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Are animal models for ASD a monkey wrench or useful tool?

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A new animal model of autism appeared this week:  the monkey.  This adds to the ever growing list of different model systems from autism, from fruit flies to mice and rats now up to monkeys.  Are these animal models useful and for what, and why isn’t there just ONE model of autism rather than the dozen that exist?  This week’s podcast discusses research from scientists at the UC Davis MIND Institute and what they are doing to improve these models of ASD.

https://www.spectrumnews.org/features/multimedia/webinars/webinar-jill-silverman-makes-case-rat-models-autism/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5810939/pdf/nihms906435.pdf

http://news.mit.edu/2019/gene-editing-autism-model-0612

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An update on females with autism, on the double

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Females with autism are different than males with autism in a lot of ways.  This week, researchers used twins to examine the differences between males and females with autism in their brain structure and how it’s associated with autism traits, not a diagnosis.  To do this, researchers in Sweden turned to twins.  As it turns out, females have more of a diversity of differences in brain changes compared to boys, supporting the female protective effect.  But how to females with autism feel?  As them!  A group in the UK interviewed over 20 women on the spectrum or their parents to find out what concerns them most and what they find most challenging.

Both articles cited this week are open access:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10803-019-03906-4     https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6373677/

 

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Autism spectrum disorders underneath a bigger umbrella: more data from the brain

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There is demonstrated genetic overlap between many neurodevelopment disorders including  ASD, ADHD, and schizophrenia, and now there is data showing similarities in the structure and size of the brains in people with autism and those with ADHD.  These differences depend on how severe social difficulties are, but the similarities are seen with ASD and ADHD, but not OCD.   In addition, this week there are new depressing results from the Interactive Autism Network on unemployment and females with ASD.  The results may not surprise you, but they will upset you.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6361977/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30729799

 

 

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A conversation with Clare Harrop about autism in boys and girls

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Recently, Clare Harrop from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill published two papers which help explain the differences between boys and girls with autism, at least in kids and toddlers.  She graciously agreed to talk with us about these findings and what it means for better identification and diagnosis of girls with ASD, and where future research is needed.  Thank you to Dr. Harrop for this insight and for your work in this area!

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What the Tooth Fairy knows about autism

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A new study uses baby teeth, which are formed in pregnancy and emerge at about 6 months to a year, to understand the dynamics of metals in people with autism.  Not just the levels, but the cycles of zinc and copper, which goes up and down normally with regular biological processes.  This could be the start to many more studies which use baby teeth to understand prenatal and early neonatal exposures in people with autism.  Also, the largest study published so far on food allergies confirmed a higher than normal presence of food, respiratory and skin allergies in people with autism.  Are allergies part of autism?  Probably not, but there seem to be a subgroup of people with immune issues that warrant specific treatments for those allergies.

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29854952

 

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2683952

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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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What is true for males is not true for females

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This week’s podcast focuses on the Extreme Male Brain Theory of autism, originating from the idea that autism, in part, is a reflection of increased fetal testosterone levels.  Amazingly, fetal testosterone levels are reflected in the length of the 2nd and 4th fingers and can be measured as a reflection of testosterone levels during pregnancy. Research, including those from a recent CDC study, have reinforced that elevated fetal testosterone levels play a role in autism in males, but not females.  Differences in fetal testosterone across gender and diagnosis has also been observed in a study from Drexel University.  What was observed in males is not observed in females.  It doesn’t mean the theory is wrong, it means that what is true for one sex is not always true for the other.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29450837

 

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Let’s talk about sex (and sexuality)

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While certainly not a new topic of interest, the number of research studies and publications on the sexuality of people with autism has exploded in the past year.  Research shows more people with autism reporting they don’t conform to traditional sexual definitions.   In addition to having to navigate the world of having autism, they also have to figure out how to deal with exclusion based on sexual orientation and coming out.  They are a double disadvantaged community.   Also, females with autism seem to be at particular risk of poor sexual experiences.  This podcast reviews the research all leading to a reported need for better sexual education, and a promising intervention to help people with ASD.  Publications cited are:

 

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29086210

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5570786/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27565655

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28877047

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28342163

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28299510

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28691307

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A different type of autism?

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Last week, investigators with the Autism Treatment Network published a long awaited study on the differences between the DSM IV and DSM5.    Other studies had relied on information on old pieces of paper to judge whether or not someone who met criteria under DSM IV would be now diagnosed with DSM5 criteria.  This study, on the other hand, used in person evaluations of over 400 individuals with autism.  PI from the Missouri site and lead author of a new study, Dr. Micah Mazurek was gracious enough to provide a summary of the findings in the podcast.  A quick preview:  they showed differences in the diagnosis in the group previously known as PDD-NOS.  Is this a new type of autism?  Their symptoms were less severe and they had normal IQ ability – do they have a subtype of autism or a new form of ADHD?  This study isn’t the first to suggest using different categories of symptoms of autism like DSM IV did, and indicates that the new criteria of the DSM  5 are more specific.  In addition, a 2 minute summary of all the great presentations at the Autism Society of America is given.  Totally insufficient to describe everything that went on, but it’s a start.

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What is the focus this week? The unsung heroes of grandparents and clinicians

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Scientists have studied males compared to females with autism, but rarely has there been studies about what clinicians see as differences in these two groups.  Given that they provide insight on diagnosis, needs and access to services, it is kind of important to talk to them, and a study out this week in the journal Autism did just that.  You can find the full text here:

http://journals.sagepub.com/eprint/V5p3isSVAKDbdQf2jH4Q/full

Also, scientists are starting to understand the role of exposures in parents and how they affect diagnosis of autism in their children, but this week a new wrench was thrown into the wheel:  researchers in the UK found that grandparental exposures play a role in autism diagnosis too.  Luckily, this too is open access and you can read it for yourself.  It was covered in the media and we have perspective from a parent included.

https://www.nature.com/articles/srep46179

I discuss this second project with Jill Escher, founder of the Escher Fund for Autism and co-funder of the study.