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CNS Neuroscience & Therapeutics Aug 2018The Mirror Neuron System (MNS) plays a crucial role in action perception and imitative behavior, which is suggested to be impaired in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs).... (Review)
Review
The Mirror Neuron System (MNS) plays a crucial role in action perception and imitative behavior, which is suggested to be impaired in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs). In this review, we discuss the plausibility and empirical evidence of a neural interaction between the MNS, action perception, empathy, imitative behavior, and their impact on social decision making in ASDs. To date, there is no consensus regarding a particular theory in ASDs and its underlying mechanisms. Some theories have completely focused on social difficulties, others have emphasized sensory aspects. Based on the current studies, we suggest a multilayer neural network model including the MNS on a first layer and transforming this information to a higher layer network responsible for reasoning. Future studies with ASD participants combining behavioral tasks with neuroimaging methods and transcranial brain stimulation as well as computational modeling can help validate and complement this suggested model. Moreover, we propose applying the behavioral paradigms, and the neurophysiological markers mentioned in this review article for evaluating psychiatric treatment approaches in ASDs. The investigation of modulating effects of different treatment approaches on the neurophysiological markers of the MNS can help find specific subgroups of ASDs patients and support tailored psychiatric interventions.
Topics: Autistic Disorder; Decision Making; Humans; Imitative Behavior; Mirror Neurons; Social Behavior
PubMed: 29963752
DOI: 10.1111/cns.13001 -
Psychiatria Danubina Sep 2019Autism is a widespread developmental disorder that occurs mostly among children. Children with autism are prone to problematic behaviors due to their deficiencies in...
BACKGROUND
Autism is a widespread developmental disorder that occurs mostly among children. Children with autism are prone to problematic behaviors due to their deficiencies in language communication and social development. Thus, children with a high degree of autism suffer lower life satisfaction. Moreover, sensory integration dysfunction is closely related to autism. Therefore, the effect of Sensory Integration Training (SIT) on the behaviors and quality of life of children with autism was explored in this study.
SUBJECTS AND METHODS
From September 2017 to December 2018, 108 patients from Fuzhou Fourth Hospital and Xiangtan Fifth Hospital were included in the intervention group (group A) and the control group (group B), with 54 members in each group. The 54 members in group B, with an average age of 5.18±2.94, received routine treatment. In addition to the same routine treatment, the members in group B also received sensory integration training and physical exercise intervention, which lasted for three months. The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and Autism Behavior Checklist (ABC) were used before and after the intervention experiment to evaluate the curative effect.
RESULTS
After the treatment, statistically significant differences were observed in the CARS and ABC scores (P<0.05); the total effective rate was 86.11% in group A and 64.10% in group B. The difference in the CARS score was statistically significant (P<0.05), whereas the difference in the ABC score was also statistically significant (P<0.05). In general, the difference in CARS is statistically significant. Specifically, group A is better than group B, t=3.492, df=73, and bilateral P=0.001<0.01.
CONCLUSIONS
SIT intervention had a certain effect on autism and is of great value for the future development of SIT courses or intervention programs for children with autism.
Topics: Autistic Disorder; Checklist; Child, Preschool; Humans; Quality of Life
PubMed: 31596827
DOI: 10.24869/psyd.2019.340 -
Tidsskrift For Den Norske Laegeforening... Mar 2022
Topics: Autistic Disorder; Humans
PubMed: 35324116
DOI: 10.4045/tidsskr.22.0162 -
Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience Sep 2012This editorial discusses the importance of autism research, noting areas of progress and ongoing challenges and focusing on studies of the etiology, pathophysiology, and...
This editorial discusses the importance of autism research, noting areas of progress and ongoing challenges and focusing on studies of the etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.
Topics: Autistic Disorder; Biomedical Research; Humans
PubMed: 23226948
DOI: 10.31887/DCNS.2012.14.3/athurm -
Journal of Molecular Microbiology and... 2015Microbial products, released into the bloodstreams of mammals including humans, cross the blood-brain barrier and influence neurodevelopment. They can either promote or... (Review)
Review
Microbial products, released into the bloodstreams of mammals including humans, cross the blood-brain barrier and influence neurodevelopment. They can either promote or alleviate neurological disorders including autism spectrum disorders (ASD). This editorial describes how our microbiota influence our feelings, attitudes and mental states with particular reference to ASD.
Topics: Autistic Disorder; Central Nervous System; Gastrointestinal Tract; Humans; Microbiota
PubMed: 25792275
DOI: 10.1159/000375303 -
Philosophical Transactions of the Royal... May 2009Autism narratives are not just stories or histories, describing a given reality. They are creating the language in which to describe the experience of autism, and hence...
Autism narratives are not just stories or histories, describing a given reality. They are creating the language in which to describe the experience of autism, and hence helping to forge the concepts in which to think autism. This paper focuses on a series of autobiographies that began with Grandin's Emergence. These are often said to show us autism from the 'inside'. The paper proposes that instead they are developing ways to describe experience for which there is little pre-existing language. Wittgenstein has many well-known aphorisms about how we understand other people directly, without inference. They condense what he had found in Wolfgang Köhler's Gestalt Psychology. These phenomena of direct understanding what other people are doing are, Köhler wrote, 'the common property and practice of mankind'. They are not the common property and practice of people with autism. Ordinary language is rich in age-old ways to describe what others are thinking, feeling and so forth. Köhler's phenomena are the bedrock on which such language rests. There is no such discourse for autism, because Köhler's phenomena are absent. But a new discourse is being made up right now, i.e. ways of talking for which the autobiographies serve as working prototypes.
Topics: Autistic Disorder; Autobiographies as Topic; Concept Formation; Creativity; Humans; Language; Psychology
PubMed: 19528032
DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2008.0329 -
Journal of Autism and Developmental... Oct 2019Youth with ASD often show limited or atypical empathic responsiveness. The direct effects of social skills interventions on enhancing empathic responsiveness is unknown.... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Youth with ASD often show limited or atypical empathic responsiveness. The direct effects of social skills interventions on enhancing empathic responsiveness is unknown. Data from a randomized controlled trial were used to investigate whether a Theory of Mind training improves the empathic responsiveness, measured through structured observations. The current study included a large sample (n = 135) of 8-13-year-old children with ASD. When comparing the change scores of empathic responsiveness from baseline to post-test, the intervention group performed significantly better than the waitlist group. Thus, the current findings support the use of Theory of Mind training as intervention of ASD by showing its efficacy also in improving one's empathic responsiveness, in addition to previous knowledge regarding the improvements in empathic understanding.
Topics: Adolescent; Autistic Disorder; Child; Empathy; Female; Humans; Male; Psychotherapy; Social Skills; Theory of Mind
PubMed: 30074122
DOI: 10.1007/s10803-018-3671-1 -
Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience Dec 2017In 2003, we proposed the hypersystemizing theory of autism. The theory proposes that the human mind possesses a systemizing mechanism (SM) that helps identify lawful... (Review)
Review
In 2003, we proposed the hypersystemizing theory of autism. The theory proposes that the human mind possesses a systemizing mechanism (SM) that helps identify lawful regularities (often causal) that govern the input-operation-output workings of a system. The SM can be tuned to different levels, from low to high, with a normal distribution of individual differences in how strongly people search for such input-operation-out-put regularities in any data that is systemizable. Evidence suggests that people with autism are on average hypersystemizers, scoring higher than average on the systemizing quotient and on performance tests of systemizing. In this article, we consider the neural basis behind the SM, since there has been little consideration of the brain basis of systemizing. Finally, we discuss directions for future work in this field.
Topics: Autistic Disorder; Brain; Brain Mapping; Cognition Disorders; Humans
PubMed: 29398930
DOI: 10.31887/DCNS.2017.19.4/sbaroncohen -
Medecine Sciences : M/S Feb 2021Autistic subjects frequently display sensory anomalies. Those regarding nociception and its potential outcome, pain, are of crucial interest. Indeed, because of numerous... (Review)
Review
Autistic subjects frequently display sensory anomalies. Those regarding nociception and its potential outcome, pain, are of crucial interest. Indeed, because of numerous comorbidities, autistic subjects are more often exposed to painful situation. Despite being often considered as less sensitive, experimental studies evaluating this point are failing to reach consensus. Using animal model can help reduce variability and bring, regarding autism, an overview of potential alterations of the nociceptive system at the cellular and molecular level.
Topics: Animals; Autistic Disorder; Disease Models, Animal; Humans; Nociception; Pain; Pain Measurement; Pain Threshold
PubMed: 33591257
DOI: 10.1051/medsci/2020280 -
Trends in Genetics : TIG Mar 2016Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, diagnosed behaviorally by social and communication deficits, repetitive behaviors, and restricted interests. Recent genome-wide... (Review)
Review
Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, diagnosed behaviorally by social and communication deficits, repetitive behaviors, and restricted interests. Recent genome-wide exome sequencing has revealed extensive overlap in risk genes for autism and for cancer. Understanding the genetic commonalities of autism(s) and cancer(s), with a focus on mechanistic pathways, could lead to repurposed therapeutics.
Topics: Autistic Disorder; Genetic Predisposition to Disease; Humans; Neoplasms
PubMed: 26830258
DOI: 10.1016/j.tig.2016.01.001