Selective Mutism and Its Relations to Social Anxiety Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Ontology highlight
ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Muris P
PROVIDER: S-EPMC8131304 | biostudies-literature |
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Similar Datasets
Project description:Current neural models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and anxiety disorders suggest hyperactivation of amygdala in anxiety, but hypoactivation of amygdala in ASD. The objectives of this study were to (i) test the hypothesis that amygdala activity measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) represents a hybrid signal of opposing social functions and anxiety symptoms, and (ii) determine whether longstanding findings of decreased amygdala activation in ASD apply only to those individuals with ASD and low levels of anxiety. During fMRI scanning, 81 youth with ASD and 67 non-ASD control participants completed a face recognition paradigm that elicits robust amygdala activation. Only individuals with ASD and low anxiety levels (a subsample of 28 participants) showed decreased amygdala activation relative to controls. In the ASD group, anxiety symptoms were positively correlated with amygdala activity across the full ASD group, whereas core ASD symptoms (including social deficits) were negatively correlated. Results indicate that hypoactivation of amygdala in ASD, a suggestive finding first reported nearly 20 years ago, can be masked by comorbid anxiety-thus bringing enhanced clarity to this line of work. Amygdala activity represents a hybrid signal of emotion and social processes that cannot be reduced to either alone.
| S-EPMC4884314 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundSelective mutism (SM) has been conceptualized as an extreme variant of social anxiety disorder (SAD), in which the failure to speak functions as an avoidance mechanism leading to a reduction of intense fear arousal. However, psychophysiological studies in children with SM are scarce and physiological mechanisms underlying the failure to speak are largely unknown. In contrast, children with SAD are characterized by a combination of a chronically elevated physiological arousal and a blunted physiological fear response to social stress. Due to the large overlap between SM and SAD, similar mechanisms might apply to both disorders, while differences might explain why children with SM fail to speak. The aim of our study is to investigate psychophysiological mechanisms of the failure to speak in children with SM.MethodsWe assessed in a total of N = 96 children [8-12 years, SM: n = 31, SAD: n = 32, typical development (TD): n = 33] resting baseline arousal in absence of social threat and the course of physiological fear response in two social stress paradigms, differing in terms of whether the children are expected to speak (verbal task) or not (nonverbal task).ResultsChildren with SM were characterized by increased tonic arousal compared to the other two groups, and by a more inflexible stress response in the nonverbal but not in the verbal task compared to TD-children. Further analyses revealed that children with SM who did not speak during the verbal task already demonstrated reduced arousal in anticipation of the verbal task.ConclusionThe increased tonic arousal generalized to non-social situations in SM could indicate a long-term alteration of the autonomic nervous system. Furthermore, the differential physiological stress response may indicate that silence acts as a maladaptive compensatory mechanism reducing stress in verbal social situations, which does not function in nonverbal situations. Our findings support the idea that the failure to speak might function as an avoidance mechanism, which is already active in anticipation of a verbal situation. Treatment of SM should take into account that children with SM may suffer from chronically elevated stress levels and that different mechanisms might operate in verbal and nonverbal social situations.
| S-EPMC8715622 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Appearing in 40% of the cases of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), comorbid anxiety presents unique challenges for practitioners by amplifying problem behaviors such as social skills deficits, resistance to change and repetitive behaviors. Furthermore, comorbid ASD/anxiety strains familial relationships and increases parental stress. Research indicates that the neurobiological interactions between anxiety and ASD require comprehensive assessment approaches, modified cognitive behavioral therapy and carefully managed pharmacological interventions. Meta-analyses indicate that cognitive behavioral therapy with exposure is an effective treatment option when adequately accounting for social, familial and cognitive variables. The purpose of this focused review is to update readers on the latest research advances in comorbid ASD and anxiety, including prevalence, assessment, psychosocial and pharmacological treatment.
| S-EPMC5772195 | biostudies-other
Project description:Differential diagnosis in adult cohorts with social difficulty is confounded by comorbid mental health conditions, common etiologies, and shared phenotypes. Identifying shared and discriminating profiles can facilitate intervention and remediation strategies. The objective of the study was to identify salient features of a composite test battery of cognitive and mood measures using a machine learning paradigm in clinical cohorts with social interaction difficulties. We recruited clinical participants who met standardized diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD: n = 62), early psychosis (EP: n = 48), or social anxiety disorder (SAD: N = 83) and compared them with a neurotypical comparison group (TYP: N = 43). Using five machine-learning algorithms and repeated cross-validation, we trained and tested classification models using measures of cognitive and executive function, lower- and higher-order social cognition and mood severity. Performance metrics were the area under the curve (AUC) and Brier Scores. Sixteen features successfully differentiated between the groups. The control versus social impairment cohorts (ASD, EP, SAD) were differentiated by social cognition, visuospatial memory and mood measures. Importantly, a distinct profile cluster drawn from social cognition, visual learning, executive function and mood, distinguished the neurodevelopmental cohort (EP and ASD) from the SAD group. The mean AUC range was between 0.891 and 0.916 for social impairment versus control cohorts and, 0.729 to 0.781 for SAD vs neurodevelopmental cohorts. This is the first study that compares an extensive battery of neuropsychological and self-report measures using a machine learning protocol in clinical and neurodevelopmental cohorts characterized by social impairment. Findings are relevant for diagnostic, intervention and remediation strategies for these groups.
| S-EPMC7319094 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:Several studies suggest significant relationships between migration and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) but there are discrepant results. Given that no studies to date have included a pathological control group, the specificity of the results in ASD can be questioned. AIMS:To compare the migration experience (premigration, migratory trip, postmigration) in ASD and non-ASD pathological control groups, and study the relationships between migration and autism severity. METHOD:Parents' and grandparents' migrant status was compared in 30 prepubertal boys with ASD and 30 prepubertal boys without ASD but with language disorders, using a questionnaire including Human Development Index (HDI)/Inequality-adjusted Human Development Index (IHDI) of native countries. Autism severity was assessed using the Child Autism Rating Scale, Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule and Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised scales. RESULTS:The parents' and grandparents' migrant status frequency did not differ between ASD and control groups and was not associated with autism severity. The HDI/IHDI values of native countries were significantly lower for parents and grandparents of children with ASD compared with the controls, especially for paternal grandparents. Furthermore, HDI/IDHI levels from the paternal line (father and especially paternal grandparents) were significantly negatively correlated with autism severity, particularly for social interaction impairments. CONCLUSIONS:In this study, parents' and/or grandparents' migrant status did not discriminate ASD and pathological control groups and did not contribute either to autism severity. However, the HDI/IHDI results suggest that social adversity-related stress experienced in native countries, especially by paternal grandparents, is potentially a traumatic experience that may play a role in ASD development. A 'premigration theory of autism' is then proposed.
| S-EPMC7453802 | biostudies-literature
Project description:This study evaluates the current conceptualization of selective mutism (SM) as an anxiety disorder in the DSM-5 using a meta-analytic approach. In the absence of any systematic assessment of anxiety in the field of SM, we pooled prevalence data of comorbid anxiety disorders in a random-effects meta-analysis. On the basis of 22 eligible studies (N = 837), we found that 80% of the children with SM were diagnosed with an additional anxiety disorder, notably social phobia (69%). However, considerable heterogeneity was present, which remained unexplained by a priori specified moderators. The finding that SM is often diagnosed in combination with anxiety disorders, indicates that these disorders are not discrete, separable categories. Moreover, this finding does not help to elucidate the relation between SM and anxiety as an etiological mechanism or symptomatic feature. Broadening our research strategies regarding the assessment of anxiety is paramount to clarify the role of anxiety in SM, and allow for proper classification.
| S-EPMC7067754 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundIn the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual and Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and social (pragmatic) communication disorder (SCD) were described as a new category of psychiatry nosography. SCD involves impairments in social communication and social interaction but not restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. The autism spectrum quotient (AQ) was developed to screen for autism tendencies in adults with normal intelligence. However, AQ cutoff scores for screening ASD and SCD in the DSM-5 have not been established. This study examined whether the Japanese version of the AQ (AQ-J) total scores could discriminate between an ASD group, an SCD group, and a neurotypical (NT) group.MethodsParticipants were 127 ASD patients, 52 SCD patients, and 49 NT individuals. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses were used to examine AQ-J total score cutoff values to distinguish between ASD and NT groups, SCD and NT groups, and ASD and SCD groups.ResultsIn the ROC analysis for the ASD and NT groups, the area under the curve (AUC) was 0.96, and the optimum cutoff value was 23 points (sensitivity 92.9%, specificity 85.7%). The AUC for the SCD and NT groups was 0.89, and the optimum cutoff value was 22 points (sensitivity 84.6%, specificity 85.7%). The AUC for the ASD and SCD groups was 0.75; the optimum cutoff value was 32 points (sensitivity 67.7%, specificity 71.2%).ConclusionOur findings suggest the usefulness of the AQ-J in screening for ASD and SCD.
| S-EPMC10644653 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Social animals, including humans, structure social groups where social hierarchy exists. Recognizing social rank of other group members is a crucial ability to subsist in such environments. Here we show preliminary evidence with a relatively small number of samples that children with autism spectrum disorder, a neurodevelopmental disorder involving social dysfunction, exhibit atypical, and more robust recognition of social rank than normal children, which may be developed to compensate deficits of the neural systems processing social information.
| S-EPMC6821924 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Current literature is divided over whether and how processes such as perspective taking and reward sensitivity differ between individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) versus neurotypical individuals. Discounting tasks may provide novel insight into how these processes operate. In delay discounting tasks, participants choose between smaller immediate rewards and larger delayed rewards, and in social discounting tasks, participants choose between a smaller monetary rewards for themselves versus a larger reward for partners of varied social distance (e.g., a close friend vs. an acquaintance). Delay and social discounting tasks thus implicitly measure the subjective value of rewards given to one's future self and to others, capturing constructs such as perspective taking, reward processing, and social closeness, all of which have been discussed as core cognitive mechanisms underlying ASD. Despite extensive research on discounting in other clinical populations, few studies have examined delay discounting in ASD and no research has examined social discounting in ASD. The goal of the current study was to assess delay and social discounting for monetary rewards in a single sample of adolescents and adults with ASD compared to a matched neurotypical sample. Overall, adults and adolescents with ASD valued both future rewards and rewards given to others less than their typical counterparts did, but rates of discounting were not significantly correlated across temporal and social domains. These results extend an important behavioral paradigm for understanding both perspective taking and reward processing to autism. Autism Res 2019, 12: 870-877. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: Discounting tasks-which experimentally measure the subjective value of different rewards-have been used with a variety of clinical populations, but are underexplored in ASD. We found that compared to neurotypical individuals, individuals with ASD showed diminished subjective value for future rewards (compared to immediate rewards) and rewards for others (compared to rewards for self). This finding has implications for understanding perspective taking, reward processing, and social closeness in ASD.
| S-EPMC6941783 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BACKGROUND:A critical agenda of the National Institutes of Health Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative is establishing whether domains within the RDoC matrix are truly transdiagnostic. Rates of anxiety disorders are elevated in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but it is unclear whether the same mechanisms contribute to anxiety in individuals with and without ASD. As changes in selective attention are a hallmark of anxiety disorders in non-ASD samples, the identification of these changes in ASD would support the transdiagnostic nature of anxiety. METHODS:This functional magnetic resonance imaging study focused on the negative valence domain from RDoC (manifest as anxiety symptoms) in youth with ASD (n = 38) and typically developing control participants (n = 25). The task required selective attention toward and away from social information (faces) with negative and neutral affect. Participants underwent in-depth characterization for both anxiety and ASD symptoms. RESULTS:Dimensional and categorical measures of anxiety were significantly related to increased amygdala activation-evidence of enhanced attentional capture by social information. CONCLUSIONS:This pattern fits with decades of research among non-ASD samples using selective attention and attentional bias paradigms, suggesting that anxiety in ASD shares mechanisms with anxiety alone. Overall, results from this study support the transdiagnostic nature of the negative valence domain from RDoC and increase the likelihood that anxiety in ASD should be responsive to interventions targeting maladaptive responses to negative information.
| S-EPMC6124303 | biostudies-literature