The latest autism research news stories with ASF Chief Science Officer Alycia Halladay
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This week is a pharmacopeia of inflation. The #ASFpodcast talks debilitating gastrointestinal issues and new efforts to understand and treat them (including the CANDID meeting www.candidgi.com), a new method to understand adverse events in those that cannot report them on their own, and new news on Celexa, which is used to treat anxiety.
info@candidgi.com
https://www.theautismstudy.com
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35165451/
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On this week’s podcast, we interview Dr. Giacomo Vivanti from the AJ Drexel Autism Institute who, together with Daniel Messinger from University of Miami, wrote an analysis of how research and intervention have changed since the DSMIII was written 40 years ago. They include theories of the causes of autism, the theories of the deficits and strengths of autism as it has changed over time, as well as intervention styles to meet the expanding understanding of autism. You can read the paper below, but Dr. Vivanti gives a great summary in a 30 minute interview!
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It’s estimated that anywhere from 10%-30% of females on the spectrum also suffer from an eating disorder, and that autistic traits are high (even without a diagnosis of ASD) in those with eating disorders. There is clearly crossover in the underlying biology somehow, but while that is being determined – help for those with ASD and eating disorders is not waiting. There are many obstacles for autistic women to receive help for their eating disorders, and this podcast outlines the overlap between ASD and ED, and describes what could help women on the spectrum who experience eating disorders.
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33653157/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34193255/
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While there are commonalities across autistic adults on many things, they differ. It might be time to stop saying “…..all autistic adults” when describing those on the spectrum. For example, for the most part, most autistic adults prefer email or text over other methods except when talking to friends and family. It was not universal, but the most preferred methods. This is important for scientists to want to gather the input from autistic adults – use email and online surveys NOT the telephone. But even these online surveys have problems. Large online research studies have the advantage of gathering large sets of data from geographically diverse people in a short period of time, but they may be biased if they don’t report who answered them. Recommendations for how to at least deal with diversity in scientific literature is included.
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On the heels of Father’s Day, this week’s podcast summarizes the last year or so of research which focuses on the fathers. This includes genetics, parental stress and quality of life, and broader autism phenotype features. Of note, two new studies that look at antidepressant exposure in father and probability of having a child with autism – a variation on studying maternal exposures. For anyone interested, here is a list of references used:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28630308
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28750543
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29884724
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25339495
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This week, the lab of Dr. Jill Silverman at UC Davis published a study that showed the most similar types of social communication deficits in an animal model. Her group, led by Elizabeth Berg, used a rat model, rather than a mouse, because rats exhibit both receptive and expressive communication. Through a collaboration within the UC Davis MIND Institute and Mount Sinai School of Medicine, she tested an animal model of autism that shows a lack of expression of SHANK3. SHANK3 mutations are seen in those with Phelan-McDermid Syndrome as well as in 1% of people with autism. This new study opens up new ways to understand autism symptoms in an animal model, and moves autism research using animals forward significantly. The references mentioned in the podcast are:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29377611
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29126394
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27189882
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About 25-30% of children with autism show language impairment or no language at all, and these families often use assisted communication devices like picture exchange to help their children communicate. Recently, electronic communication devices like the iPad have revolutionized the way that people communicate, but little research has been done on how and if they are really effective. This week, a multidisciplinary group of researchers added an assisted communication device, an iPad, to behavioral intervention for a 9 month trial. As it turns out, the group with all 3 (language intervention, behavioral intervention and the communication device) showed the greatest gains in language and speech, but only when the intervention was intense. This new study shows that in the right context, these devices can help those who do not communicate with words, and provides preliminary proof that this technology is indeed helpful.