The Early Start Denver Model Intervention and Mu Rhythm Attenuation in Autism Spectrum Disorders.

We examined the relationship between the Early start Denver model (ESDM) intervention and mu rhythm attenuation, an EEG paradigm reflecting neural processes associated with action perception and social information processing. Children were assigned to either receive comprehensive ESDM intervention for two years, or were encouraged to pursue resources in the community. Two years after intervention, EEG was collected during the execution and observation of grasping actions performed by familiar and unfamiliar agents.

Assessment of Feasibility of Face Covering in School-Aged Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

This cohort study reports the outcomes of using positive behavior supports to promote masking in school-aged children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) attending a summer day treatment program.

Modeling temporal dynamics of face processing in youth and adults.

A hierarchical model of temporal dynamics was examined in adults ( = 34) and youth ( = 46) across the stages of face processing during the perception of static and dynamic faces. Three ERP components (P100, N170, N250) and spectral power in the mu range were extracted, corresponding to cognitive stages of face processing: low-level vision processing, structural encoding, higher-order processing, and action understanding. Youth and adults exhibited similar yet distinct patterns of hierarchical temporal dynamics such that earlier cognitive stages predicted later stages, directly and indirectly.

Hedgehog signaling is necessary and sufficient to mediate craniofacial plasticity in teleosts.

Phenotypic plasticity, the ability of a single genotype to produce multiple phenotypes under different environmental conditions, is critical for the origins and maintenance of biodiversity; however, the genetic mechanisms underlying plasticity as well as how variation in those mechanisms can drive evolutionary change remain poorly understood. Here, we examine the cichlid feeding apparatus, an icon of both prodigious evolutionary divergence and adaptive phenotypic plasticity. We first provide a tissue-level mechanism for plasticity in craniofacial shape by measuring rates of bone deposition within functionally salient elements of the feeding apparatus in fishes forced to employ alternate foraging modes.

Modulation of mu attenuation to social stimuli in children and adults with 16p11.2 deletions and duplications.

Background: Copy number variations (CNV) within the recurrent ~600 kb chromosomal locus of 16p11.2 are associated with a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, little is known about the social brain phenotype of 16p11.

EEG mu rhythm in typical and atypical development.

Electroencephalography (EEG) is an effective, efficient, and noninvasive method of assessing and recording brain activity. Given the excellent temporal resolution, EEG can be used to examine the neural response related to specific behaviors, states, or external stimuli. An example of this utility is the assessment of the mirror neuron system (MNS) in humans through the examination of the EEG mu rhythm.

The role of imitation in the observed heterogeneity in EEG mu rhythm in autism and typical development.

Dysfunction in an execution/observation matching system, or mirror neuron system, has been proposed to contribute to the social deficits observed in Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Atypical activity in this system, as reflected in attenuation of the EEG mu rhythm, has been demonstrated in several studies; however, normative patterns of activity have been evident in other ASD samples. The current study sought to investigate this poorly understood heterogeneity in social perceptual brain function in ASD.