazingly active autism awareness month.   Stay tuned for the complete presentations to appear on the ASF homepage.

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Through the years

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Rarely can individuals with autism be studied more than once – but a new study tracks how cognitive and adaptive behavior changes over time.  What researchers in the British Autism of Infant Siblings, or BASIS found, was that family history of autism meant as much to cognitive and adaptive behavior than an actual autism diagnosis.  This calls for close monitoring of siblings of those with autism, regardless of whether or not they had a diagnosis.  Also, investigating psychiatric issues in children may underestimate their prevalence because many psychiatric issues do not emerge until the teenage years, so Kaiser Permanente looked at medical and health records of those with autism at 14-25 years to see what other issues they were facing, and the findings are both sobering yet maybe a little comforting.

Please watch the UN WAAD event here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tyhm7p8Gr2A&t=7943s 

The two studies mentioned in the podcast are:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29616486

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29610415 

 

 

 

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Here’s to understanding why people with autism have anxiety in adolescence

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Using resources from the Autism BrainNet, researchers from UC Davis show specific brain changes in an area called the amygdala in autism.  The amygdala is associated with fear, emotion and anxiety in people with autism.  But because they can look at the brain directly,  the actual number of neurons in the amygdala can be counted not just in one individual, but in over 50 individuals across ages 2 to 50.  This remarkable study showed that too much activity in the amygdala early may lead to impaired function later on.  This could be caused by too many neurons which are present early on in life in people with ASD, and reflected by fewer neurons later on in life.  These difference can only be detected through looking directly at brain tissue.  To learn more, register for the Autism BrainNet at www.takesbrains.org/signup.

Here is a link to the paper:  http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2018/03/19/1801912115.long

Dr. Avino will be answering questions about this paper on a Q&A on April 9, 2018 – please register here:  https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/7051754498195523073