Super-Resolving and Denoising 4D flow MRI of Neurofluids Using Physics-Guided Neural Networks.

Purpose: To obtain high-resolution velocity fields of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and cerebral blood flow by applying a physics-guided neural network (div-mDCSRN-Flow) to 4D flow MRI.

Methods: The div-mDCSRN-Flow network was developed to improve spatial resolution and denoise 4D flow MRI. The network was trained with patches of paired high-resolution and low-resolution synthetic 4D flow MRI data derived from computational fluid dynamic simulations of CSF flow within the cerebral ventricles of five healthy cases and five Alzheimer's disease cases.

A Preliminary Analysis of Psychiatric Service Dog Placements and Sleep Patterns of Partners of Veterans With PTSD.

Partners of veterans diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are at risk of a variety of challenges, and it is unknown whether psychiatric service dogs are disruptive to their sleep or provide similar benefits that are seen in the limited literature on veterans. As part of a larger clinical trial examining the efficacy of psychiatric service dogs for veterans with PTSD and their families, this study focused on sleep patterns of veterans' partners ( = 88), incorporating both subjective (clinically validated self-report surveys) and objective sleep measures (actigraphy). Linear regression was used to analyze differences in relation to group (intervention versus control) at follow up, controlling for baseline score.

The cortisol awakening response in a 3 month clinical trial of service dogs for veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Recent literature suggests that service dogs may be a valuable complementary intervention option for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among military veterans due to the potential influence on stress response dysregulation. The aim of this short-term longitudinal study was to quantify the impact of service dogs in US military veterans with PTSD with particular attention to the cortisol awakening response. A sub aim of the study was to empirically evaluate the physiological effects of PTSD service dogs on veteran partners.

Neurofluid coupling during sleep and wake states.

Background: In clinical populations, the movement of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during sleep is a growing area of research with potential mechanistic connections in both neurodegenerative (e.g., Alzheimer's Disease) and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Simultaneous Recording of Objective Sleep in Mothers and School-aged Children with Developmental Disabilities: A Pilot Study of Actigraphy and Videosomnography.

Mothers of school-aged children ages 3 to 17 years with developmental disabilities (DDs) commonly report sleep problems in their children associated with impaired maternal sleep. However, existing research relies heavily on mothers' self-reported sleep. This study aimed to determine the feasibility of objectively measuring child and mother sleep-wake patterns using actigraphy and videosomnography.

Animal-Assisted Interventions for Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review of the Literature from 2016 to 2020.

In the last five years, the literature on animal-assisted intervention (AAI) for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) has doubled in size from 42 studies prior to 2015 to 85 studies (cumulative total assessed in 2020). Horses remain the most commonly researched animal for AAI, followed by dogs. The most commonly researched outcome was social interaction, across 21 studies.

Capturing the complexity of autism: Applying a developmental cascades framework.

Developmental change emerges from dynamic interactions among networks of neural activity, behavior systems, and experience-dependent processes. A developmental cascades framework captures the sequential, multilevel, cross-domain nature of human development and is ideal for demonstrating how interconnected systems have far-reaching effects in typical and atypical development. Neurodevelopmental disorders represent an intriguing application of this framework.

Sleep in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Narrative Review and Systematic Update.

Purpose Of Review: Sleep problems are a common comorbidity for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and research in this area has a relatively long history. Within this review, we first outline historic patterns in the field of sleep and ASD. Second, we conducted a systematic update and coded these studies based on their alignment with historic patterns.

Are Maternal Self-Reports of Social Difficulties Apparent in Interactions with their Children?

To inform parent-mediated intervention models, this study assessed if family affectedness (i.e., elevated autism symptoms in more than one child) was associated with maternal self-reported social difficulties (as indexed by the Social Responsiveness Scale; SRS-2), and social interactions during play.

Human CSF movement influenced by vascular low frequency oscillations and respiration.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) movement through the pathways within the central nervous system is of high significance for maintaining normal brain health and function. Low frequency hemodynamics and respiration have been shown to drive CSF in humans independently. Here, we hypothesize that CSF movement may be driven simultaneously (and in synchrony) by both mechanisms and study their independent and coupled effects on CSF movement using novel neck fMRI scans.

Early predictors of language skills at 3 years of age vary based on diagnostic outcome: A baby siblings research consortium study.

While previous work has identified the early predictors of language skills in infants at elevated familial risk (ER) and low familial risk (LR) for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), no studies to date have explored whether these predictors vary based on diagnostic outcome of ASD or no ASD. The present study used a large, multisite dataset to examine associations between a set of commonly studied predictor variables (infant gesture abilities, fine motor skills, nonverbal cognition, and maternal education level), measured at 12 months, and language skills, measured at 3 years, across three diagnostic outcome groups-infants with ASD ("ASD"), ER infants without ASD ("ER-no ASD"), and LR infants without ASD ("LR-no ASD"). Findings revealed that the predictors of language skills differed across groups, as gesture abilities were positively associated with language skills in the ER-no ASD group but negatively associated with language skills in the ASD group.

Coupling between cerebrovascular oscillations and CSF flow fluctuations during wakefulness: An fMRI study.

It is commonly believed that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) movement is facilitated by blood vessel wall movements (i.e., hemodynamic oscillations) in the brain.

Sleep, cerebrospinal fluid, and the glymphatic system: A systematic review.

Current theories of the glymphatic system (GS) hypothesize that it relies on cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) circulation to disseminate growth factors and remove metabolic waste from the brain with increased CSF production and circulation during sleep; thereby, linking sleep disturbance with elements of CSF circulation and GS exchange. However, our growing knowledge of the relations between sleep, CSF, and the GS are plagued by variability in sleep and CSF measures across a wide array of pathologies. Hence, this review aims to summarize the dynamic relationships between sleep, CSF-, and GS-related features in samples of typically developing individuals and those with autoimmune/inflammatory, neurodegenerative, neurodevelopmental, sleep-related, neurotraumatic, neuropsychiatric, and skull atypicalities.

An mCARE study on patterns of risk and resilience for children with ASD in Bangladesh.

Community-wide lockdowns in response to COVID-19 influenced many families, but the developmental cascade for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may be especially detrimental. Our objective was to evaluate behavioral patterns of risk and resilience for children with ASD across parent-report assessments before (from November 2019 to February 2020), during (March 2020 to May 2020), and after (June 2020 to November 2020) an extended COVID-19 lockdown. In 2020, our study Mobile-based care for children with ASD using remote experience sampling method (mCARE) was inactive data collection before COVID-19 emerged as a health crisis in Bangladesh.

Screening for Problematic Sleep in a Diverse Sample of Infants.

Objective: To examine screening strategies for identifying problematic sleep in a diverse sample of infants.

Methods: Parents of infants (5-19 months; N = 3,271) presenting for a primary care visit responded to five screening items and the Infant Sleep Questionnaire (ISQ), a validated measure of problematic infant sleep. If parents responded affirmatively to any screening item, primary care providers received a prompt to evaluate.

Informing Developmental Milestone Achievement for Children With Autism: Machine Learning Approach.

Background: Care for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) can be challenging for families and medical care systems. This is especially true in low- and- middle-income countries such as Bangladesh. To improve family-practitioner communication and developmental monitoring of children with ASD, mCARE (Mobile-Based Care for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Remote Experience Sampling Method) was developed.

Presleep Arousal and Sleep in Early Childhood.

Research suggests that arousal during the transition to sleep-presleep arousal-is associated with sleep disturbances. Although a robust literature has examined the role of presleep arousal in conferring risk for sleep disturbances in adults, substantially less research has examined the developmental origins of presleep arousal in early childhood. The authors examined presleep arousal using parent report and psychophysiological measures in a sample of preschoolers to explore the association between different measures of presleep arousal, and to examine how nightly presleep arousal is associated with sleep.

Sleep Dysregulation and Daytime Electrodermal Patterns in Children With Autism: A Descriptive Study.

Sleep deficiency influences emotion and behavior regulation but the mechanisms of influence are poorly understood. Emotion, behavioral, and sleep theories highlight differences in autonomic function as a potential pathway of influence and research in typical populations draw links between sleep deficiency and autonomic dysregulation (e.g.

Declining Gaze to Faces in Infants Developing Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence From Two Independent Cohorts.

Two independent cohorts (N = 155, N = 126) of infants at high and low risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were followed prospectively between 6 and 36 months of age, when n = 46 were diagnosed with ASD. Gaze to adult faces was coded-during a developmental assessment (Cohort 1) or a play interaction (Cohort 2). Across both cohorts, most children developing ASD showed sharp declines in gaze to faces over time, relative to children without ASD.

Factor Structure of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire in Young Children with and Without Autism.

The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) is often used to assess sleep in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but little is known about its factor structure in younger children with ASD. We evaluated alternative factor structures and measurement invariance for CSHQ items in 2- to 4-year-olds with ASD or typical development (TD). Bifactor models indicated subscales' variance was subsumed by a general factor predominantly reflecting sleep initiation and nighttime awakening items.

Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome and Disordered Eating: Clarifying the Overlap.

Objective: Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is estimated to occur in up to 1% of adolescents, with symptoms of dizziness, fatigue, and pain impacting daily functioning. However, many risk factors and symptoms for POTS overlap with those of youth with disordered eating, and adolescents with POTS may be at increased risk for developing eating disorders. Therefore, the present study sought to better understand this overlap.

Implementation of Infant Behavioral Sleep Intervention in a Diverse Sample of Mothers.

Objective/background: Behavioral Sleep Interventions (BSI) is an efficacious class of treatment approaches for infant sleep disturbance. Little is known about BSI implementation in the real world. Objectives were to a) examine the prevalence of BSI implementation and related factors in a diverse sample of US mothers; b) assess racial-ethnic group differences; and c) examine predictors of BSI implementation.

Dyadic Synchrony and Responsiveness in the First Year: Associations with Autism Risk.

In the first year of life, the ability to engage in sustained synchronous interactions develops as infants learn to match social partner behaviors and sequentially regulate their behaviors in response to others. Difficulties developing competence in these early social building blocks can impact later language skills, joint attention, and emotion regulation. For children at elevated risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD), early dyadic synchrony and responsiveness difficulties may be indicative of emerging ASD and/or developmental concerns.

Diversity in pediatric behavioral sleep intervention studies.

Studies designed to assess the efficacy of behavioral sleep interventions for infants and young children often report sleep improvements, but the generalization to children and families of diverse backgrounds is rarely assessed. The present study describes a systematic review of the racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity of behavioral sleep intervention studies for young children. Thirty-two behavioral sleep intervention studies (5474 children) were identified using PRISMA guidelines.