{"title":"Innate Immune Dysfunction and Neuroinflammation in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).","authors":"H K Hughes, R J Moreno, P Ashwood","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.24022004","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.24022004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heterogeneous neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by communication and social behavior deficits. The presence of restricted and repetitive behaviors often accompanies these deficits, and these characteristics can range from mild to severe. The past several decades have seen a significant rise in the prevalence of ASD. The etiology of ASD remains unknown; however, genetic and environmental risk factors play a role. Multiple hypotheses converge to suggest that neuroinflammation, or at least the interaction between immune and neural systems, may be involved in the etiology of some ASD cases or groups. Repeated evidence of innate immune dysfunction has been seen in ASD, often associated with worsening behaviors. This evidence includes data from circulating myeloid cells and brain resident macrophages/microglia in both human and animal models. This comprehensive review presents recent findings of innate immune dysfunction in ASD, including aberrant innate cellular function, evidence of neuroinflammation, and microglia activation. Appeared originally in <i>Brain Behav Immun</i> 2023; 108:245-254.</p>","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11046725/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140872427","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Systematic Review: Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Gut Microbiota.","authors":"Jenni Korteniemi, Linnea Karlsson, Anna Aatsinki","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.24022008","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.24022008","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are a varying group of disorders characterized by deficiency in social interaction and restrictive patterns of behavior and interests. While there are several studies focusing on the neuro-psychiatric pathogenesis of ASD, its etiology remains unclear. The role of gut-brain-axis in ASD has been studied increasingly and a correlation between symptoms and the composition of gut microbiota has been documented in various works. Despite this, the significance of individual microbes and their function is still widely unknown. This work aims to elucidate the current knowledge of the interrelations between ASD and the gut microbiota in children based on scientific evidence.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This is a systematic review done by a literature search focusing on the main findings concerning the gut microbiota composition, interventions targeting the gut microbiota, and possible mechanisms explaining the results in children aged between 2 and 18 years of age.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Most studies in this review found significant differences between microbial communities, while there was notable variation in results regarding diversity indices or taxonomic level abundance. The most consistent results regarding taxa differences in ASD children's gut microbiota were higher levels of Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria and <i>Sutterella</i> compared to controls.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>These results show that the gut microbiota of children with ASD is altered compared to one of neurotypically developed children. More research is needed to discover whether some of these features could be used as potential biomarkers for ASD and how the gut microbiota could be targeted in therapeutical interventions.Appeared originally in <i>Acta Psychiatr Scand</i> 2023;148:242-254.</p>","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11046714/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140873805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Update on Psychopharmacological Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder.","authors":"Ramkumar Aishworiya, Tatiana Valica, Randi Hagerman, Bibiana Restrepo","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.24022006","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.24022006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>While behavioral interventions remain the mainstay of treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), several potential targeted treatments addressing the underlying neurophysiology of ASD have emerged in the last few years. These are promising for the potential to, in future, become part of the mainstay treatment in addressing the core symptoms of ASD. Although it is likely that the development of future targeted treatments will be influenced by the underlying heterogeneity in etiology, associated genetic mechanisms influencing ASD are likely to be the first targets of treatments and even gene therapy in the future for ASD. In this article, we provide a review of current psychopharmacological treatment in ASD including those used to address common comorbidities of the condition and upcoming new targeted approaches in autism management. Medications including metformin, arbaclofen, cannabidiol, oxytocin, bumetanide, lovastatin, trofinetide, and dietary supplements including sulforophane and N-acetylcysteine are discussed. Commonly used medications to address the comorbidities associated with ASD including atypical antipsychotics, serotoninergic agents, alpha-2 agonists, and stimulant medications are also reviewed. Targeted treatments in Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common genetic disorder leading to ASD, provide a model for new treatments that may be helpful for other forms of ASD. Appeared originally in <i>Neurotherapeutics</i> 2022; 19:248-262.</p>","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11046717/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140873849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Clémence Bougeard, Françoise Picarel-Blanchot, Ramona Schmid, Rosanne Campbell, Jan Buitelaar
{"title":"Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder and Co-Morbidities in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Literature Review.","authors":"Clémence Bougeard, Françoise Picarel-Blanchot, Ramona Schmid, Rosanne Campbell, Jan Buitelaar","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.24022005","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.24022005","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>Individuals with autism spectrum disorder often present somatic and/or psychiatric co-morbid disorders. The DSM-5 allows for consideration of additional diagnoses besides ASD and may have impacted the prevalence of co-morbidities as well as being limited in capturing the true differences in prevalence observed between males and females. We describe the prevalence of ASD and frequently observed co-morbidities in children and adolescents (<18 years) in the United States and five European countries.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Two systematic literature reviews were conducted in PubMed and Embase for the period 2014-2019 and focusing on the prevalence of ASD and nine co-morbidities of interest based on their frequency and/or severity: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depressive disorders, epilepsy, intellectual disability (ID), sleep disorders, sight/hearing impairment/loss, and gastro-intestinal syndromes (GI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirteen studies on prevalence of ASD and 33 on prevalence of co-morbidities were included. Prevalence of ASD was 1.70 and 1.85% in U.S children aged 4 and 8 years respectively, while prevalence in Europe ranged between 0.38 and 1.55%. Additionally, current evidence is supportive of a global increase in ASD prevalence over the past years. Substantial heterogeneity in prevalence of co-morbidities was observed: ADHD (0.00-86.00%), anxiety (0.00-82.20%), depressive disorders (0.00-74.80%), epilepsy (2.80-77.50%), ID (0.00-91.70%), sleep disorders (2.08-72.50%), sight/hearing impairment/loss (0.00-14.90%/0.00-4.90%), and GI syndromes (0.00-67.80%). Studies were heterogeneous in terms of design and method to estimate prevalence. Gender appears to represent a risk factor for co-morbid ADHD (higher in males) and epilepsy/seizure (higher in females) while age is also associated with ADHD and anxiety (increasing until adolescence).</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Our results provide a descriptive review of the prevalence of ASD and its co-morbidities in children and adolescents. These insights can be valuable for clinicians and parents/guardians of autistic children. Prevalence of ASD has increased over time while co-morbidities bring additional heterogeneity to the clinical presentation, which further advocates for personalized approaches to treatment and support. Having a clear understanding of the prevalence of ASD and its co-morbidities is important to raise awareness among stakeholders.Appeared originally in <i>Front Psychiatry</i> 2021; 12:744709.</p>","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11046711/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140868306","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Einat Waizbard-Bartov, Deborah Fein, Catherine Lord, David G Amaral
{"title":"Autism Severity and its Relationship to Disability.","authors":"Einat Waizbard-Bartov, Deborah Fein, Catherine Lord, David G Amaral","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.24022007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.24022007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Autism severity is currently defined and measured based exclusively on the severity levels of the two core symptom domains: social-communication and restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviors and interests. Autistic individuals, however, are often diagnosed with other medical, developmental, and psychological co-occurring conditions. These additional challenges such as intellectual disability, limited expressive and/or receptive language, and anxiety disorders, can have a tremendous impact on the day-to-day lives of autistic individuals, for both their adaptive functioning as well as their sense of wellbeing. Furthermore, the initial presentation of core symptoms and their likelihood of changing over time are influenced by the presence of such co-occurring conditions. In order to truly understand how a person's autism impacts their life, both core symptoms as well as other challenges should be considered. This approach was recently taken by <i>The Lancet Commission on the future of care and clinical</i> <i>research in autism</i>, which proposed the term \"profound autism\" for a subgroup of individuals presenting with high core symptom severity, co-occurring intellectual disability, and little or no language, who require extensive long-term care. Considering other individual factors such as daily living skills, specific support needs and environmental resources would also enhance the evaluation of disability in autistic individuals. As currently employed in the assessment of intellectual disability, a multidimensional approach to autism could provide a more comprehensive system for classification of impairment. At present, however, there is no formal way to designate the combined effect of these different aspects of autism on a person's life. A comprehensive outlook that acknowledges impairments, capabilities, co-occurring conditions, and environmental factors would be useful for identifying subgroups of individuals as well as for determining individual needs and strengths in clinical assessments. <b>Lay Summary:</b> The severity of a person's autism is currently defined based on the severity of their core autism symptoms: impaired social-communication and the presence of restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviors and interests. But autistic people often face additional challenges such as intellectual disability, epilepsy, and anxiety disorder, that considerably impact their everyday life, wellbeing, and the need for support. A more complete view of autism severity, one that includes core symptoms as well as additional challenges, could help identify meaningful sub-groups of autistic individuals and could be useful in clinical care. Appeared originally in <i>Autism Res</i> 2023; 16:685-696.</p>","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-04-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11046712/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140875064","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nina M Molenaar, Eline M P Poels, Thalia Robakis, Richard Wesseloo, Veerle Bergink
{"title":"Management of Lithium Dosing Around Delivery: An Observational Study.","authors":"Nina M Molenaar, Eline M P Poels, Thalia Robakis, Richard Wesseloo, Veerle Bergink","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.23021031","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.23021031","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>Recommendations on lithium dosing around delivery vary, with several guidelines suggesting that lithium should be discontinued prior to delivery. We aimed to evaluate the validity of these recommendations by investigating 1) maternal lithium blood level changes following delivery, and 2) the association between neonatal lithium blood levels at delivery and neonatal outcomes.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this retrospective observational cohort study, we included women with at least one lithium blood level measurement during the final week of pregnancy and the first postpartum week. For aim 2, we included a subcohort of women with neonates for whom neonatal lithium blood levels (obtained from the umbilical cord or a neonatal vein puncture within 24 hours of delivery) were available.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>There were a total of 233 maternal lithium blood level measurements; 55 (23.6%) in the week before delivery and 178 (76.4%) in the week after. There was no association between time and lithium blood level/dose ratio (Pearson correlation coefficient -0.03, <i>P</i> = .63). Additionally, we included a total of 29 neonates for whom a lithium measurement was performed within 24 hours postpartum. Maternal and neonatal lithium blood levels were strongly correlated. We observed no associations between neonatal lithium blood levels at delivery and neonatal outcomes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Based on our findings, we do not recommend lowering the dosage or discontinuation of lithium prior to delivery. Stable dosing can prevent subtherapeutic lithium serum levels, which is especially important in the postpartum period when relapse risks are highest.Appeared originally in <i>Bipolar Disord 2021; 23:49-54</i>.</p>","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11058920/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140868179","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sarah C Haight, Jean Y Ko, Van T Tong, Michele K Bohm, William M Callaghan
{"title":"Opioid Use Disorder Documented at Delivery Hospitalization-United States, 1999-2014.","authors":"Sarah C Haight, Jean Y Ko, Van T Tong, Michele K Bohm, William M Callaghan","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.23021030","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.23021030","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11058929/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140872267","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bridging the Gap: Integrating Awareness of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Into Mental Health Practice.","authors":"Lindsay R Standeven, Annie Ho, Liisa Hantsoo","doi":"10.1176/appi.focus.20230024","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.focus.20230024","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among women of reproductive age. Individuals with PCOS report reduced quality of life compared with those without PCOS, with possible contributing factors including infertility, hirsutism, irregular menses, and weight gain. Recent literature also supports increased associations between PCOS and co-occurring psychiatric conditions, particularly depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and eating disorders. It is concerning that a higher prevalence of suicidal ideation has been observed in individuals with PCOS. Given the high rates of psychiatric burden among those with PCOS, psychiatric care providers are well suited to be on the front lines of screening for psychiatric symptoms as well as initiating treatment. Current interventions include lifestyle changes (improving exercise and nutrition), pharmacological treatments (e.g., insulin-sensitizing agents, oral contraceptives, and psychotropic drugs), and psychotherapeutic interventions (e.g., cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based therapy). This review provides an overview of recent research on the prevalence of comorbid psychiatric conditions, a foundation in PCOS-specific symptom screening and diagnosis, and an overview of treatments for psychiatric symptoms among individuals with PCOS.</p>","PeriodicalId":73036,"journal":{"name":"Focus (American Psychiatric Publishing)","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11058927/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140872425","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}