Autoimmune Encephalitis and Autism Spectrum Disorder

The concept of “acquired autism” refers to the hypothesis that amongst the massive heterogeneity that encompasses autism spectrum disorder (ASD) there may be several phenotypes that are neither syndromic nor innate. Strong and consistent evidence has linked exposure to various pharmacological and infective agents with an elevated risk of a diagnosis of ASD including maternal valproate use, rubella and herpes encephalitis. Autoimmune encephalitis (AE) describes a group of conditions characterised by the body's immune system mounting an attack on healthy brain cells causing brain inflammation. The resultant cognitive, psychiatric and neurological symptoms that follow AE have also included ASD or autism-like traits and states. We review the current literature on AE and ASD. Drawing also on associated literature on autoimmune psychosis (AP) and preliminary evidence of a psychosis-linked subtype of ASD, we conclude that AE may either act as a potentially causative agent for ASD, and/or produce symptoms that could easily be mistaken for or misdiagnosed as autism. Further studies are required to discern the connection between AE and autism. Where autism is accompanied by regression and atypical onset patterns, it may be prudent to investigate whether a differential diagnosis of AE would be more appropriate.

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Effectiveness of Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies for Improving Adaptive Behavior and Motor Function in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Journal of Clinical Medicine ◽

10.3390/jcm10081726 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (8) ◽

pp. 1726

Author(s):

Leonardo Zoccante ◽

Michele Marconi ◽

Marco Luigi Ciceri ◽

Silvia Gagliardoni ◽

Luigi Alberto Gozzi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Motor Function ◽

Adaptive Behavior ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Parental Distress ◽

Effective Option ◽

The Impact ◽

Equine Assisted

Equine-assisted activities and therapies (EAAT) have been suggested to improve adaptive behavior, and possibly motor function, in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study investigated the effects of EAAT on adaptive behavior and motor function in 15 children with ASD (13 males) aged 7–15 years as well as the impact of EAAT on the magnitude of stress in the parent–child system and the evolution in the child interaction with both the trained therapist and the therapeutic animal through the 20 weekly sessions of EAAT. EAAT were associated with greater adaptive behavior and coordination (all p ≤ 0.01) as well as a progressive improvement in the child’s abilities to respond to the increasing complexity of such form of positive behavioral support (all p < 0.001). However, EAAT did not prove to be effective in reducing parental distress. Collectively, preliminary evidence presented here may have important public health implications and gives reason to hope that EAAT could possibly be an effective option in ASD, warranting further investigation of its potential benefits in clinical trials among larger samples.

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Sex differences in age of diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder: Preliminary evidence from Uganda

Autism Research ◽

10.1002/aur.2645 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Emmanuel Bonney ◽

Catherine Abbo ◽

Collin Ogara ◽

Michele E. Villalobos ◽

Jed T. Elison

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Sex Differences ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Age Of Diagnosis

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New and Preliminary Evidence on Altered Oral and Gut Microbiota in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Implications for ASD Diagnosis and Subtyping Based on Microbial Biomarkers

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu11092128 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 11 (9) ◽

pp. 2128 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Xuejun Kong ◽

Jun Liu ◽

Murat Cetinbas ◽

Ruslan Sadreyev ◽

Madelyn Koh ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Comorbid Conditions ◽

Oral Flora ◽

Microbial Biomarkers ◽

Starting Point ◽

Matched Design

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a complex neurological and developmental disorder characterized by behavioral and social impairments as well as multiple co-occurring conditions, such as gastrointestinal abnormalities, dental/periodontal diseases, and allergies. The etiology of ASD likely involves interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Recent studies suggest that oral and gut microbiome play important roles in the pathogenesis of inflammation, immune dysfunction, and disruption of the gut–brain axis, which may contribute to ASD pathophysiology. The majority of previous studies used unrelated neurotypical individuals as controls, and they focused on the gut microbiome, with little attention paid to the oral flora. In this pilot study, we used a first degree-relative matched design combined with high fidelity 16S rRNA (ribosomal RNA) gene amplicon sequencing in order to characterize the oral and gut microbiotas of patients with ASD compared to neurotypical individuals, and explored the utility of microbiome markers for ASD diagnosis and subtyping of clinical comorbid conditions. Additionally, we aimed to develop microbiome biomarkers to monitor responses to a subsequent clinical trial using probiotics supplementation. We identified distinct features of gut and salivary microbiota that differed between ASD patients and neurotypical controls. We next explored the utility of some differentially enriched markers for ASD diagnosis and examined the association between the oral and gut microbiomes using network analysis. Due to the tremendous clinical heterogeneity of the ASD population, we explored the relationship between microbiome and clinical indices as an attempt to extract microbiome signatures assocociated with clinical subtypes, including allergies, abdominal pain, and abnormal dietary habits. The diagnosis of ASD currently relies on psychological testing with potentially high subjectivity. Given the emerging role that the oral and gut microbiome plays in systemic diseases, our study will provide preliminary evidence for developing microbial markers that can be used to diagnose or guide treatment of ASD and comorbid conditions. These preliminary results also serve as a starting point to test whether altering the oral and gut microbiome could improve co-morbid conditions in patients with ASD and further modify the core symptoms of ASD.

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Measuring the service system impact of a novel telediagnostic service program for young children with autism spectrum disorder

Autism ◽

10.1177/1362361318787797 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 23 (4) ◽

pp. 1051-1056 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

J Alacia Stainbrook ◽

Amy S Weitlauf ◽

A Pablo Juárez ◽

Julie Lounds Taylor ◽

Jeffrey Hine ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Young Children ◽

Care Center ◽

Tertiary Care ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Diagnostic Center ◽

Autism Spectrum Disorder Risk ◽

Early Intervention System

As prevalence of autism spectrum disorder continues to increase, so too does the need for timely, accessible diagnostic consultation. The present work extends from a previous study which provided preliminary evidence for the feasibility of expert clinicians to utilize telemedicine to triage autism spectrum disorder risk in young children. However, it did not examine whether a telediagnostic model had a demonstrable impact on tertiary care center referrals and usage. We therefore examined whether the introduction of telemedicine-based diagnostic consultation for families served by a rural medical facility affected referrals overall as well as to a metropolitan tertiary care diagnostic center. Results suggest that telemedicine diagnostic consultation in partnership with a referring early intervention system may positively impact referrals for diagnostic evaluation as well as the ability of families to schedule and attend appointments.

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N-Methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antibody in relation to autism spectrum disorder (ASD): presence and association with symptom profile

Middle East Current Psychiatry ◽

10.1186/s43045-021-00141-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Heba Hamed Elshahawi ◽

Ghada Refaat Amin Taha ◽

Hanan Mohamed Ezzeldin Azzam ◽

Reem H. El Ghamry ◽

Ahmed Adel Mohammad Abdelgawad ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Nmda Receptor ◽

Autoimmune Encephalitis ◽

Stereotyped Behavior ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Clinical Findings ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Symptom Profile ◽

Stereotyped Behaviors ◽

Autistic Regression

Abstract Background Several studies pointed to immune dysregulation abnormalities linked to autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Of those, several autoantibodies had been identified. Recent findings of N-methyl d-aspartate (NMDA) antibodies in autoimmune encephalitis suggested that it caused symptoms like autistic regression. Thus, the purpose of the study was to test for the presence of anti-NMDAR antibodies in the ASD disorder population and to correlate this with the clinical findings. Results Eighty-seven autistic children, 4–12 years old, were enrolled in the study and were matched with sixty typically developing children used as controls. The diagnosis of cases was confirmed by ADOS-2 and clinical evaluation. None of the control children had positive anti-NMDAR antibodies, while 26.4% (23 children) of the patients’ group were positive for serum anti-NMDA receptor antibodies (> 200 pg/ml, p = 0.0157). The positive anti-NMDAR antibody was statistically correlated with better speech stage (p = 0.017), more severe stereotyped behavior (p ≤ 0.001), and abnormal EEG findings (p = 0.025). Conclusions There is a possibility of the presence of anti-NMDAR antibodies in the autism spectrum disorder population with certain characteristics, especially the severity of the stereotyped behaviors.

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Preliminary Evidence That Motor Planning Is Slower and More Difficult for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder During Motor Cooperation

Motor Control ◽

10.1123/mc.2019-0007 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 24 (1) ◽

pp. 127-149

Author(s):

Breanna E. Studenka ◽

Kodey Myers

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Motor Planning ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Motor Action ◽

Children With Asd ◽

Sequence Versus

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) exhibit impairment in helping someone else with a motor action, which may arise from impairment in selecting and preparing motor responses. Five children with ASD and five typically developing children performed a cooperative motor planning task that required them to reach for, lift, and hand an object (hammer or stick) to a researcher. The response, movement, and grasp time were measured. Children with ASD grasped the object longer on trials where they helped, indicating that the action was planned in sequence versus as a whole (i.e., prior to the onset of movement). The hammer object elicited a quicker response than the stick, suggesting the facilitation of planning by tools with inherent action properties. Finally, the increased helping of children with ASD was not mirrored by changes in the response, movement, or grasp time.

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Atypical Social Rank Recognition in Autism Spectrum Disorder

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-52211-8 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Shino Ogawa ◽

Mayuko Iriguchi ◽

Young-A Lee ◽

Sakiko Yoshikawa ◽

Yukiori Goto

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽

Social Rank ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Neural Systems ◽

Normal Children ◽

Robust Recognition ◽

Group Members

Abstract Social animals, including humans, structure social groups where social hierarchy exists. Recognizing social rank of other group members is a crucial ability to subsist in such environments. Here we show preliminary evidence with a relatively small number of samples that children with autism spectrum disorder, a neurodevelopmental disorder involving social dysfunction, exhibit atypical, and more robust recognition of social rank than normal children, which may be developed to compensate deficits of the neural systems processing social information.

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Speech Rate Entrainment in Children and Adults With and Without Autism Spectrum Disorder

American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ◽

10.1044/2018_ajslp-17-0134 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 27 (3) ◽

pp. 965-974 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

Camille J. Wynn ◽

Stephanie A. Borrie ◽

Tyra P. Sellers

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Speech Rate ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Typically Developing ◽

Communication Partner ◽

Social Difficulties ◽

Adults With Asd ◽

Future Work

Purpose Conversational entrainment, a phenomenon whereby people modify their behaviors to match their communication partner, has been evidenced as critical to successful conversation. It is plausible that deficits in entrainment contribute to the conversational breakdowns and social difficulties exhibited by people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study examined speech rate entrainment in children and adult populations with and without ASD. Method Sixty participants including typically developing children, children with ASD, typically developed adults, and adults with ASD participated in a quasi-conversational paradigm with a pseudoconfederate. The confederate's speech rate was digitally manipulated to create slow and fast speech rate conditions. Results Typically developed adults entrained their speech rate in the quasi-conversational paradigm, using a faster rate during the fast speech rate conditions and a slower rate during the slow speech rate conditions. This entrainment pattern was not evident in adults with ASD or in children populations. Conclusion Findings suggest that speech rate entrainment is a developmentally acquired skill and offers preliminary evidence of speech rate entrainment deficits in adults with ASD. Impairments in this area may contribute to the conversational breakdowns and social difficulties experienced by this population. Future work is needed to advance this area of inquiry.

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Serum Oxytocin Level Correlates With Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

Frontiers in Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnins.2021.721884 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 15 ◽

Author(s):

Minshi Huang ◽

Kevin Liu ◽

Zhen Wei ◽

Zhe Feng ◽

Jierong Chen ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Autism Spectrum Disorder ◽

Gut Microbiota ◽

Gut Microbiome ◽

Children With Autism ◽

Preliminary Evidence ◽

Autism Spectrum ◽

Spectrum Disorder ◽

Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽

Children With Asd ◽

New Findings

To investigate the levels of serum oxytocin (OT) in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and explore the association between OT levels and gut microbiota relative abundances, we recruited 39 children with ASD children–mother dyads and 44 healthy controls. Serum OT levels were determined via enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and gut microbiota abundances were determined by 16S rRNA sequencing. We found that the OT level of ASD was lower than the healthy control group overall (P < 0.05). Furthermore, we present preliminary evidence of gut microbiome dysbiosis observed among children with ASD to lower levels of OT based on correlational analysis between serum OT and specific gut microbiota abundances (P < 0.05). We also found sex-related differences in serum OT levels and GIS index (P < 0.05). However, the generalizability of findings relevant to females with ASD require further validation in future studies involving larger sample sizes and balanced sex distributions due to the small number of females involved in this study. Nonetheless, these new findings further our understanding of the effects of low serum OT levels among individuals with ASD, which provides preliminary evidence in hopes of guiding future study design or mechanistic studies. The findings of the present study may be suggestive of potential ASD subtypes based on ASD severity and gut microbiome composition that may facilitate the prediction of the therapeutic responses of OT among those with ASD.

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