scholarly journals Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy Based Complementary Diagnosis Tool for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children and Adolescents

Molecules ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 2079
Author(s):  
Gulce Ogruc Ildiz ◽  
Sevgi Bayari ◽  
Ahmet Karadag ◽  
Ersin Kaygisiz ◽  
Rui Fausto

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that begins early in life and continues lifelong with strong personal and societal implications. It affects about 1%–2% of the children population in the world. The absence of auxiliary methods that can complement the clinical evaluation of ASD increases the probability of false identification of the disorder, especially in the case of very young children. In this study, analytical models for auxiliary diagnosis of ASD in children and adolescents, based on the analysis of patients’ blood serum ATR-FTIR (Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared) spectra, were developed. The models use chemometrics (either Principal Component Analysis (PCA) or Partial Least Squares Discriminant Analysis (PLS-DA)) methods, with the infrared spectra being the X-predictor variables. The two developed models exhibit excellent classification performance for samples of ASD individuals vs. healthy controls. Interestingly, the simplest, unsupervised PCA-based model results to have a global performance identical to the more demanding, supervised (PLS-DA)-based model. The developed PCA-based model thus appears as the more economical alternative one for use in the clinical environment. Hierarchical clustering analysis performed on the full set of samples was also successful in discriminating the two groups.

2021 ◽  
Vol 38 (4) ◽  
pp. 275-281 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wan Seok Seo

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by abnormalities in social communication/interaction and restrictive, repetitive patterns of behavior. ASD is a relatively common psychiatric disorder, with a prevalence of approximately 1.7% in children. Although many children and adolescents with ASD visit the hospital for medical help for emotional and behavioral problems such as mood instability and self-harming behavior, there are also many visits for sleep disturbances such as insomnia and sleep resistance. Sleep disturbances are likely to increase fatigue and daytime sleepiness, impaired concentration, negatively impact on daytime functioning, and pose challenges in controlling anger and aggressive behavior. Sleep disturbance in children and adolescents with ASD negatively affects the quality of life, nothing to say the quality of life of their families and school members. In this review, sleep disturbances that are common in children and adolescents with ASD and adolescents are presented. The developmental and behavioral impacts of sleep disturbances in ASD were also considered. Finally, non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments for sleep disturbances in children and adolescents with ASD and adolescents are reviewed.


Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 2036
Author(s):  
Martina Maria Mensi ◽  
Chiara Rogantini ◽  
Michele Marchesi ◽  
Renato Borgatti ◽  
Matteo Chiappedi

Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental disorder. Recent data suggest that probiotics can reduce some symptoms of this disorder and Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 has been reported to be especially useful. We recruited a sample of 131 autistic children and adolescents (M:F = 122:19; age: 86.1 ± 41.1 months) and evaluated their changes after use of probiotics by mean of CGI. We found some significant improvements with very few side effects; these positive effects were more evident in younger children. Patients taking Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 had greater improvements and fewer side effects than those taking other probiotics. Our real-life data are consistent with existing literature showing a specific effect of Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 in Autism Spectrum Disorder.


2020 ◽  
Vol 27 (40) ◽  
pp. 6771-6786
Author(s):  
Geir Bjørklund ◽  
Nagwa Abdel Meguid ◽  
Maryam Dadar ◽  
Lyudmila Pivina ◽  
Joanna Kałużna-Czaplińska ◽  
...  

As a major neurodevelopmental disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) encompasses deficits in communication and repetitive and restricted interests or behaviors in childhood and adolescence. Its etiology may come from either a genetic, epigenetic, neurological, hormonal, or an environmental cause, generating pathways that often altogether play a synergistic role in the development of ASD pathogenesis. Furthermore, the metabolic origin of ASD should be important as well. A balanced diet consisting of the essential and special nutrients, alongside the recommended caloric intake, is highly recommended to promote growth and development that withstand the physiologic and behavioral challenges experienced by ASD children. In this review paper, we evaluated many studies that show a relationship between ASD and diet to develop a better understanding of the specific effects of the overall diet and the individual nutrients required for this population. This review will add a comprehensive update of knowledge in the field and shed light on the possible nutritional deficiencies, metabolic impairments (particularly in the gut microbiome), and malnutrition in individuals with ASD, which should be recognized in order to maintain the improved socio-behavioral habit and physical health.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kohei Kitagawa ◽  
Kensuke Matsumura ◽  
Masayuki Baba ◽  
Momoka Kondo ◽  
Tomoya Takemoto ◽  
...  

AbstractAutism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by core symptoms of impaired social behavior and communication. Recent studies have suggested that the oxytocin system, which regulates social behavior in mammals, is potentially involved in ASD. Mouse models of ASD provide a useful system for understanding the associations between an impaired oxytocin system and social behavior deficits. However, limited studies have shown the involvement of the oxytocin system in the behavioral phenotypes in mouse models of ASD. We have previously demonstrated that a mouse model that carries the ASD patient-derived de novo mutation in the pogo transposable element derived with zinc finger domain (POGZWT/Q1038R mice), showed ASD-like social behavioral deficits. Here, we have explored whether oxytocin (OXT) administration improves impaired social behavior in POGZWT/Q1038R mice and found that intranasal oxytocin administration effectively restored the impaired social behavior in POGZWT/Q1038R mice. We also found that the expression level of the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) was low in POGZWT/Q1038R mice. However, we did not detect significant changes in the number of OXT-expressing neurons between the paraventricular nucleus of POGZWT/Q1038R mice and that of WT mice. A chromatin immunoprecipitation assay revealed that POGZ binds to the promoter region of OXTR and is involved in the transcriptional regulation of OXTR. In summary, our study demonstrate that the pathogenic mutation in the POGZ, a high-confidence ASD gene, impairs the oxytocin system and social behavior in mice, providing insights into the development of oxytocin-based therapeutics for ASD.


Toxics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 97
Author(s):  
Tristan Furnary ◽  
Rolando Garcia-Milian ◽  
Zeyan Liew ◽  
Shannon Whirledge ◽  
Vasilis Vasiliou

Recent epidemiological studies suggest that prenatal exposure to acetaminophen (APAP) is associated with increased risk of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 1 in 59 children in the US. Maternal and prenatal exposure to pesticides from food and environmental sources have also been implicated to affect fetal neurodevelopment. However, the underlying mechanisms for ASD are so far unknown, likely with complex and multifactorial etiology. The aim of this study was to explore the potential effects of APAP and pesticide exposure on development with regards to the etiology of ASD by highlighting common genes and biological pathways. Genes associated with APAP, pesticides, and ASD through human research were retrieved from molecular and biomedical literature databases. The interaction network of overlapping genetic associations was subjected to network topology analysis and functional annotation of the resulting clusters. These genes were over-represented in pathways and biological processes (FDR p < 0.05) related to apoptosis, metabolism of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and carbohydrate metabolism. Since these three biological processes are frequently implicated in ASD, our findings support the hypothesis that cell death processes and specific metabolic pathways, both of which appear to be targeted by APAP and pesticide exposure, may be involved in the etiology of ASD. This novel exposures-gene-disease database mining might inspire future work on understanding the biological underpinnings of various ASD risk factors.


Foods ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 49
Author(s):  
Hae Jin Park ◽  
Su Jin Choi ◽  
Yuri Kim ◽  
Mi Sook Cho ◽  
Yu-Ri Kim ◽  
...  

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by a lack of social communication and restrictive, repetitive behaviors or interests. This study aimed to examine the mealtime behaviors and food preferences of students with ASD. An online questionnaire on mealtime behavior and food preferences of ASD students was conducted by caregivers including parents, and the average age of ASD students was 14.1 ± 6.1. The analysis of mealtime behavior resulted in classification into three clusters: cluster 1, the “low-level problematic mealtime behavior group”; cluster 2, the “mid-level problematic mealtime behavior group”; and cluster 3, the “high-level problematic mealtime behavior group”. Cluster 1 included older students than other clusters and their own specific dietary rituals. Meanwhile, cluster 3 included younger students than other clusters, high-level problematic mealtime behavior, and a low preference for food. In particular, there were significant differences in age and food preference for each subdivided ASD group according to their eating behaviors. Therefore, the content and method of nutrition education for ASD students’ needs a detailed approach according to the characteristics of each group.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document