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Query: UMLS:C0004352 (autism)
 32,579 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

This paper reports on six children who all fulfill the criteria for fetal alcohol syndrome and have a history of maternal alcohol abuse during pregnancy, and who also fulfill the criteria for diagnosis of autism. Their behavior and natural history is compared with eight contrast FAS children, of similar ages and functional levels, who were free of autistic behaviors. The autistic FAS children were all moderately or severely retarded. Autistic behavior has not been commonly associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. Clinicians need to be aware of this potential dual diagnosis so that appropriate educational and treatment resources can be employed.
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PMID:Autism in fetal alcohol syndrome: a report of six cases. 821 37

A comprehensive search and review of literature, documents, publications and other material written since 1970, relevant to American Indian mental health research, was completed in order to generate a list of research and of training needs. A content analysis of this literature enabled a synthesis which describes important biopsychosocial issues faced by American Indian communities, gaps in past and current research efforts, specific problems in past research, and recommendations in each of these areas with regards to future research possibilities and needs. The portion of the analysis presented in this paper deals with American Indian infants, preschoolers, children and adolescents. In order of presentation, the specific issue domains dealt with include: otitis media, fetal alcohol syndrome, abuse and neglect, failure-to-thrive/autism/enuresis, which are examined together (early development) in terms of research gaps; and neurosensory disorders/developmental disabilities/handicapping conditions/school-related problems, foster care and adoption, self-concept/identity, conduct disorders/delinquency, drug and alcohol use, and suicide and depression, which are examined (school-age children and adolescents) in relation to research gaps and needs.
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PMID:An analysis of mental health research with American Indian youth. 304 21

Although autistic-like behaviors were described even in the earliest reports of fetal alcohol syndrome, it was only recently that fetal alcohol syndrome and autism were reported as a dual diagnosis in six school-aged children. The purpose of the present series of case reports is to describe marked autistic characteristics in three much younger children (25-36 months) with histories of prenatal exposure to alcohol and other drugs. The behavioral characteristics of these children are described and compared with current diagnostic criteria for autistic disorder. In addition, longitudinal scores on the Bayley Scales of Infant Development are provided to underscore the marked developmental delays shown by each of the children. Limitations of these case reports are discussed with suggestions for future prospective research.
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PMID:Autistic behaviors in offspring of mothers abusing alcohol and other drugs: a series of case reports. 757 90

The maturational changes in the brain and spinal cord do not linearly proceed from immature in infants to mature in adults. Dendrites dynamically extend or retract as neurotrophic factors fluctuate. In certain cases mature neurons can be seen soon after birth, and in other cases immature neurons can be identified in the aged brain. Monoamine 'neurotransmitter'; such as serotonin (5-HT), dopamine and norepinephrine appear to function as Maintenance Growth Factors since they must be present in order to produce their maturational actions. Serotonin neurons contain TRK-B receptors and are sensitive to availability of the trophic factor, BDNF. 5-HT also functions by promoting the release of the glial extension factor, S-100beta. 5-HT and S-100beta can provide maturational signals to a variety of neurons, in both cortical and subcortical areas, and appear to be involved in regulating the maturation and release of acetylcholine and dopamine. We have shown that activation of the 5-HT1A receptor is particularly effective in inducing growth of stunted neurons. The mechanism of action of the 5-HT1A receptor involves both a direct inhibition on c-AMP and pCREB formation in postsynaptic neurons and a release of S-100beta from glial cells. Both these events are capable of stabilization and elaboration of the cytoskeleton of the neuron and inhibition of apoptosis. 5-HT1A receptors have been shown to effectively reverse stunted neurons and microencephaly produced in animal models of fetal alcohol syndrome and prenatal cocaine administration. I discuss the implications for regressive disorders such as Rett's syndrome and autism, and the feasibility of treatments with 5-HT1A agonists in children with developmental disorders.
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PMID:Neuronal instability: implications for Rett's syndrome. 1173 34

In this paper, we argue that the main reason that classical eyeblink conditioning has proven so useful when applied to clinical situations, is that a great deal of information is known about the behavioral and neural correlates of this form of associative learning. Presented here is a summary of three lines of research that have used classical eyeblink conditioning to study three different clinical conditions; autism, fetal alcohol syndrome, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. While seemingly very different clinical conditions, classical eyeblink conditioning has proven very useful for advancing our understanding of these clinical pathologies and the neural conditions that may underlie them.
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PMID:Classical eyeblink conditioning: clinical models and applications. 1177 17

The prevalence and magnitude of effect of individual risk markers for specific developmental disorders vary widely across diagnostic category. The four study cohorts for this project were patients from four diagnostic registries in North Dakota for fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), autism, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), and Tourette syndrome. These four cohorts were used to estimate prevalence and magnitude of effect of parental risk markers in patients with developmental disabilities. Cases with North Dakota birth certificates were matched with controls. Using birth certificate data, we then examined five parental risk markers for each cohort and estimated direct and indirect effects for each risk marker by cohort. The authors found two significant paternal risk markers (age in SIDS and education in FAS). Significant maternal markers were age in SIDS, education in FAS, autism, and SIDS. Marital status was a significant risk marker in FAS. Effect sizes were estimated using paired t tests, odds ratios, and population attributable risk (PAR) for both direct and indirect effects for each marker. We estimated both direct and indirect effects to allow for direct comparisons of the differential effect estimates of each of these markers. The direct effect of parental markers differs across diagnostic cohorts of patients. Use of cohorts from similar denominator populations obtained from prevalence studies is a useful methodological tool for estimating the prevalence and magnitude of effect of risk markers.
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PMID:A comparison of the effects of parental risk markers on pre- and perinatal variables in multiple patient cohorts with fetal alcohol syndrome, autism, Tourette syndrome, and sudden infant death syndrome: an enviromic analysis. 1462 70

A population-based survey was conducted among 152,732 Finnish children and adolescents aged under 16 years and living in northern Finland. Diagnoses and associated medical conditions were derived from the hospital and institutional records of this area. One hundred and eighty-seven children with DSM-IV autistic disorder were identified. Associated medical disorders or associated disorders of known or suspected genetic origin were found in 12.3 percent, including tuberous sclerosis, Down syndrome, fragile X syndrome, Klinefelter syndrome, XYY syndrome, chromosome 17 deletion, chromosome 46, XX, dup(8) (p) and mitochondriopathy. Other associated medical disorders identified were epilepsy, hydrocephalus, foetal alcohol syndrome and cerebral palsy. Hearing impairments were found in 8.6 percent and severe impairment of vision in 3.7 percent of the individuals with autistic disorder. Medical disorders seem to have a special impact on the genesis of autistic disorder and need to be thoroughly examined in each child with autistic disorder.
Autism 2004 Mar
PMID:Associated medical disorders and disabilities in children with autistic disorder: a population-based study. 1507 May 47

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has opened a new window to the brain. Measuring hippocampal volume with MRI has provided important information about several neuropsychiatric disorders. We reviewed the literature and selected all English-language, human subject, data-driven papers on hippocampal volumetry, yielding a database of 423 records. Smaller hippocampal volumes have been reported in epilepsy, Alzheimer's disease, dementia, mild cognitive impairment, the aged, traumatic brain injury, cardiac arrest, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, Cushing's disease, herpes simplex encephalitis, Turner's syndrome, Down's syndrome, survivors of low birth weight, schizophrenia, major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, chronic alcoholism, borderline personality disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and antisocial personality disorder. Significantly larger hippocampal volumes have been correlated with autism and children with fragile X syndrome. Preservation of hippocampal volume has been reported in congenital hyperplasia, children with fetal alcohol syndrome, anorexia nervosa, attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, and panic disorder. Possible mechanisms of hippocampal volume loss in neuropsychiatric disorders are discussed.
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PMID:MR-based in vivo hippocampal volumetrics: 2. Findings in neuropsychiatric disorders. 1535 39

The serotonergic (5HT) system plays a key role in modulating behaviors, such as appetite and anxiety and has been implicated in many human disorders of mood and mind. Recent studies have begun to identify the signaling molecules and transcriptional cascades governing 5HT neuron development in the hindbrain. Already at early stages, local differences in requirements of 5HT neuron development have become apparent. These studies point toward cryptic heterogeneity amongst 5HT neurons and suggest that 5HT neuron determination and differentiation may be more flexible and less absolute biologic processes than might have been expected. Ultimately, the intrinsic heterogeneity and environmental sensitivity of 5HT neurons may help explain the variability observed in some human behavioral disorders, such as autism spectrum disorder, and the less predictable behavioral consequences of fetal alcohol syndrome.
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PMID:Molecular genetics of the early development of hindbrain serotonergic neurons. 1628 75

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that currently affects as many as 1 out of 166 children in the United States. Recent research has discovered that some autistic individuals have decreased cerebral perfusion, evidence of neuroinflammation, and increased markers of oxidative stress. Multiple independent single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET) research studies have revealed hypoperfusion to several areas of the autistic brain, most notably the temporal regions and areas specifically related to language comprehension and auditory processing. Several studies show that diminished blood flow to these areas correlates with many of the clinical features associated with autism including repetitive, self-stimulatory and stereotypical behaviors, and impairments in communication, sensory perception, and social interaction. Hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) has been used with clinical success in several cerebral hypoperfusion syndromes including cerebral palsy, fetal alcohol syndrome, closed head injury, and stroke. HBOT can compensate for decreased blood flow by increasing the oxygen content of plasma and body tissues and can even normalize oxygen levels in ischemic tissue. In addition, animal studies have shown that HBOT has potent anti-inflammatory effects and reduces oxidative stress. Furthermore, recent evidence demonstrates that HBOT mobilizes stem cells from human bone marrow, which may aid recovery in neurodegenerative diseases. Based upon these findings, it is hypothesized that HBOT will improve symptoms in autistic individuals. A retrospective case series is presented that supports this hypothesis.
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PMID:Hyperbaric oxygen therapy may improve symptoms in autistic children. 1655 23


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