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Psychotropic medication use in autism spectrum disorders may affect functional brain connectivity.

ABSTRACT: Prescription of psychotropic medications is common in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), either off-label or to treat comorbid conditions such as ADHD or depression. Psychotropic medications are intended to alter brain function. Yet, studies investigating the functional brain organization in ASDs rarely take medication usage into account. This could explain some of the inconsistent findings of atypical brain network connectivity reported in the autism literature.The current study tested whether functional connectivity patterns, as assessed with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), differed in a cohort of 49 children and adolescents with ASDs based on psychotropic medication status, and in comparison with 50 matched typically developing (TD) participants. Twenty-five participants in the ASD group (51%) reported current psychotropic medication usage, including stimulants, antidepressants, antipsychotics, and anxiolytics. Age, IQ, head motion, and ASD symptom severity did not differ between groups. Whole-brain functional connectivity between 132 regions of interest was assessed.Different functional connectivity patterns were identified in the ASD group taking psychotropic medications (ASD-on), as compared to the TD group and the ASD subgroup not using psychotropic medications (ASD-none). The ASD-on group showed distinct underconnectivity between the cerebellum and basal ganglia but cortico-cortical overconnectivity compared to the TD group. Cortical underconnectivity relative to the TD pattern, on the other hand, was pronounced in the ASD-none group.These results suggest that psychotropic medications may affect functional connectivity, and that medication status should be taken into consideration when studying brain function in autism.

SUBMITTER: Linke AC

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5667652 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Psychotropic medication use in autism spectrum disorders may affect functional brain connectivity.

Linke Annika C AC Olson Lindsay L Gao Yangfeifei Y Fishman Inna I Müller Ralph-Axel RA

Biological psychiatry. Cognitive neuroscience and neuroimaging 20170901 6

<h4>Background</h4>Prescription of psychotropic medications is common in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), either off-label or to treat comorbid conditions such as ADHD or depression. Psychotropic medications are intended to alter brain function. Yet, studies investigating the functional brain organization in ASDs rarely take medication usage into account. This could explain some of the inconsistent findings of atypical brain network connectivity reported in the autism literature.<h4>Methods</h4 ...[more]

PMID: 29104944

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Project description:ObjectiveTo describe psychotropic medication administration patterns during inpatient rehabilitation for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and their relation to patient preinjury and injury characteristics.DesignProspective observational cohort.SettingMultiple acute inpatient rehabilitation units or hospitals.ParticipantsIndividuals with TBI (N=2130; complicated mild, moderate, or severe) admitted for inpatient rehabilitation.InterventionsNot applicable.Main outcome measuresNot applicable.ResultsMost frequently administered were narcotic analgesics (72% of sample), followed by antidepressants (67%), anticonvulsants (47%), anxiolytics (33%), hypnotics (30%), stimulants (28%), antipsychotics (25%), antiparkinson agents (25%), and miscellaneous psychotropics (18%). The psychotropic agents studied were administered to 95% of the sample, with 8.5% receiving only 1 and 31.8% receiving ≥6. Degree of psychotropic medication administration varied widely between sites. Univariate analyses indicated younger patients were more likely to receive anxiolytics, antidepressants, antiparkinson agents, stimulants, antipsychotics, and narcotic analgesics, whereas those older were more likely to receive anticonvulsants and miscellaneous psychotropics. Men were more likely to receive antipsychotics. All medication classes were less likely administered to Asians and more likely administered to those with more severe functional impairment. Use of anticonvulsants was associated with having seizures at some point during acute care or rehabilitation stays. Narcotic analgesics were more likely for those with history of drug abuse, history of anxiety and depression (premorbid or during acute care), and severe pain during rehabilitation. Psychotropic medication administration increased rather than decreased during the course of inpatient rehabilitation in each of the medication categories except for narcotics. This observation was also true for medication administration within admission functional levels (defined by cognitive FIM scores), except for those with higher admission FIM cognitive scores.ConclusionsMany psychotropic medications are used during inpatient rehabilitation. In general, lower admission FIM cognitive score groups were administered more of the medications under investigation compared with those with higher cognitive function at admission. Considerable site variation existed regarding medications administered. The current investigation provides baseline data for future studies of effectiveness.

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Psychotropic medication use in autism spectrum disorders may affect functional brain connectivity.

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Psychotropic medication use in autism spectrum disorders may affect functional brain connectivity.

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