Autism Research最新文献

{"title":"A Factor-Analytic Approach for Psychometric Properties of the Repetitive Behaviors Questionnaire-3 (RBQ-3) for Turkish Population","authors":"Volkan Avşar,&nbsp;Hatice Şengül Erdem,&nbsp;Asiye Şengül Avşar","doi":"10.1002/aur.70311","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70311","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) are one of the diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), as well as being found in the general population. The current study aims to explore the psychometric properties of the Turkish self-report and informant-report forms of the Repetitive Behaviors Questionnaire-3 (RBQ-3) for individuals with ASD and the general population across the lifespan. A series of factor-analytic methods was employed to analyze data from study groups with diverse characteristics. A total of 1803 individuals participated in the study. Bayesian confirmatory analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, exploratory structural equation modeling, the average variance extracted, and measurement invariance analyses were performed to provide evidence of construct validity for the Turkish RBQ-3's in both self—and informant forms. In addition, the reliability of the Turkish RBQ-3 scores was evaluated using Cronbach's alpha, McDonald's omega, and composite reliability. In conclusion, the adapted self-report and informant-report forms of the RBQ-3 demonstrate strong psychometric properties for assessing RRBs in both individuals with ASD and the wider population across the lifespan in Türkiye. The Turkish RBQ-3 offers a valuable tool for Turkish researchers and clinicians, advancing the understanding of RRBs.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70311","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148450883","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Task-Related Aperiodic EEG (1/f) Activity in Autism","authors":"Magdalena Matyjek,&nbsp;Salvador Soto Faraco,&nbsp;Claudia Alvarez Martin,&nbsp;Mireia Torralba Cuello","doi":"10.1002/aur.70314","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70314","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Autism has been hypothesized to involve atypicalities in the balance between neural excitation and inhibition (E/I). Aperiodic EEG activity, characterized by the 1/f exponent of the power spectrum, provides a proxy of cortical E/I dynamics. However, prior studies in autism report mixed findings regarding the slope of aperiodic activity. One potentially important modulator of EEG slope is task engagement. Here, we examined variations in aperiodic slopes in autistic (<i>n</i> = 35) and neurotypical (<i>n</i> = 39) adults during passive viewing and an active, goal-directed task. The data revealed that autistic participants exhibited steeper slopes (indicative of increased inhibition vs. excitation) during the active task relative to passive viewing, whereas neurotypical participants showed no significant task-related changes. These findings suggest that aperiodic activity reflects dynamic, task-dependent neural adaptation rather than baseline group differences. Task engagement may reveal compensatory inhibitory processes in autistic adults, underscoring the importance of considering task demands and individual variability when investigating E/I balance in autism.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70314","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148457766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Interaction of the Gut Microbiota and the Enteric Nervous System: Implications in Gastrointestinal Disorders Associated With Autism Spectrum Disorder","authors":"Baptiste Ganachaud,&nbsp;María José Mendoza-León,&nbsp;Justine Marchix,&nbsp;Alonso Fernandez Tello,&nbsp;Catherine Le Berre Scoul,&nbsp;Ma Cecilia Opazo,&nbsp;Michel Neunlist,&nbsp;Claudia A. Riedel,&nbsp;Martial Caillaud,&nbsp;Hélène Boudin","doi":"10.1002/aur.70328","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70328","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impairments in social interaction, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. In addition to these core behavioral symptoms, gastrointestinal (GI) disorders are frequently reported, ranging from severe constipation to diarrhea. The links between ASD and gut dysfunction are further supported by alterations in gut microbiota composition and in bacteria-derived metabolites. As the intrinsic nervous system of the digestive tract, the enteric nervous system (ENS) plays a central role in gut physiology by exerting neuronal control on several gut functions, including motility. Located at the interface between the gut microbiota and intestinal function, the ENS may play a key role in the GI symptoms associated with ASD, as demonstrated in several mouse models. This review aims to summarize the interconnected alterations of the gut microbiota and the ENS in ASD, with a particular focus on the microbiota-derived mediators that are altered in ASD, among patients and animal models, and that may affect ENS development and function. By highlighting these interactions, this review seeks to provide new insights on the digestive pathophysiology of ASD, which may also contribute to the severity of behavioral symptoms.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70328","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148594806","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Unique Roles of Executive Function in Co-Occurring Psychopathologies in Autism","authors":"Shing-Him Ng,&nbsp;Jet Leung,&nbsp;Keith Chun Lok Lee,&nbsp;Angela Man Wai Lam,&nbsp;Isaac Ho Wai Wong,&nbsp;Sze-Mai Ng,&nbsp;Maciej Gabrysiak,&nbsp;Petrina Yau Pok Lau,&nbsp;Sandra Sau Man Chan,&nbsp;Tyler M. Moore,&nbsp;Kosha Ruparel,&nbsp;Raquel E. Gur,&nbsp;Ruben C. Gur,&nbsp;Oscar Wing Ho Wong","doi":"10.1002/aur.70296","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70296","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often experience co-occurring psychiatric conditions, such as anxiety and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which significantly impair daily functioning. However, the underlying mechanisms linking these conditions to core ASD features remain poorly understood. This study examined relationships between anxiety, ADHD symptoms, and multi-domain neurocognitive abilities in a clinic-based sample of 701 Chinese children with ASD (mean age 8 years, 13.4% female), using the Hong Kong version of the Penn Computerized Neurocognitive Battery. Initial correlations revealed negative associations between cognitive performance and ADHD symptoms, but no direct links with anxiety. Ordinal regression demonstrated that poorer executive function (EF) independently predicted greater ADHD severity along a continuum from no ADHD to subclinical features to co-occurring ADHD, in a dose-dependent manner, even after controlling for core autism symptoms, other cognitive domains, and full-scale IQ. Moderation analyses showed that stronger EF specifically buffered the associations between sensory hyper-responsiveness/sensory-seeking and anxiety symptoms—an effect not seen with other cognitive domains or full-scale IQ. These findings indicate that EF plays a unique, compensatory role in modulating the two most common co-occurring psychopathologies in ASD. Systematic assessment of EF could support early risk stratification, while EF-targeted interventions may help mitigate the burden of ADHD and anxiety in children with ASD.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70296","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148284934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Zebrafish frk Gene Knockout Shows Social Impairments Relevant to Autism and Delays Brain Development by Increasing Cell Proliferation","authors":"Xueting Lin,&nbsp;Jing Wu,&nbsp;Yingchao Ying,&nbsp;Binhong Yan,&nbsp;Jiangping Wang,&nbsp;Jian Zou,&nbsp;Kewen Jiang","doi":"10.1002/aur.70310","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70310","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Fyn-related kinase (FRK), which belongs to the Src family of non-receptor protein tyrosine kinases, functions during the cell cycle. Here, we report an autistic patient with an intragenic mutation of <i>FRK</i> and two other autism-related genes. Circumventing the barrier of murine model studies, we generated the CRISPR/Cas9-engineered <i>frk</i>\u0000 ^−/− zebrafish. We found that <i>frk</i>-knockout led to early developmental abnormalities. <i>Frk</i>\u0000 ^−/− fish exhibited autism-like behavior, including impaired social communication, repetitive stereotypic behavior, altered anxiety level, and cognitive dysfunction in both larvae and adults, which could be rescued by the transgenic neuron-specific re-expression of <i>frk</i>. GO and KEGG analysis of RNA-sequencing data found that the <i>frk</i>-knockout-induced DEGs were mainly concentrated in processes and functions related to cell metabolism. PPI network analysis of the detected DEGs suggested that the <i>cyp24a1/tp53</i> pathway may play a key role in <i>frk</i>-knockout-induced autism. Furthermore, we found that the numbers of BrdU⁺ cells were significantly increased in the <i>frk</i>\u0000 ^−/− larval brains. Inhibition of Cyp24a1 or activation of tp53 reduced cell proliferation and partially ameliorated social impairments in <i>frk</i>\u0000 ^−/− zebrafish. Overall, our work established an autism model of <i>frk</i>-knockout with an assessable behavior phenotype in zebrafish and provided key insights into cell proliferation and the influence of the <i>cyp24a1/tp53</i> pathway-regulated cell proliferation on <i>frk</i>-knockout-induced autism-like behaviors.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148413975","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Substance Use Disorder Outcomes and Treatment by Autism Status in Medicaid Enrollees With Substance Use Disorder","authors":"Victor Lushin,&nbsp;Lindsay Shea,&nbsp;Jonas Ventimiglia,&nbsp;Ming Xie,&nbsp;Steven Marcus","doi":"10.1002/aur.70291","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70291","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The prevalence of substance use disorders (SUD) among autistic people is substantial and growing. This unaddressed public health challenge is particularly important given the lack of knowledge about SUD service needs among people on the spectrum. This paper presents the first national-level study of SUD-related clinical outcomes and service use among US-based autistic Medicaid enrollees with SUD (<i>N</i> = 50,487) compared to matched neurotypical enrollees with SUD (<i>N</i> = 151,461). The analyses reveal that overdose, hospitalizations, and some polysubstance use risks are elevated among autistic people with SUD compared to neurotypical SUD patients. Analyses also suggest that autistic people with SUD use fewer SUD services compared to their neurotypical counterparts. Results highlight the need for integrative, evidence-based autism-tailored SUD service solutions.</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148474376","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Large-Scale Study on the Relation Between Multilingualism and Social Traits in Adults With and Without Autism Diagnoses","authors":"Margreet Vogelzang,&nbsp;Sean Dong Wei Gan,&nbsp;Jamie Setch","doi":"10.1002/aur.70300","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70300","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Autism Spectrum Disorder is a neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent difficulties in social interaction and communication alongside restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, or activities. Emerging evidence suggests that bi/multilingualism may enhance social interaction skills, yet prior research has largely focused on children, relied on small samples, and used oversimplified monolingual–bilingual groupings. The present study examines whether multilingual engagement predicts autism-associated social traits in adults with and without autism diagnoses. Specifically, we investigated whether childhood and/or current multilingual engagement (operationalized as entropy) predicts social interaction, communication, and overall autistic traits, measured via the Comprehensive Autistic Trait Inventory (CATI). Four hundred and fifty-nine adults (of which 132 diagnosed autistic) participated in the study. Analyses revealed that, both in the full sample and in the subsample of individuals with autism diagnoses, greater language entropy was associated with <i>lower CATI scores</i> in social interaction and overall. No relation between language entropy and communication traits was found. Within the autistic subgroup, the associations between current language entropy and both social interaction and overall CATI scores had large effect sizes (<i>ηp</i>\u0000 ² = 0.14–0.18). These findings show that multilingual engagement is reliably associated with reduced social autistic traits in adulthood.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70300","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148304230","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Does Ongoing Task Load Influence Prospective Remembering in Autism Spectrum Disorders?","authors":"Daniela Nürnberg,&nbsp;Mareike Altgassen","doi":"10.1002/aur.70285","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70285","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Prospective memory (PM) refers to the cognitive ability to remember to carry out intended actions in the future. The present study investigated PM performance in autistic and non-autistic adults as well as the impact of the cognitive load of the ongoing task on PM performance. A total of 50 autistic individuals and 51 age- and non-verbal ability-matched non-autistic individuals completed an event-based PM task, which was embedded into an ongoing n-back task. The cognitive load of the n-back task was varied (2- vs. 3-back for low versus high cognitive load). Results showed that autistic participants did not differ from non-autistic participants in their PM performance. The cognitive load of the ongoing task had no impact on event-based PM performance in both groups. This is the first study to investigate the impact of ongoing task load on event-based PM performance in autistic adults. The results support the neurodiversity perspective of ASD as a highly heterogeneous population which is not necessarily characterized by reduced PM performance.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70285","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148058539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Artificial Intelligence Methods in Early Detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A DSM-5 Criterion-Based Systematic Review","authors":"Mohamed Ali Zoromba,&nbsp;Heba Emad El-Gazar","doi":"10.1002/aur.70279","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70279","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Can Artificial Intelligence (AI) revolutionize early detection of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by offering a more objective alternative to the subjective behavioral assessments? This systematic review evaluates AI-based methods for early ASD detection in children, assessing the distribution, performance, and DSM-5 alignment of AI techniques, and the methodological quality of existing studies. Following PRISMA guidelines, seven databases (PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, IEEE Xplore, PsycNET, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library) were searched from January 2015 to March 2025; no backward or forward citation tracking was conducted. Studies were included if they focused on pediatric populations (ages 0–18) with clinically diagnosed ASD, employed AI detection/classification methods, utilized observable behavioral data, and reported diagnostic performance metrics. Studies using exclusively neurobiological data, adult populations, non-English publications, or lacking clear diagnostic reference standards were excluded. Two reviewers independently screened 1018 records; 43 met inclusion criteria. Methodological quality was assessed using QUADAS-2, adapted for machine learning considerations. Classical Machine Learning (34%), Deep Learning (34%), and Hybrid approaches (32%) were equally prevalent. Convolutional Neural Networks and Support Vector Machines dominated for unstructured and structured data, respectively. Most studies (74%) targeted both DSM-5 Criteria A and B; 23% focused solely on Criterion A. Direct DSM-5 alignment correlated with higher accuracy (median ~95%); overall accuracy ranged from 68.18% to 100%. Methodological concerns included 57% unclear patient selection and 43% unclear index test risk. AI demonstrates transformative potential for early ASD detection, particularly for social communication deficits. Gaps in Criterion B coverage, geographic skew toward high-income settings, and methodological inconsistencies limit clinical applicability. Future work should prioritize standardized protocols, multimodal integration, and diverse external validation.</p>\u0000 <p>\u0000 <b>Trial Registration:</b> PROSPERO registration ID: CRD420250656126</p>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148145604","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The Network Model of Mentalization, Social Vulnerability, and the Self in Autism: A Comparison With Neurotypical Adults","authors":"Szilárd Holka,&nbsp;Dániel Sörnyei,&nbsp;Ágota Vass,&nbsp;Levente Rónai,&nbsp;Kinga Farkas","doi":"10.1002/aur.70263","DOIUrl":"10.1002/aur.70263","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by alterations in social understanding and self-related experience that overlap with broader dimensions of psychosocial vulnerability. These domains are tightly interconnected, motivating the use of analytic approaches that can capture their organization as complex associations rather than as isolated dimensions. We applied network analysis to autistic adults (<i>N</i> = 156) and demographically matched neurotypical controls (<i>N</i> = 454). Gaussian graphical models were estimated using sum scores of psychosocial constructs, and networks were compared using centrality metrics and the network comparison test. Compared to neurotypical participants, autistic individuals showed higher levels of psychosocial difficulties and lower global network strength. Mentalization emerged as a central node in both groups, while autistic traits were more central in the neurotypical network and trait anxiety showed relatively higher centrality in the ASD network. These findings suggest that psychosocial vulnerability in autism is characterized by a distinct and less integrated network organization, with mentalization playing a central role across groups and anxiety showing a relatively greater centrality in ASD. Network-based approaches may therefore help identify mechanism-relevant targets for intervention and refine dimensional models of social and self-related functioning in autism.</p>","PeriodicalId":131,"journal":{"name":"Autism Research","volume":"19 7","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-07-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/aur.70263","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148267220","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}