Posted on

Yeah, another study about autistic poop

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This week’s podcast includes a summary of the new study, this time in an animal model, looking at microbiome transplantation.  Because this was more of an experimental model, the researchers could be more rigorous in their design and look at things like behavior, brain activity, and specific biological pathways.  While a mouse does not have autism, transplantation of the autism microbiome resulted in autistic-like behaviors.   Second, a hopeful message of the value of participating in research on outcomes – those infants that were tracked prospectively showed improved outcomes later on, suggesting that all of the extra attention they get leads to a reduction in symptoms and an improvement in adaptive behavior.  Even if you do not have a family history of autism – participate in research.  It’s good for your child, and it’s good for other people’s children.

 

https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(19)30502-1 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31032937

 

 

 

 

Posted on

Infant motor issues and later autism diagnosis

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Everyone knows the way to study infants with autism is through thorough testing of younger siblings of those with a diagnosis, who have a 15x greater chance of have a diagnosis themselves.   Through these methods, new ways of identifying and predicting autism  later on have been developed.  On this week’s podcast:   two very influential and recent papers on the study of motor issues in 6 month olds who go on to be diagnosed with autism, and those  who don’t have an autism diagnosis but have signs and symptoms of ASD.  Are motor issues related to an ASD diagnosis or ASD symptoms?  And what about core symptoms of autism like language?   Can early motor behaviors be used to predict who goes on to receive an autism diagnosis or has language problems?  What should parents do?  How should this influence an early intervention plan?  Learn more this week!

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30628809

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30557704

Posted on

Nobody puts babies in a corner

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Nobody can dispute that research to better understand autistic adolescents and adults is lacking.  However, scientists continue to make important scientific discoveries in infants and toddlers with autism.  These infants and toddlers eventually become adolescents and adults, so identifying critical periods of brain development that influences behavior, what to say to parents and when, and how to  engage the entire community to better serve infants and toddlers is still needed.  This week is an update on the activities of the Baby Siblings Research Consortium (BSRC), including a paper that ties in activity of different brain regions at 1 year olds, to stereotyped behaviors and insistence on sameness in 2 year olds.  The research of the BSRC is directly applicable to families affected by autism at all ages.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30446435

Posted on

Lordy Lordy it’s One in Forty

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This week’s headlines were focused on the new prevalence numbers of 1:40.  They were not calculated using the same method as the 1:59 number, so should not be  compared.  In addition to looking at just prevalence, this survey identified a major problem for families, which is unmet mental health needs.  Those with autism have higher unmet mental health needs than those with  ADHD, anxiety or depression.  Again, there is something unique about an autism diagnosis which poses a challenge to accessing care.  In addition, a new summary paper outlined what needs to be done to better study  regression in autism.  The rate may be higher than you think if a new definition of regression is used.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30478241

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30475449

 

Posted on

The average age of diagnosis depends on where, when, and how you ask

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

While autism can be diagnosed reliably by 2 years of age, some people with autism don’t receive a formal diagnosis until much later.  Why not?  Racial and ethnic disparities as well as access to care issues are known factors.  This week, data from Denmark suggested that the diagnostic criteria has played a large role in prevalence in people with autism since 1980.  Many people who have autism may have been missed until they were older.  It suggests that older prevalence estimates were missing a proportion of autistic adolescents and adults.  Take away access and diagnostic barriers to a diagnosis, some kids followed from months of age in the baby siblings research consortium don’t receive a diagnosis at age 2, but do at age 5.  They always had autism, but their symptoms were sub-threshold for a formal diagnosis until age 5.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30398592 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30392626

Posted on

From cells to anxiety

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

Thanks to brain tissue research, scientists now know how cells in the amygdala form, connect, and how this changes with age.  But does that explain behavioral or neurological features in autism?  Last week, Dr. Inna Fishman from SDSU examined connections in and out of the amygdala in children and adolescents in autism, in a different study but the same age range as when cellular changes in the amygdala are seen.  Strikingly, the brain connections to regions outside the amygdala follow a similar pattern at a similar time, which may explain functioning, autism severity and anxiety in adolescents with autism.   Also this week, while autism is a spectrum, it’s on a spectrum with other neurodevelopmental disorders like ADHD.  Just like in autism, there are individuals who are not diagnosed with ADHD until adulthood.  But these adults show signs of autism as children.  This is similar to autism, where symptoms are there but may not manifest until later in life.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30274651

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30338854

Posted on

The waterbed around your brain (and its role in sleep)

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This week we have a very special guest:  Dr. Mark Shen from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who has been leading the field in understanding the role that the fluid around the brain in autism.  This week he expands his research to show that this increase in extra – axial (around the brain) fluid is not limited to those with a family history of autism, and is seen both before and after a diagnosis.  This has implications for early detection of ASD, but more interesting, it may help explain why some people with autism have so many sleep issues.

Posted on

Super siblings!

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

This podcast is dedicated to siblings of people with autism who are typically developing.  They play an important and beneficial role in development of socialization of those with ASD.  But sadly, they also have issues of their own, such as a high rate of issues like anxiety and depression.  Those siblings may be genetic carries of a specific mutation and not have an autism diagnosis, but have increased risk for schizophrenia and cognitive disability.  Finally, just because they are considered “typically developing” doesn’t mean they don’t have challenges with adaptive behavior.  However, they have a very special relationship with their brothers and sisters, and the world needs these strong advocates for the community.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30280363

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30248583

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/jcpp.12985

Click to access s41436-018-0266-3.pdf

Posted on

A sampling of science from the International Meeting of Autism Research

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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.

Posted on

Through the years

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Subscribe: RSS

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