repetitive behavior
Recently Published Documents


TOTAL DOCUMENTS

374
(FIVE YEARS 166)

H-INDEX

36
(FIVE YEARS 7)

2022 ◽  
Vol 2022 ◽  
pp. 1-21
Author(s):  
Adilmar Coelho Dantas ◽  
Marcelo Zanchetta do Nascimento

Autism spectrum disorder refers to a neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by repetitive behavior patterns, impaired social interaction, and impaired verbal and nonverbal communication. The ability to recognize mental states from facial expressions plays an important role in both social interaction and interpersonal communication. Thus, in recent years, several proposals have been presented, aiming to contribute to the improvement of emotional skills in order to improve social interaction. In this paper, a game is presented to support the development of emotional skills in people with autism spectrum disorder. The software used helps to develop the ability to recognize and express six basic emotions: joy, sadness, anger, disgust, surprise, and fear. Based on the theory of facial action coding systems and digital image processing techniques, it is possible to detect facial expressions and classify them into one of the six basic emotions. Experiments were performed using four public domain image databases (CK+, FER2013, RAF-DB, and MMI) and a group of children with autism spectrum disorder for evaluating the existing emotional skills. The results showed that the proposed software contributed to improvement of the skills of detection and recognition of the basic emotions in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.


Metabolites ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 71
Author(s):  
Helena Ferreira ◽  
Ana Catarina Sousa ◽  
José Sereno ◽  
João Martins ◽  
Miguel Castelo-Branco ◽  
...  

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by deficits in social interaction, impaired communication, and repetitive behaviors. ASD presents a 3:1 ratio of diagnosed boys and girls, raising the question regarding sexual dimorphic mechanisms underlying ASD symptoms, and their molecular basis. Here, we performed in vivo proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy in juvenile male and female Tsc2+/− mice (an established genetic animal model of ASD). Moreover, behavior and ultrasonic vocalizations during social and repetitive tasks were analyzed. We found significant sexual dimorphisms in the levels of metabolites in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex. Further, we observed that female mutant animals had a differential social behavior and presented an increase in repetitive behavior. Importantly, while mutant females displayed a more simplified communication during social tasks, mutant males exhibited a similar less complex vocal repertoire but during repetitive tasks. These results hint toward sex-dependent alterations in molecular and metabolic pathways, which can lead to the sexual dimorphic behaviors and communication observed in social and repetitive environments.


Genes ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 127
Author(s):  
Jing Wang ◽  
Gudrun A. Rappold ◽  
Henning Fröhlich

Reduced cognitive flexibility, characterized by restricted interests and repetitive behavior, is associated with atypical memory performance in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), suggesting hippocampal dysfunction. FOXP1 syndrome is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by ASD, language deficits, global developmental delay, and mild to moderate intellectual disability. Strongly reduced Foxp1 expression has been detected in the hippocampus of Foxp1+/− mice, a brain region required for learning and memory. To investigate learning and memory performance in these animals, fear conditioning tests were carried out, which showed impaired associative learning compared with wild type (WT) animals. To shed light on the underlying mechanism, we analyzed various components of the mitochondrial network in the hippocampus. Several proteins regulating mitochondrial biogenesis (e.g., Foxo1, Pgc-1α, Tfam) and dynamics (Mfn1, Opa1, Drp1 and Fis1) were significantly dysregulated, which may explain the increased mitophagy observed in the Foxp1+/− hippocampus. The reduced activity of complex I and decreased expression of Sod2 most likely increase the production of reactive oxygen species and the expression of the pre-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bax in this tissue. In conclusion, we provide evidence that a disrupted mitochondrial network and the resulting oxidative stress in the hippocampus contribute to the altered learning and cognitive impairment in Foxp1+/− mice, suggesting that similar alterations also play a major role in patients with FOXP1 syndrome.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iva Ilioska ◽  
Marianne Oldehinkel ◽  
Alberto Llera ◽  
Sidhant Chopra ◽  
Tristan Looden ◽  
...  

Neuroimaging studies on functional connectivity (FC) in autism have been hampered by small sample sizes and inconsistent findings with regard to whether connectivity is increased or decreased in individuals with autism, whether these alterations affect focal systems or reflect a brain-wide dysfunction, and whether these are age- and/or sex-dependent. The study included resting-state fMRI and clinical data from the LEAP and the ABIDE I and II initiatives, of 1824 (796 with autism) participants with age range 5-58 years. Between-group differences in FC were assessed, and associations between FC and clinical symptom ratings were investigated through canonical correlation analysis. Autism was associated with a brain-wide pattern of hypo- and hyperconnectivity. Hypoconnectivity predominantly affected sensory and higher-order attentional networks and correlated with social impairments, restrictive and repetitive behavior (RRB), and sensory processing. Hyperconnectivity was observed primarily between the default mode network and the rest of the brain, and between cortical and subcortical systems. This pattern was strongly associated with social impairments and sensory processing. Interactions between diagnosis and age or sex were not statistically significant. The FC alterations observed in this study, which primarily involve hypoconnectivity of primary sensory and attention networks and hyperconnectivity of the DMN and subcortex with the rest of the brain, do not appear to be age or sex-dependent and correlate with clinical dimensions of social difficulties, RRBs, and alterations in sensory processing. These findings suggest that the observed connectivity alterations are stable, trait-like features of autism that are related to the three main symptom domains.


2022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiao Le ◽  
Lan Zhang ◽  
Weihua Zhao ◽  
Siyu Zhu ◽  
Chunmei Lan ◽  
...  

There are currently no approved drug interventions for social behavior dysfunction in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Previous trials investigating effects of daily intranasal oxytocin treatment have reported inconsistent results and have not combined it with positive social interaction. However, In two preclinical studies we established that treatment every-other-day rather than daily is more efficacious in maintaining neural and behavioral effects by reducing receptor desensitization. We aimed to establish whether 6-weeks of intranasal oxytocin compared with placebo treatment, followed by a period of positive social interaction, would produce greater symptom improvements in children with ASD. A double-blind, randomized, cross over design trial was completed including 41 children with ASD aged 3-8 years. Primary outcomes were the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2) and social responsivity scale-2 (SRS-2). Secondary measures included other autism-related questionnaires and social attention assessed using two eye-tracking paradigms. A clinical reliable change index analysis revealed improvements in ADOS-2 total scores in 44% of children. Improvements in SRS-2 and behavioral adaptability scores were also found and correlated with increased basal saliva oxytocin concentrations. Additionally, oxytocin improved restrictive and repetitive behavior scores and increased time spent viewing dynamic social compared to geometric stimuli and the eye region of angry, happy and neutral expression faces. There were no adverse side-effects of oxytocin treatment. Overall, our results demonstrate that 6 weeks of intranasal oxytocin treatment administered every other day and followed by positive social interactions can improve clinical, eye-tracking and questionnaire-based assessments of symptoms in young autistic children.


Author(s):  
Georgia Regina Macedo de Menezes Fonseca ◽  
Fabio Almeida Bolognani ◽  
Fabiane Ferreira Durão ◽  
Krishna Maio Souza ◽  
Mônica de Castro e Costa Accioly ◽  
...  

Autism is an infantile disorder of development characterized by deficits in social interaction, communication and unusual and repetitive behavior. Diagnosis is essentially grounded on behavioral tests and there is no pharmacological specific treatment, treatment is merely symptomatic. The aim of this study is to demonstrate the effect of homeopathic remedies on the cognitive and motor development in children with infantile autism. It is presented the evolution of 7 out of 30 children that already were evaluated twice with Psychoeducational Profile Revised (PEP-R), the first was performed before and the second 4-10 months after the onset of homeopathic treatment. Remedies were selected according to similarity between pathogenetic and repertory data and the general symptoms of autism, as well as specific individualization of symptoms in each case, and included organotherapics chosen according to studies related to the brain areas affected by autism. Results showed a positive interference of homeopathic treatment on development and behavior. These results encourage us to continue the study with a larger number of patients. Keywords: Autism; Homeopathy; Cognitive skills; Motor skills.   Resumo O autismo é um distúrbio do desenvolvimento caracterizado por deficiências na interação social, comunicação e conduta inusual e repetitiva. O diagnóstico está essencialmente baseado em testes de conduta; não há tratamento farmacológico específico; o tratamento é meramente sintomático. O objetivo do presente estudo consiste em demonstrar o efeito dos medicamentos homeopáticos no desempenho cognitivo e motor de crianças com autismo infantil. Apresenta-se a evolução de 7 das 30 crianças incluídas no estudo, já testadas 2 vezes através do Perfil Psicoeducativo Revisado (PEP-R), o primeiro teste foi aplicado antes do início de tratamento, e o segundo 4 a 10 meses após. Os medicamentos foram escolhidos de acordo com a semelhança entre os dados patogenéticos e repertoriais e os sintomas gerais do autismo, assim como também os sintomas especificamente individualizados de cada caso. Foram também utilizados organoterápicos, escolhidos em função de estudos que apontam para as áreas cerebrais afetadas no autismo. Os resultados mostram uma interferéncia positiva do tratamento homeopático no desenvolvimento e a conduta. Esses resultados nos encorajam a continuar este estudo numa população maior de pacientes. Palavras-chave: Autismo; Homeopatia; habilidades cognitivas, habilidades motoras.   Resumen El autismo es un trastorno del desarrollo caracterizado por deficiencias en la interacción social, comunicacion y conducta inusual y repetitiva. El diagnóstico está esencialmente basado en tests de conducta; no hay tratamiento farmacológico específico; el tratamiento es meramente sintomático. El objetivo de este estudio consiste en demostrar el efecto de los remedios homeopáticos en el desempeño cognitivo y motor de niños con autismo infantil. Se presenta la evolución de 7 de 30 niños que ya fueron testados dos veces mediante Perfil Psicoeducativo Revisado (PEP-R), el primer test aplicado antes del inicio del tratamiento y el segundo 4 a 10 meses despues. Los medicamentos fueron elegidos según la similaridad entre los datos patogenéticos y repertoriales y los síntomas generales del autismo, así como también los síntomas específicamente individualizados de cada caso. Fueron utilizados también organoterápicos seleccionados en función de estudios que apuntam para las áreas cerebrales afectadas en el autismo. Los resultados muestran una interferencia positiva del tratamiento homeopático sobre el desarrollo y la conducta. Estos resultados son animadores en el sentido de continuar nuestro estudio en una población mayor de pacientes. Palabras-clave: Autismo; Homeopatía; habilidades cognitivas, habilidades motoras.   Correspondence author: Georgia Regina Macedo de Meneses Fonseca. [email protected] How to cite this article: Fonseca GRMM, Bolognani FA, Durão FF, Souza KM, Accioly MCC, Bagarollo, MF. Effect of homoepathic medication on the congnitive and motor performance of autistic children (pilot study). Int J High Dilution Res [online]. 2008 [cited YYYY Mmm DD]; 7(23) 63-71. Available from: http://journal.giri-society.org/index.php/ijhdr/article/view/285/353.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tianying Pan ◽  
Chuan Jiang ◽  
Juan Cheng ◽  
Jiang Xie ◽  
Xinghui Liu ◽  
...  

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) represent a complex group of neurodevelopmental disorders that are characterized by impaired social behavior and communication as well as repetitive behavior and restricted interests. Prenatal exposure to high levels of testosterone and preeclampsia are thought to be risk factors of ASD. We had previously reported that overexpression of the mitochondrial cholesterol side-chain cleavage enzyme (CYP11A1) could lead to both preeclampsia-like symptoms and increased testosterone levels in pregnant rats. In this study, we investigated the association between high CYP11A1 levels in pregnant rats and autism-like behavior in their offspring. Timed-pregnant Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats were injected with CYP11A1 gene-carrying adenoviruses on gestational day 8.5, and their offspring were then compared with those from timed-pregnant control SD rats. Compared with their control counterparts, the offspring of the CYP11A1-ovexpressing dams displayed more symptoms of anxiety and spent less time in social interactions and more time in self-grooming and rearing, all indicators of autism-like behavior. Sequencing of the transcriptome in primary microglia from the offspring of CYP11A1-overexpressing dams revealed that immune pathways were highly activated, and the gamma-aminobutyric acid type A (GABAA) receptor genes were among the top differentially expressed genes. Using primary microglia cultures generated from neonatal rats, tumor necrosis factor-alpha expression was found to be elevated in the cells transfected with CYP11A1-carrying adenoviruses. Additionally, the offspring of CYP11A1-overexpressing dams displayed dysregulated GABAA receptor expression. Taken together, these results suggest that abnormal CYP11A1 gene expression in pregnant rats could lead to microglial immune activation and dysregulated GABAA receptor expression in their offspring and thereby anxiety and autism-related behavior. Our study suggests that the pathways regulated by CYP11A1 could be promising preventative and therapeutic targets for ASD.


Author(s):  
M. Nandhini ◽  
T. R. Manjula ◽  
M. Maria Auxilli Jenifer

Background: Autism is a developmental disorder characterized by difficulties with social interaction and communication and by restricted and repetitive behavior. Mothers of toddlers should have knowledge on Autism to identify the child in earlier age and to treat the child. Objectives: The study aimed to assess the level of knowledge on autism among the mothers of toddlers. The objectives were to find out the level of knowledge on autism among the mothers and to find out the association between the level of knowledge on autism and selected demographic variables of the mothers of toddlers. Materials and Methods: A non-experimental, descriptive study was conducted. The sampling technique was snow ball sampling technique with the sample of 50 mothers of toddlers and questionnaires were formulated, a structured interview schedule was used to assess the level of knowledge on autism among the mothers of toddlers. Descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyze the collected data. The data collection procedure was done for period of 2 weeks. The study was initiated after obtaining prior permission from the concern authorities. Results: The findings of this study revealed that 44% of the mothers of toddlers had inadequate knowledge, 44% had moderately adequate knowledge and only 2% had adequate knowledge on autism. There was significant association between level of knowledge and demographic variables such as age, occupation and previous knowledge on Autism of mothers of toddlers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jared J. Schwartzer ◽  
Dolores Garcia-Arocena ◽  
Amanda Jamal ◽  
Ali Izadi ◽  
Rob Willemsen ◽  
...  

Carriers of the fragile X premutation (PM) can develop a variety of early neurological symptoms, including depression, anxiety and cognitive impairment as well as being at risk for developing the late-onset fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS). The absence of effective treatments for FXTAS underscores the importance of developing efficacious therapies to reduce the neurological symptoms in elderly PM carriers and FXTAS patients. A recent preliminary study reported that weekly infusions of Allopregnanolone (Allop) may improve deficits in executive function, learning and memory in FXTAS patients. Based on this study we examined whether Allop would improve neurological function in the aged CGG knock-in (CGG KI) dutch mouse, B6.129P2(Cg)-Fmr1tm2Cgr/Cgr, that models much of the symptomatology in PM carriers and FXTAS patients. Wild type and CGG KI mice received 10 weekly injections of Allop (10 mg/kg, s.c.), followed by a battery of behavioral tests of motor function, anxiety, and repetitive behavior, and 5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling to examine adult neurogenesis. The results provided evidence that Allop in CGG KI mice normalized motor performance and reduced thigmotaxis in the open field, normalized repetitive digging behavior in the marble burying test, but did not appear to increase adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus. Considered together, these results support further examination of Allop as a therapeutic strategy in patients with FXTAS.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianchen Cui ◽  
Jiho Park ◽  
Xianshu Ju ◽  
Yulim Lee ◽  
Boohwi Hong ◽  
...  

Preclinical studies suggest that repeated exposure to anesthetics during a critical period of neurodevelopment induces long-term changes in synaptic transmission, plasticity, and behavior. Such changes are of great concern, as similar changes have also been identified in animal models of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) such as autism. Because of overlapping synaptic changes, it is also possible that anesthetic exposures have a more significant effect in individuals diagnosed with NDDs. Thus, we evaluated the effects of early, multiple anesthetic exposures in BTBR mice, an inbred strain that displays autistic behavior. We discovered that three cycles of sevoflurane anesthesia (2.5%, 1 h) with 2-h intervals between each exposure in late postnatal BTBR mice did not aggravate, but instead improved pathophysiological mechanisms involved with autistic behavior. Sevoflurane exposures restored E/I balance (by increasing inhibitory synaptic transmission), and increased mitochondrial respiration and BDNF signaling in BTBR mice. Most importantly, such changes were associated with reduced autistic behavior in BTBR mice, as sociability was increased in the three-chamber test and repetitive behavior was reduced in the self-grooming test. Our results suggest that anesthetic exposures during neurodevelopment may affect individuals diagnosed with NDDs differently.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document