| 1. |
- Chaste, Pauline, et al.
(författare)
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Identification of pathway-biased and deleterious melatonin receptor mutants in autism spectrum disorders and in the general population.
- 2010
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Ingår i: PloS One. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 5:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Melatonin is a powerful antioxidant and a synchronizer of many physiological processes. Alteration of the melatonin pathway has been reported in circadian disorders, diabetes and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, very little is known about the genetic variability of melatonin receptors in humans. Here, we sequenced the melatonin receptor MTNR1A and MTNR1B, genes coding for MT1 and MT2 receptors, respectively, in a large panel of 941 individuals including 295 patients with ASD, 362 controls and 284 individuals from different ethnic backgrounds. We also sequenced GPR50, coding for the orphan melatonin-related receptor GPR50 in patients and controls. We identified six non-synonymous mutations for MTNR1A and ten for MTNR1B. The majority of these variations altered receptor function. Particularly interesting mutants are MT1-I49N, which is devoid of any melatonin binding and cell surface expression, and MT1-G166E and MT1-I212T, which showed severely impaired cell surface expression. Of note, several mutants possessed pathway-selective signaling properties, some preferentially inhibiting the adenylyl cyclase pathway, others preferentially activating the MAPK pathway. The prevalence of these deleterious mutations in cases and controls indicates that they do not represent major risk factor for ASD (MTNR1A case 3.6% vs controls 4.4%; MTNR1B case 4.7% vs 3% controls). Concerning GPR50, we detected a significant association between ASD and two variations, Delta502-505 and T532A, in affected males, but it did not hold up after Bonferonni correction for multiple testing. Our results represent the first functional ascertainment of melatonin receptors in humans and constitute a basis for future structure-function studies and for interpreting genetic data on the melatonin pathway in patients.
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| 2. |
- Delorme, Richard, et al.
(författare)
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Mutation screening of NOS1AP gene in a large sample of psychiatric patients and controls.
- 2010
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Ingår i: BMC Medical Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2350. ; 11:1:108
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- BACKGROUND: The gene encoding carboxyl-terminal PDZ ligand of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS1AP) is located on chromosome 1q23.3, a candidate region for schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Previous genetic and functional studies explored the role of NOS1AP in these psychiatric conditions, but only a limited number explored the sequence variability of NOS1AP. METHODS: We analyzed the coding sequence of NOS1AP in a large population (n = 280), including patients with schizophrenia (n = 72), ASD (n = 81) or OCD (n = 34), and in healthy volunteers controlled for the absence of personal or familial history of psychiatric disorders (n = 93). RESULTS: Two non-synonymous variations, V37I and D423N were identified in two families, one with two siblings with OCD and the other with two brothers with ASD. These rare variations apparently segregate with the presence of psychiatric conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Coding variations of NOS1AP are relatively rare in patients and controls. Nevertheless, we report the first non-synonymous variations within the human NOS1AP gene that warrant further genetic and functional investigations to ascertain their roles in the susceptibility to psychiatric disorders.
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| 3. |
- Gillberg, I Carina, 1949, et al.
(författare)
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Attention, executive functions, and mentalizing in anorexia nervosa eighteen years after onset of eating disorder
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 1380-3395 .- 1744-411X. ; 32:4, s. 358-365
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: Prospective study of attention, executive functions, and mentalizing abilities in a representative sample of teenage-onset anorexia nervosa (AN). METHOD: A total of 51 AN cases recruited after community screening were contrasted with 51 matched comparison cases 18 years after AN onset. Neuropsychological tests had been done at 21, 24, and 32 years (18 years after AN onset). RESULTS: The AN-group had more attention, executive function, and mentalizing problems. Some of these problems had been present at all three follow-up occasions. CONCLUSIONS: AN is associated with a range of neuropsychological problems that are present long after the eating disorder per se is no longer an important feature.
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| 4. |
- Hansson, Sara Lina, et al.
(författare)
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The Autism--Tics, AD/HD and other Comorbidities (A-TAC) telephone interview: convergence with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).
- 2010
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Ingår i: Nordic Journal of Psychiatry. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0803-9488 .- 1502-4725. ; 64:3, s. 218-224
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: To compare telephone interview screening for child psychiatric/neuropsychiatric disorders using the inventory of Autism-Tics, Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD) and other Comorbidities (A-TAC) with results from the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Background: The A-TAC is a parent telephone interview focusing on autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and co-existing problems, developed for lay interviewers. Subjects and methods: A-TAC telephone interviews and CBCL questionnaires were obtained from parents of 106 Swedish twin pairs aged 9 and 12 years. Results: Correlations between A-TAC modules and CBCL scales aimed at measuring similar concepts were generally significant albeit modest, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.30 through 0.55. Conclusion: The A-TAC has convergent validity with the CBCL in several problem areas, but the A-TAC also provides more detailed and specific assessments of ASD symptoms and related neuropsychiatric problems.
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| 5. |
- Johansson, Maria E I, 1961, et al.
(författare)
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Autism spectrum conditions in individuals with Mobius sequence, CHARGE syndrome and oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum: diagnostic aspects.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Research in Developmental Disabilities. - : Elsevier BV. - 0891-4222 .- 1873-3379. ; 31:1, s. 9-24
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- As part of multidisciplinary surveys of three Behavioural Phenotype Conditions (BPCs); Möbius sequence (Möbius), CHARGE syndrome (CHARGE) and oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum (OAV), autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) was diagnosed in 45%, 68% and 42% of the individuals, respectively. Diagnostic difficulties due to additional dysfunctions such as mental retardation (MR), impaired vision, reduced hearing and cranial nerve dysfunction, were experienced in all three BPC groups. The applicability of current autism diagnostic instruments, such as the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R), the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) and the Autistic Behaviour Checklist (ABC), in individuals with ASCs and Möbius/CHARGE/OAV was analysed. Use of an extensive battery of diagnostic instruments, including both observational schedules and parent interviews, and, if possible, independent judgements from two clinicians, is essential in the diagnostics of ASCs in these individuals. Further, in individuals who are deaf and blind the applicability of current autism diagnostic instruments is highly questionable.
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| 6. |
- Johnson, Mats, 1956, et al.
(författare)
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Open-label trial of atomoxetine hydrochloride in adults with ADHD.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Attention Disorders. - : SAGE Publications. - 1087-0547 .- 1557-1246. ; 13:5, s. 539-545
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: While atomoxetine is an established treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children, few studies have examined its efficacy for adults. Methods: Open-label trial of atomoxetine in 20 individuals with ADHD, aged 19-47 years, for 10 weeks, and a total of one year for responders. Results: Ten patients met primary efficacy criteria at 10 weeks. Only one patient completed the whole study. Six patients discontinued before 10 weeks and thirteen at 10 weeks or later, mainly because of side-effects (aggression, depressed mood, raised liver enzymes, thyroid hormones, diastolic blood pressure), decreasing efficacy or non-compliance. Conclusion: Fifty percent responded to treatment, but only one patient (5%) felt sufficient improvement to continue for one year. Dosage may have been too low, and baseline impairment too high, for atomoxetine to have sufficient effect on ADHD symptoms in our group of adults. The majority had few side-effects, but several terminated treatment because of adverse effects.
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| 7. |
- Larson, Tomas, 1967, et al.
(författare)
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The autism--tics, AD/HD and other comorbidities inventory (A-TAC): further validation of a telephone interview for epidemiological research.
- 2010
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Ingår i: BMC Psychiatry. - 1471-244X. ; 10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Reliable, valid, and easy-to-administer instruments to identify possible caseness and to provide proxies for clinical diagnoses are needed in epidemiological research on child and adolescent mental health.The aim of this study is to provide further validity data for a parent telephone interview focused on Autism - Tics, Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), and other Comorbidities (A-TAC), for which reliability and preliminary validation data have been previously reported. METHODS: Parents of 91 children clinically diagnosed at a specialized Child Neuropsychiatric Clinic, 366 control children and 319 children for whom clinical diagnoses had been previously assigned were interviewed by the A-TAC over the phone. Interviewers were blind to clinical information. Different scores from the A-TAC were compared to the diagnostic outcome. RESULTS: Areas under ROC curves for interview scores as predictors of clinical diagnoses were around 0.95 for most disorders, including autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (AD/HD), tic disorders, developmental coordination disorders (DCD) and learning disorders, indicating excellent screening properties. Screening cut-off scores with sensitivities above 0.90 (0.95 for ASD and AD/HD) were established for most conditions, as well as cut-off scores to identify proxies to clinical diagnoses with specificities above 0.90 (0.95 for ASD and AD/HD). CONCLUSIONS: The previously reported validity of the A-TAC was supported by this larger replication study using broader scales from the A-TAC-items and a larger number of diagnostic categories. Short versions of algorithms worked as well as larger. Different cut-off levels for screening versus identifying proxies for clinical diagnoses are warranted. Data on the validity for mood problems and oppositional defiant/conduct problems are still lacking. Although the A-TAC is principally intended for epidemiological research and general investigations, the instrument may be useful as a tool to collect information in clinical practice as well.
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| 8. |
- Lichtenstein, Paul, et al.
(författare)
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The genetics of autism spectrum disorders and related neuropsychiatric disorders in childhood.
- 2010
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Ingår i: American Journal of Psychiatry. - : American Psychiatric Association Publishing. - 0002-953X .- 1535-7228. ; 167:11, s. 1357-1363
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objective: Autism spectrum disorders are considered to be among the most heritable mental disorders, a notion based on surprisingly sparse data from small clinical studies. Population-based studies of the heritability of other neuro-psychiatric disorders and comorbidities among them have also been sparse. The authors sought to address both of these issues. Method: Parents of all Swedish 9- and 12-year-old twin pairs born between 1992 and 2000 (N=10,895) were interviewed regarding autism spectrum disorders and associated conditions (response rate, 80%). Concordance rates and structural equation modeling were used for evaluating causes for familial aggregation and overlap between conditions. Results: Monozygotic twins had higher concordance rates than dizygotic twins for autism spectrum disorders, attention defcit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), developmental coordination disorder, and tic disorder. Genetic effects accounted for 80% (95% CI=29-91) of the variation in liability for autism spectrum disorders, 79% (95% CI=61-88) for ADHD, 70% (95% CI=35-83) for developmental coordination disorder, and 56% (95% CI=37-68) for tic disorder. Among monozygotic co-twins of children with autism spectrum disorders, the probability of having a diagnosis of ADHD was 44%, compared with 15% for dizygotic co-twins. Differences in cross-disorder effects between monozygotic and dizygotic twins were observed for most other comorbidities, and substantial proportions of the genetic variance for autism spectrum disorders was shared with each of the other disorders. Conclusions: Different neuropsychiatric disorders seem to have a common genetic etiology, suggesting caution in the use of diagnostic entities and proband status in efforts to uncover genes predisposing to autism spectrum disorders.
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| 9. |
- Lundström, Sebastian, et al.
(författare)
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Trajectories leading to autism spectrum disorders are affected by paternal age: findings from two nationally representative twin studies.
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines. - : Wiley. - 0021-9630 .- 1469-7610. ; 51:7, s. 850-856
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Despite extensive efforts, the causes of autism remain unknown. Advancing paternal age has been associated with various neurodevelopmental disorders. We aim to investigate three unresolved questions: (a) What is the association between paternal age and autism spectrum disorders (ASD)?; (b) Does paternal age moderate the genetic and environmental etiological factors for ASD? (c) Does paternal age affect normal variation in autistic-like traits? Methods: Two nationally representative twin studies from Sweden (n = 11, 122, assessed at age 9 or 12) and the UK (n = 13, 524, assessed at age 9) were used. Categorical and continuous measures of ASD, autistic-like traits and autistic similarity were calculated and compared over paternal age categories. Results: Both cohorts showed a strong association between paternal age and the risk for ASD. A U-shaped risk association could be discerned since the offspring of both the youngest and oldest fathers showed an elevation in the risk for ASD. Autistic similarity increased with advancing paternal age in both monozygotic and dizygotic twins. Both cohorts showed significantly higher autistic-like traits in the offspring of the youngest and oldest fathers. Conclusions: Phenomena associated with paternal age are clearly involved in the trajectories leading to autistic-like traits and ASD. Mechanisms influencing the trajectories might differ between older and younger fathers. Molecular genetic studies are now needed in order to further understand the association between paternal age and ASD, as well as normal variation in social, language, and repetitive behaviors in the general population.
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| 10. |
- Nydén, Agneta, 1945, et al.
(författare)
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Adults with Asperger syndrome with and without a cognitive profile associated with “non-verbal learning disability.” A brief report
- 2010
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Ingår i: Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. - : Elsevier BV. - 1750-9467. ; 4:4, s. 612-618
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Asperger syndrome (AS) and non-verbal learning disability (NLD) are both characterized by impairments in motor coordination, visuo-perceptual abilities, pragmatics and comprehension of language and social understanding. NLD is also defined as a learning disorder affecting functions in the right cerebral hemisphere. The present study investigates if individuals with AS and a cognitive profile consistent with NLD (i.e. verbal IQ > performance IQ) would also have other problems inherent in NLD, visual memory and attention, reading/writing ability and arithmetic in the presence of preserved verbal memory and attention. Forty-four individuals with AS were assessed with a battery of neuropsychological tests. Reading/writing and arithmetic abilities were investigated. Education and global social adaptive levels were studied. Very few AS participants, even though with NLD cognitive profile showed problems with any of the neurocognitive abilities or academic achievements. However, all had poor global social adaptive functioning and few had paid employment, regardless of their cognitive profile. The present study suggests that AS and NLD are two different conditions even though some individuals in both groups have the verbal IQ > performance IQ profile that has been proposed to be typical of both AS and NLD.
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