Publications by authors named "Keun-ah Cheon"

Background: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are both associated with impairment in executive function, particularly in complex attention. Although previous studies using clinical assessments have attempted to delineate differences between these disorders, the findings have been inconclusive. Our study aims to elucidate the differences of endophenotype between ASD, ADHD, and their co-occurring condition utilizing a uniform computerized test.

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Article Synopsis
  • The terms "slow learners" and "borderline intellectual functioning (BIF)" are not clearly defined and have evolved over time without a consensus.
  • Diagnosing BIF involves factors like IQ, adaptive functioning, and developmental symptom onset, but there are no specific standards for assessment.
  • The removal of an IQ range from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 has made it harder to accurately identify individuals with BIF, signaling a need for better classification systems.
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Borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) is characterized by cognitive impairment and deficits in adaptive functioning. Despite affecting a significant proportion of the population, BIF still remains underdiagnosed and poorly understood. In addition to cognitive impairments across a range of domains, individuals with BIF face a greater risk of academic failure and often require special educational support.

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Purpose: Numerous studies have supported the role of the immune dysfunction in the pathogenesis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD); however, to our knowledge, no study has been conducted on plasma cytokine levels in children with ASD in South Korea. In this study, we aimed to analyze the immunological characteristics of Korean children with ASD through plasma cytokine analysis.

Materials And Methods: Blood samples were collected from 94 ASD children (mean age 7.

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Background: Numerous interventions for irritability in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been investigated. We aimed to appraise the magnitude of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for irritability in ASD without any restrictions in terms of eligible interventions.

Methods: We systematically searched PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science until April 15, 2023.

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Importance: Screening for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is constrained by limited resources, particularly trained professionals to conduct evaluations. Individuals with ASD have structural retinal changes that potentially reflect brain alterations, including visual pathway abnormalities through embryonic and anatomic connections. Whether deep learning algorithms can aid in objective screening for ASD and symptom severity using retinal photographs is unknown.

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Introduction: Previous studies have investigated predictive factors for parenting stress in caregivers of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) patients using traditional statistical approaches, but their study settings and results were inconsistent. Herein, this study aimed to identify major predictors for parenting stress in this population by developing explainable machine learning models.

Methods: Study participants were collected from the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, the Republic of Korea between March 2016 and October 2020.

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Data on incidence, prevalence and burden of ADHD are crucial for clinicians, patients, and stakeholders. We present the incidence, prevalence, and burden of ADHD globally and across countries from 1990 to 2019 from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study. We also: (1) calculated the ADHD prevalence based on data actually collected as opposed to the prevalence estimated by the GBD with data imputation for countries without prevalence data; (2) discussed the GBD estimated ADHD burden in the light of recent meta-analytic evidence on ADHD-related mortality.

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Children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience various sleep problems. Sleep problems co-occur in a bidirectional relationship with ASD core symptoms and behavioral problems. However, studies on how these three factors are intricately linked to each other are limited.

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Article Synopsis
  • This study investigates sleep issues in medication-naïve children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to typically developing peers.
  • It includes a systematic review of 16 studies, involving nearly 2,200 participants, focusing on both objective and subjective sleep measures like sleep latency and efficiency.
  • Results show that ASD patients experience longer sleep latency, lower sleep efficiency, and more daytime sleepiness, indicating significant sleep disturbances in this group.
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Objective: The victims and their families of child sexual abuse (CSA) may confront persistent psychological sequela. We aimed to investigate the psychological symptoms, diagnosis, and family functions in children and adolescents with CSA.

Methods: We assessed the symptom scales at 6-month intervals, and conducted diagnostic re-assessments at 1-year intervals.

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Article Synopsis
  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a significant mental health issue worldwide, with rising diagnostic rates largely influenced by improved awareness and clinical changes.
  • Data from 1990 to 2019 shows stable global prevalence rates, yet an increase in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) in high socio-demographic index (SDI) countries, while low SDI countries show a declining incidence, stressing a need for better awareness and diagnosis.
  • The male/female ratio in ASD diagnoses has decreased, highlighting the growing recognition of ASD in females, and overall burden estimates are likely underestimated due to neglecting mortality rates in the Global Burden of Disease framework.
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Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are frequently diagnosed with co-occurring medical conditions including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). To investigate the association, we conducted a systematic review registered in PROSPERO (ID:CRD42021236263) with a random-effects meta-analysis. We searched PubMed, Embase, and PsycInfo (last search on January 25, 2021), and manually searched relevant publications.

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Children with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and intellectual disability (ID), need early intervention and continuous treatment. We aimed to investigate the feasibility and acceptability of mobile application-based interventions in children with ADHD and ID in supporting attention and cognitive function. Twenty-six children with ADHD and/or ID with attention and cognition difficulties were recruited.

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The clinical heterogeneity of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is closely associated with the diversity of genes related to ASD pathogenesis. With their low effect size, it has been hard to define the role of common variants of genes in ASD phenotype. In this study, we reviewed genetic results and clinical scores widely used for ASD diagnosis to investigate the role of genes in ASD phenotype considering their functions in molecular pathways.

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Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by social and behavioral impairments. Recent studies have suggested that gut microbiota play a critical role in ASD pathogenesis. Herein, we investigated the fecal microflora of Korean ASD children to determine gut microbiota profiles associated with ASD.

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  • Tourette syndrome (TS) is influenced by genetic and environmental factors, and this study investigated how specific genetic variants interact with pre- and perinatal adversity to affect tic severity in individuals with TS.
  • Researchers examined 98 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from various sources, including previous GWAS studies, to determine their association with tic severity using linear regression models.
  • While one SNP (rs7123010) showed a significant link to higher tic severity, the overall findings regarding the gene-environment interactions were not replicated in a second sample, suggesting more research is needed in this area.
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Tourette syndrome (TS) is a neuropsychiatric disorder of complex genetic architecture involving multiple interacting genes. Here, we sought to elucidate the pathways that underlie the neurobiology of the disorder through genome-wide analysis. We analyzed genome-wide genotypic data of 3581 individuals with TS and 7682 ancestry-matched controls and investigated associations of TS with sets of genes that are expressed in particular cell types and operate in specific neuronal and glial functions.

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Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate differences in language ability and emotional-behavioral problems according to the severity of social communication impairments (SCI) and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

Materials And Methods: We grouped 113 children with ASD aged 3-12 years according to the severity of SCI and RRB, and investigated language differences and emotional-behavioral problems among the severity groups. If differences in language abilities between the groups were observed, they were further subdivided to examine possible predictors of both receptive and expressive language abilities.

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The microbiota-gut-brain axis, which refers to the bidirectional communication pathway between gut bacteria and the central nervous system, has a profound effect on important brain processes, from the synthesis of neurotransmitters to the modulation of complex behaviors such as sociability and anxiety. Previous studies have revealed that the gut microbiota is potentially related to not only gastrointestinal disturbances, but also social impairment and repetitive behavior-core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Although studies have been conducted to characterize the microbial composition in patients with ASD, the results are heterogeneous.

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Purpose: Emergency department (ED) is a common treatment setting for adolescents with clinically serious self-harm. Here, we investigated the clinical characteristics and trends of adolescents with self-harm who visited the ED in one Korean university hospital. We also compared patients with a single ED visit to those with multiple ED visits to identify the risk factor of repeated visits.

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Article Synopsis
  • Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that affects social communication and behavior, and understanding its genetic basis is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.
  • Next-generation sequencing (NGS) allows for simultaneous analysis of multiple genes, which can enhance our understanding of autism genetics and aid in identifying significant genetic variants associated with ASD.
  • The study reviewed genetic data from 137 individuals with ASD, finding a diagnostic yield of 17.51% and noting that pathogenic variants were more common in females, with implications for both ASD and comorbidity with epilepsy.
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