Pitch direction ability predicts melodic perception in autism.

Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often present atypical auditory perception. Previous work has reported both enhanced low-level pitch discrimination and superior abilities to detect local pitch structure on higher-level melodic tasks in ASD. However, it is unclear how low and high levels of auditory perception are related in ASD or typical development (TD), or how this relationship might change across development and stimulus presentation rates.

How and why should we engage parents as co-researchers in health research? A scoping review of current practices.

Background: The importance of engaging parents in health research as co-researchers is gaining growing recognition. While a number of benefits of involving parents as co-researchers have been proposed, guidelines on exactly how effective engagement can be achieved are lacking. The objectives of this scoping review were to (i) synthesize current evidence on engaging parents as co-researchers in health research; (ii) identify the potential benefits and challenges of engaging parent co-researchers; and (iii) identify gaps in the literature.

Language Ability Predicts Cortical Structure and Covariance in Boys with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

There is significant clinical heterogeneity in language and communication abilities of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). However, no consistent pathology regarding the relationship of these abilities to brain structure has emerged. Recent developments in anatomical correlation-based approaches to map structural covariance networks (SCNs), combined with detailed behavioral characterization, offer an alternative for studying these relationships.

Structural Gray Matter Differences During Childhood Development in Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Multimetric Approach.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, repetitive behaviors, and restricted interests. Gray matter differences linked to autism spectrum disorder have been studied using a variety of structural imaging methods, but yielded little consensus; the extent to which disparate results reflect differences in methodology or heterogeneity within autism spectrum disorder is not yet clear. Moreover, very few studies have examined gray matter changes as a function of age in autism spectrum disorder.

Examining and comparing social perception abilities across childhood-onset neurodevelopmental disorders.

Objective: Several neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with social processing deficits. The objective of this study was to compare patterns of social perception abilities across obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and control participants.

Method: A total of 265 children completed the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test-Child Version (RMET).

Atypical functional brain connectivity during rest in autism spectrum disorders.

Objective: Connectivity atypicalities in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been extensively proposed. The default mode network (DMN) is critical in this study, given the insight it provides for long-distance connectivity, and the importance of regions in this network for introspection and social emotion processing, areas affected in ASD. However, study of this network has largely been limited to adults; research earlier in development is lacking.

Metabolic mapping of deep brain structures and associations with symptomatology in autism spectrum disorders.

Structural neuroimaging studies in autism report atypical volume in deep brain structures which are related to symptomatology. Little is known about metabolic changes in these regions, and how they vary with age and sex, and/or relate to clinical behaviors. Using magnetic resonance spectroscopy we measured N-acetylaspartate, choline, creatine, myoinositol and glutamate in the caudate, putamen, and thalamus of 20 children with autism and 16 typically developing controls (7-18 years).

Neurofunctional underpinnings of audiovisual emotion processing in teens with autism spectrum disorders.

Despite successful performance on some audiovisual emotion tasks, hypoactivity has been observed in frontal and temporal integration cortices in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Little is understood about the neurofunctional network underlying this ability in individuals with ASD. Research suggests that there may be processing biases in individuals with ASD, based on their ability to obtain meaningful information from the face and/or the voice.

Effects of age and symptomatology on cortical thickness in autism spectrum disorders.

Several brain regions show structural and functional abnormalities in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but the developmental trajectory of abnormalities in these structures and how they may relate to social and communicative impairments are still unclear. We assessed the effects of age on cortical thickness in individuals with ASD, between the ages of 7 and 39 years in comparison to typically developing controls. Additionally, we examined differences in cortical thickness in relation to symptomatology in the ASD group, and their association with age.

The effect of diagnosis, age, and symptom severity on cortical surface area in the cingulate cortex and insula in autism spectrum disorders.

Functional activity in the anterior cingulate cortex and insula has been reported to be abnormal during social tasks in autism spectrum disorders. However, few studies have examined surface morphometry in these regions and how this may be related to autism spectrum disorder symptomatology. In this study, 27 individuals with autism spectrum disorders and 25 controls between the ages of 7 to 39 years underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging.