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Children with Autism show Atypical Preference for Non-social Stimuli.

ABSTRACT: The present investigation describes three studies testing the hypothesis that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show an atypical preference for non-social stimuli. Preference for non-social and social stimuli was assessed using applications on a portable tablet computer. Twenty-eight children with ASD were matched on developmental age with the chronological age of 41 typically developing (TD) children. The non-social stimuli consisted of six different films of abstract moving geometric patterns. Social stimuli were six different films of the face of young adults (Study 1 and 3) or six films of different dogs' faces (Study 2). When given a choice between the non-social and social stimuli, children with ASD preferred the non-social stimuli. When the human faces were replaced with dogs' faces the participants with ASD continued to prefer the non-social stimuli. A high reinforcement value of non-social stimuli was also demonstrated when the non-social stimuli were presented alone, suggesting the preference for the non-social stimuli was not simply an avoidance of social stimuli. Whenever an infant prefers non-social stimuli over social stimuli, non-typical development in social communication and social interests may result, together with the development of high levels and frequently occurring stereotyped and repetitive behavior. These behaviors define Autism.

SUBMITTER: Gale CM

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6637109 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Children with Autism show Atypical Preference for Non-social Stimuli.

Gale Catherine M CM Eikeseth Svein S Klintwall Lars L

Scientific reports 20190717 1

The present investigation describes three studies testing the hypothesis that children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show an atypical preference for non-social stimuli. Preference for non-social and social stimuli was assessed using applications on a portable tablet computer. Twenty-eight children with ASD were matched on developmental age with the chronological age of 41 typically developing (TD) children. The non-social stimuli consisted of six different films of abstract moving geometri ...[more]

PMID: 31316161

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Project description:Previous studies have documented the 5-HTTLPR polymorphisms as genetic variants that are involved in serotonin availability and also associated with emotion regulation and facial emotion processing. In particular, neuroimaging and behavioral studies of healthy populations have produced evidence to suggest that carriers of the Short allele exhibit heightened neurophysiological and behavioral reactivity when processing aversive stimuli, particularly in brain regions involved in fear. However, an additional distinction has emerged in the field, which highlights particular types of fearful information, i.e., aversive information which involves a social component versus non-social aversive stimuli. Although processing of each of these stimulus types (social and non-social) is believed to involve a subcortical neural system which includes the amygdala, evidence also suggests that the amygdala itself may be particularly responsive to socially significant environmental information, potentially due to the critical relevance of social information for humans. Examining individual differences in neurotransmitter systems which operate within this subcortical network, and in particular the serotonin system, may be critically informative for furthering our understanding of the neurobiological mechanisms underlying responses to emotional and affective stimuli. In the present study we examine visual scanning patterns in response to both aversive and positive images of a social or non-social nature in relation to 5-HTTLPR genotypes, in 49 children aged 4-7 years. Results indicate that children with at least one Short 5-HTTLPR allele spent less time fixating the threat-related non-social stimuli, compared with participants with two copies of the Long allele. Interestingly, a separate set of analyses suggests that carriers of two copies of the short 5-HTTLPR allele also spent less time fixating both the negative and positive non-social stimuli. Together, these findings support the hypothesis that genetically mediated differences in serotonin availability mediate behavioral responses to different types of emotional stimuli in young children.

Project description:BackgroundSeveral previous studies have identified a potential role that the gut microbiome can play in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in children, but little is known about how variations in the virome may be involved in ASD. We aimed to understand the changes in the gut DNA virome of children with ASD.MethodsA case-control study was presented, in which 13 two-children families were observed while considering the age, mode of birth, history of antibiotic use, and vaccination history to minimize the influence of confounding factors. DNA viral metagenomic sequencing was successfully performed on stool samples from 11 children with ASD and 12 healthy non-ASD children. The basic composition and gene function of the participants' fecal DNA virome were detected and analyzed. Finally, the abundance and diversity of the DNA virome of children with ASD and their healthy siblings were compared.ResultsThe gut DNA virome in children aged 3-11 years was found to be dominated by the Siphoviridae family of Caudovirales. The proteins encoded by the DNA genes mainly carry out the functions of genetic information transmission and metabolism. Compared the gut DNA virome of ASD and healthy non-ASD children, their abundance of Caudovirales and Petitvirales both showed a significant negative correlation (r = -0.902, P < 0.01), there was no statistically significant difference in the relative abundance of viruses at the order and family levels, and a difference in the relative abundance at the genus level for Skunavirus (Ζ = -2.157, P = 0.031). Viral α diversity was reduced in children with ASD, but α diversity and β diversity did not differ statistically between groups.ConclusionsThis study indicates that elevated Skunavirus abundance and decreased α diversity in the gut DNA virulence group of children with ASD, but no statistically significant difference in the change in alpha and beta diversity. This provides preliminary cumulative information on virological aspects of the relationship between the microbiome and ASD, and should benefit future multi-omics and large sample studies on the gut microbes in children with ASD.

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Children with Autism show Atypical Preference for Non-social Stimuli.

Publications

Children with Autism show Atypical Preference for Non-social Stimuli.

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