Autism spectrum traits and visual processing in young adults with very low birth weight: the Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight adults

Wolford, Elina; Pesonen, Anu‐Katriina; Heinonen, Kati; Lahti, Marius; Pyhälä, Riikka; Lahti, Jari; Hovi, Petteri; Strang‐Karlsson, Sonja; Eriksson, Johan G.; Andersson, Sture; Järvenpää, A-L; Kajantie, Eero; Räikkönen, Katri

doi:10.1017/s2040174416000738

Cited by 6 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 22 publications

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“…These ndings are consistent with previous studies that addressed speci c impairments in dorsal stream functioning in autistic individuals [23,38]. This phenomenon is in accordance with the evidence that autistic children have enhanced ability to nd embedded targets in large gures or reproduce unsegmented block designs, while de cits in motor performance, such as clumsiness or lack of coordination, are common features of autism [23,35].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

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Cognitive Visual Dysfunctions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Developmental Delays

Seo

Kim

Park

2020

Preprint

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Background: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by a triad of social, communicative, and imaginative impairments. Although early detection and intervention are important to improve functional outcomes in ASD, similar features between ASD and other developmental delays may impede timely diagnosis. In this study, we aimed to investigate the feasibility of Cognitive Visual Assessment Questionnaire (CVAQ) in differentiating ASD from other developmental delays.Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 115 pediatric patients (80 males, 35 females) with ASD and other developmental delays who had the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) and CVAQ performed at Uijeongbu St. Mary's Hospital from January 2017 to June 2019. Results: The mean age at M-CHAT and CVAQ was 31.8 months (range, 14.1 – 48). The proportion of ASD was significantly higher in patients with screen-positive M-CHAT than those with screen-negative M-CHAT (P = 0.035). The sensitivity of CVAQ for detecting ASD was 83.3% and 94.1% in 14.1 – <24 months and 24 – <36 months age groups, respectively. Among patients with screen-negative M-CHAT, the mean number of failed tasks related to dorsal stream pathway was greater in ASD compared to other developmental delays, although the differences were not statistically significant (P = 0.437).Conclusions: Our study demonstrates that autistic individuals may have a specific impairment in dorsal stream functioning. CVAQ also showed improved sensitivity for detecting ASD in toddlers. When coupled with clinical observation and judgement, CVAQ is a useful alternative screening tool for differentiating ASD from other developmental delays in young children.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Visual processing problems have been considered an underlying factor for cognitive impairments in ASD [35]. At the earlier stages of visual perception, neurons in the primary visual cortex process local stimuli to provide spatially limited signal for perception [36].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cognitive Visual Dysfunctions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Developmental Delays

Seo

Kim

Park

2020

Preprint

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“…The folic acid metabolic-rate-limiting enzyme, methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR), also may play an important regulatory role in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism (19,20). At the same time, there were also many reports that perinatal environmental factors such as low birth body mass may increase the risk of autism (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). The results of the present study also further confirmed some above-mentioned findings.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

“…In a large-scale cross-country cohort study of more than two million people carried out by Ban et al (9), 22,156 of them were diagnosed with autism, with heritability of ∼80% but without support for maternal effect and environmental impact, indicating that the changes in the occurrence rate of autism in this population were mainly attributed to genetic impact. However, new evidence show that environmental factors also increase the risk of autism, such as prenatal estrogen, maternal body mass index (BMI), perinatal complications, birth season, birth body mass, and other environmental risk factors, as well as the interaction between heredity and environment, which are also related to the risk of autism (10)(11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Association Study of MTHFR C677T Polymorphism and Birth Body Mass With Risk of Autism in Chinese Han Population

Zhang

et al. 2021

Front. Psychiatry

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Objective: To explore the association of the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) C677T polymorphism with birth body mass and risk of autism in Chinese Han population.Methods: A total 1,505 Chinese Han autism patients were recruited, using the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th revised version (DSM-IV-R) diagnostic criteria for autism, and 1,308 sex-matched healthy controls were also enrolled for the study. All the participants' birth body masses were counted according to the medical records. The MTHFR C677T genotypes were detected using the polymerase chain reaction-restrict fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) method. The association between C677T polymorphism, birth body mass, and risk of autism were analyzed using the chi-square tests.Results: The present study found that the MTHFR 677T was significantly associated with risk of autism [P = 0.004, odds ratio (OR) = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.02–1.29). The autism children more frequently showed low birth body mass (<2.5 kg) than healthy control subjects (8.6 vs. 5.3%, P = 0.001, OR = 1.67, 95% CI = 1.24–2.26). The interactive effects between MTHFR 677T and low birth body mass (P = 0.0001, OR = 2.18, 95% CI = 1.44–3.32) were also significantly associated with risk of autism.Conclusions: The MTHFR C677T polymorphism and low birth body mass may be associated with risk of autism in Chinese Han population.

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“…Given that children born very preterm are also prone to impaired social interactions (Arpi and Ferrari 2013, Healy et al 2013, Anderson 2014, Johnson and Marlow 2014, Pyhala et al 2014, Montagna and Nosarti 2016, Wolford et al 2017), we subsequently evaluated rat social interaction including standard introduction, play and grooming behaviors. Quantification of interaction time revealed TSHI-veh rats had significantly limited social interaction compared to shams; this is the first time to our knowledge that impaired social interaction has been demonstrated in a preclinical model of encephalopathy of prematurity.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neonatal erythropoietin mitigates impaired gait, social interaction and diffusion tensor imaging abnormalities in a rat model of prenatal brain injury

Robinson

Corbett

Winer

et al. 2018

Experimental Neurology

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Children who are born preterm are at risk for encephalopathy of prematurity, a leading cause of cerebral palsy, cognitive delay and behavioral disorders. Current interventions are limited and none have been shown to reverse cognitive and behavioral impairments, a primary determinant of poor quality of life for these children. Moreover, the mechanisms of perinatal brain injury that result in functional deficits and imaging abnormalities in the mature brain are poorly defined, limiting the potential to target interventions to those who may benefit most. To determine whether impairments are reversible after a prenatal insult, we investigated a spectrum of functional deficits and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) abnormalities in young adult animals. We hypothesized that prenatal transient systemic hypoxia-ischemia (TSHI) would induce multiple functional deficits concomitant with reduced microstructural white and gray matter integrity, and tested whether these abnormalities could be ameliorated using postnatal erythropoietin (EPO), an emerging neurorestorative intervention. On embryonic day 18 uterine arteries were transiently occluded for 60min via laparotomy. Shams underwent anesthesia and laparotomy for 60min. Pups were born and TSHI pups were randomized to receive EPO or vehicle via intraperitoneal injection on postnatal days 1 to 5. Gait, social interaction, olfaction and open field testing was performed from postnatal day 25-35 before brains underwent ex vivo DTI to measure fractional anisotropy, axial diffusivity and radial diffusivity. Prenatal TSHI injury causes hyperactivity, impaired gait and poor social interaction in young adult rats that mimic the spectrum of deficits observed in children born preterm. Collectively, these data show for the first time in a model of encephalopathy of prematurity that postnatal EPO treatment mitigates impairments in social interaction, in addition to gait deficits. EPO also normalizes TSHI-induced microstructural abnormalities in fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity in multiple regions, consistent with improved structural integrity and recovery of myelination. Taken together, these results show behavioral and memory deficits from perinatal brain injury are reversible. Furthermore, resolution of DTI abnormalities may predict responsiveness to emerging interventions, and serve as a biomarker of CNS injury and recovery.

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Autism spectrum traits and visual processing in young adults with very low birth weight: the Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight adults

Cited by 6 publications

References 22 publications

Cognitive Visual Dysfunctions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Developmental Delays

Cognitive Visual Dysfunctions in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Developmental Delays

Association Study of MTHFR C677T Polymorphism and Birth Body Mass With Risk of Autism in Chinese Han Population

Neonatal erythropoietin mitigates impaired gait, social interaction and diffusion tensor imaging abnormalities in a rat model of prenatal brain injury

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