Although the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is renowned to be a connectivity disorder and a condition characterized by cerebellar involvement, the connectivity between the cerebellum and other cortical brain regions is particularly underexamined. Indeed, converging evidence has recently suggested that the cerebellum could play a key role in the etiopathogenesis of ASD, since cerebellar anomalies have been consistently reported in ASD from the molecular to the behavioral level, and damage to the cerebellum early in development has been linked with signs of autistic features. In addition, current data have shown that the cerebellum is a key structure not only for sensory-motor control, but also for “higher functions,” such as social cognition and emotion, through its extensive connections with cortical areas. The disruption of these circuits could be implicated in the wide range of autistic symptoms that the term “spectrum” connotes. In this review, we present and discuss the recent findings from imaging studies that investigated cortico-cerebellar connectivity in people with ASD. The literature is still too limited to allow for definitive conclusions; however, this brief review reveals substantial areas for future studies, underlining currently unmet research perspectives.

free surgical margins are the main oncological prognostic factor in these patients. In patients who underwent resection of two or more ribs in a critical area, reconstruction of the bony thorax can significantly reduce the post-operative respiratory complication rate.

Quantitative evaluation of gait has been considered a useful tool with which to identify subtle signs of motor system peculiarities in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there is a paucity of studies reporting gait data in ASD as well as investigating learning processes of locomotor activity. Novel advanced technologies that couple treadmills with virtual reality environments and motion capture systems allows the evaluation of gait patterns on multiple steps and the effects of induced gait perturbations, as well as the ability to manipulate visual and proprioceptive feedbacks. This study aims at describing the gait pattern and motor performance during discrete gait perturbation of drug-naïve, school-aged children with ASD compared to typically developing (TD) peers matched by gender and age. Gait analysis was carried out in an immersive virtual environment using a 3-D motion analysis system with a dual-belt, instrumented treadmill. After 6 min of walking, 20 steps were recorded as baseline. Then, each participant was exposed to 20 trials with a discrete gait perturbation applying a split-belt acceleration to the dominant side at toe-off. Single steps around perturbations were inspected. Finally, 20 steps were recorded during a post-perturbation session. At baseline, children with ASD had reduced ankle flexion moment, greater hip flexion at the initial contact, and greater pelvic anteversion. After the discrete gait perturbation, variations of peak of knee extension significantly differed between groups and correlated with the severity of autistic core symptoms. Throughout perturbation trials, more than 60% of parameters showed reliable adaptation with a decay rate comparable between groups. Overall, these findings depicted gait peculiarities in children with ASD, including both kinetic and kinematic features; a motor adaptation comparable to their TD peers, even though with an atypical pattern; and a motor adaptation rate comparable to TD children but involving different aspects of locomotion. The platform showed its usability with children with ASD and its reliability in the definition of paradigms for the study of motor learning while doing complex tasks, such as gait. The additional possibility to accurately manipulate visual and proprioceptive feedback will allow researchers to systematically investigate motor system features in people with ASD.

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Over the last 15 years, considerable interest has been given to the potential role of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) for understanding pathogenesis and treatment of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. This review aims to systematically investigate the scientific evidence supporting the hypothesis on the omega-3 PUFAs deficit as a risk factor shared by different pediatric neuropsychiatric disorders. Medline PubMed database was searched for studies examining blood docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) status in children with neuropsychiatric disorders. Forty-one published manuscripts were compatible with the search criteria. The majority of studies on attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism found a significant decrease in DHA levels in patients versus healthy controls. For the other conditions examined-depression, juvenile bipolar disorder, intellectual disabilities, learning difficulties, and eating disorders (EDs)-the literature was too limited to draw any stable conclusions. However, except EDs, findings in these conditions were in line with results from ADHD and autism studies. Results about EPA levels were too inconsistent to conclude that EPA could be associated with any of the conditions examined. Finally, correlational data provided, on one hand, evidence for a negative association between DHA and symptomatology, whereas on the other hand, evidence for a positive association between EPA and emotional well-being. Although the present review underlines the potential involvement of omega-3 PUFAs in the predisposition to childhood neuropsychiatric disorders, more observational and intervention studies across different diagnoses are needed, which should integrate the collection of baseline PUFA levels with their potential genetic and environmental influencing factors.