Comparison between the Clancy Behavior Scale and the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers in Taiwan.

(1) Background: Precise diagnosis and early intervention are crucial for toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to achieve a better prognosis. This study investigated the efficacy of the Clancy Behavior Scale (CBS) and Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) in detecting ASD among toddlers under 30 months of age. (2) Methods: A total of 215 toddlers (117 with ASD and 98 with development delays) aged between 18 and 29 months participated in this study.

Harm Avoidance is Correlated with the Reward System in Adult Patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study.

Objective: Hypoactivity in the reward system among patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a well-known phenomenon. Whether the activity in the reward pathway is related to harm avoidance, such as in sensitivity to punishment, is unclear. Evidence regarding the potential difference between ADHD patients and controls in terms of this association is scarce.

How Do Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Children with Developmental Delays Differ on the Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 DSM-Oriented Scales?

The Child Behavior Checklist 1.5-5 (CBCL 1.5-5) is applied to identify emotional and behavioral problems on children with developmental disabilities (e.

Effects of adding a concurrent cognitive task on manual dexterity in people with schizophrenia: Implications for performance of daily life activities.

This study investigated the effect of dual task performance of hand dexterity tasks and the relationship to daily functioning in 40 people with chronic schizophrenia and 35 healthy participants. Participants performed the Purdue Pegboard Test, O'Connor Finger Dexterity Test, and the Serial Subtracting Seven Task as the secondary task under single- and dual-task conditions and completed the Activities of Daily Living Rating Scale-III (ADLRS-III). The hand dexterity of all participants declined from the single to the dual tasks, and the discrepancy between single- and dual-task performance was significantly greater in the schizophrenia group than in the control group.

T-STAT for detecting autism spectrum disorder in toddlers aged 18-24 months.

The benefits of early intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorder highlight the importance of early diagnosis. Reliable diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder can be made before 24 months of age. However, many children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at a later age.

Early Neurodevelopmental Trajectories for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Children Born Very Preterm.

Background: Children born preterm are at high risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there is still a lack of appropriate developmental markers. In this study, we aim to examine whether early mental performance trajectory is related to ASD outcome in the preterm population.

The Utility of the Screening Tool for Autism in 2-Year-Olds in Detecting Autism in Taiwanese Toddlers Who are Less than 24 Months of Age: A Longitudinal Study.

The present longitudinal study examined the utility of the screening tool for autism in 2-year-olds (STAT) in detecting autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in toddlers who are less than 24 months of age. The study sample, which consisted of 119 toddlers with developmental problems, were assessed when they were between 16 and 24 months of age (Time 1) and after a period of 18 months to finalize the diagnosis (Time 2); 57 children had ASD and 62 children had developmental delays. A cutoff score of 2.

Altered Auditory P300 Performance in Parents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Offspring.

Objective: Altered event-related potential (ERP) performances have been noted in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients and reflect neurocognitive dysfunction. Whether these ERP alterations and correlated dysfunctions exist in healthy parents with ADHD offspring is worth exploring.

Methods: Thirteen healthy parents with ADHD offspring and thirteen healthy controls matched for age, sex and years of education were recruited.

Behavioral characteristics of autism spectrum disorder in very preterm birth children.

Background: Lower gestational age may increase autism spectrum disorder (ASD) vulnerability; however, the incidence of ASD diagnosis through a direct assessment on every very preterm birth child on the population base remains unclear. Moreover, the behavioral characteristics of preterm birth ASD are unknown.

Methods: Every very preterm birth child (gestational age < 32 weeks; birth weight < 1500 g) who was discharged from neonatal intensive care units in Southern Taiwan and prospectively followed to 5 years of age was evaluated using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R).

Orbitofrontal dysfunction during the reward process in adults with ADHD: An fMRI study.

Objective: The present study aimed to detect differences in the reward response between adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and healthy controls (HCs) using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Methods: The Iowa gambling task (IGT) was designed to explore participants' reward-related decision-making in relation to selections during risky behaviors. Twenty adults with ADHD and 20 HCs were enrolled.

Heart Rate Variability is Associated with Memory in Females.

Research into the association between heart rate variability (HRV) and cognitive function is scarce, particularly with regard to gender differences. HRV in 182 healthy volunteers was assessed by the root mean square of the successive difference (RMSSD) and spectrum analysis, while the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R) was used to determine memory function. Robust and significant associations were found to exist between HRV (RMSSD and high-frequency HRV) and domains of the WMS-R in females.

Availability of dopamine transporters and auditory P300 abnormalities in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder: preliminary results.

Objective: Previous studies have indicated that there is dopamine transporter (DAT) dysregulation and P300 abnormality in adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); however, the correlations among the three have not been fully explored.

Methods: A total of 11 adults (9 males and 2 females) with ADHD and 11 age-, sex-, and education-level-matched controls were recruited. We explored differences in DAT availability using single-photon emission computed tomography and P300 wave of event-related potentials between the two groups.

Service system and cognitive outcomes for young children with autism spectrum disorders in a rural area of Taiwan.

Chiayi is a rural county located in southwestern Taiwan, and the effectiveness of its early intervention service system for autism spectrum disorders was studied in detail. A total of 71 children with autism spectrum disorders ( n = 35) and developmental delay ( n = 36) aged 2.5 years were referred from the only Early Intervention Reporting and Referral Center in Chiayi and followed up at 4 years.

Availability of Striatal Dopamine Transporter in Healthy Individuals With and Without a Family History of ADHD.

Objective: ADHD is the most prevalent neurodevelopmental disorder. It is highly heritable and multifactorial, but the definitive causes remain unknown. Abnormal dopamine transporter (DAT) availability has been reported, but the data are inconsistent.

Efficacy of caregiver-mediated joint engagement intervention for young children with autism spectrum disorders.

Joint attention intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders was focused on improving joint engagement and joint attention skills. The purpose of this study was to develop a caregiver-mediated joint engagement intervention program combined with body movement play to investigate the effects of joint engagement/joint attention skills in young children with autism spectrum disorders. A quasi-experimental research design was conducted.

Development of T-STAT for early autism screening.

This study's purpose was to modify the Screening Tool for Autism in Two-Year-Olds (STAT) into a Taiwanese version called T-STAT. Study 1 included 15 children with Autism and 15 children with Developmental Delay (DD) or language impairment (LI) aged between 24 and 35 months. Study 2 had 77 young children with Autism, PDD-NOS, or DD/LI as a clinical-based validation sample.

Daily life events influence the results of the Dexamethasone Suppression Test in healthy women.

Although the Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) plays an important role in psychosomatic research, confounding factors limit the sensitivity and specificity of the DST. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between the intensity of daily life stressors and DST results in healthy participants after controlling the confounding factors. The subjects of this study consisted of 75 healthy volunteers.

Dual-phase 18F-FDG PET in the diagnosis of pulmonary nodules with an initial standard uptake value less than 2.5.

Objective: A cutoff standard uptake value (SUV) of 2.5 has been commonly adopted for (18)F-FDG PET to evaluate pulmonary lesions, but false results can occur. Studies have shown the usefulness of delayed PET for improving accuracy.

The functionality and economic costs of outpatients with schizophrenia in Taiwan.

The aims of this study were to investigate the economic costs of outpatients with schizophrenia in Taiwan, and to survey factors that influence the costs. The direct costs were defined as the costs associated with psychiatric services and other medical treatment. The indirect costs were estimated using the Human Capital Method.

The relation between striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability and sleep quality in healthy adults.

Purpose: Increasing evidence, primarily from animal studies and patients with compromised neurotransmitter systems, indicates a possibly important role for dopamine in modulating sleep. We therefore conducted this study to explore the relation between sleep and dopamine in healthy adults.

Methods: We used the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) to assess sleep quality.

The relationship among insight, cognitive function of patients with schizophrenia and their relatives' perception.

Medically, insight is a multidimensional concept. Results of previous studies are inconclusive regarding the relationship between insight and global and cognitive functions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship among insight, patients' global function, cognitive function of patients with schizophrenia and their key caregivers' perception about this disorder.

The correlation between striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability and verbal intelligence quotient in healthy volunteers.

Background: Although a correlation between the central dopaminergic system and intelligence may exist, the results from imaging studies remain inconclusive. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability and verbal intelligence quotient (VIQ) using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT).

Method: Striatal D2/D3 receptor availability of 64 healthy subjects was determined with the [123I]iodobenzamide ([123I]IBZM) ligand.

Striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability in male smokers.

It has been reported that the activation of the nicotine receptor evokes central endogenous dopamine release. However, whether smoking affects striatal dopamine D(2)/D(3) availability over the long run has not been well established in vivo. Fifteen male smokers and their matching controls were recruited.

The association between the Lie scale of the Maudsley personality inventory and striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability of healthy Chinese community subjects.

The present study examined the relationship between the Lie scale scores and striatal D(2)/D(3) receptor availability with respect to the cerebellum in 42 healthy community volunteers in Taiwan using single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) with [(123)I]iodo-benzoaminde (IBZM). Even after controlling of age and educational level, subjects' Lie scale scores of the Maudsley personality inventory correlate negatively with D(2)/D(3) receptor availability. Individual with higher Lie scale scores may have higher impulsivity due to lower dopaminergic availability.

Correlation between different memory systems and striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor density: a single photon emission computed tomography study.

Objective: Although studies have indicated that the human basal ganglia have a specific role in different memory systems, the functional significance of the striatal dopamine activities for the basal ganglia remains less clear. This study assessed the relationship between measures of striatal dopamine activities and indices of different memory systems in healthy individuals.

Method: Single photon emission computed tomography and [123I]IBZM (iodobenzamide) were used to assess the striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor density in 62 healthy volunteers aged between 19 and 61 years.