Background: The United States Food and Drug Administration has approved drugs that address only autism-related symptoms rather than the underlying impairments. N-Methyl-D-Aspartate receptor antagonists have recently emerged as a promising treatment option for a variety of neurologic and developmental problems, including autism.
Aims: To review (systematically), for the first time, the medical literature that explores the safety in and efficacy of memantine in autism.
Methods And Procedures: A comprehensive electronic search for relevant randomized controlled trials was conducted in four databases. Using RevMan software, we extracted and pooled data as a risk ratio (RR) or normalized mean differences in an inverse variance strategy.
Results: This systematic review and meta-analysis includes five trials. There was no difference in enhancing social responsiveness when compared to placebo, though memantine lowered the likelihood of anxiety (RR = 0.25; 95% Confidence interval: [0.07; 0.87], p = 0.03). However, memantine aggravated impulsive behaviors. Additionally, in another trial that compared memantine added to risperidone versus risperidone added to placebo, memantine was found to be effective and safe.
Conclusion: Memantine showed safety in reducing acute symptoms of anxiety and other symptoms encountered in pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorders. However, memantine does not improve the core symptoms of autism. Nevertheless, further long-term trials are needed to explore its potential efficacy.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/hup.2841 | DOI Listing |
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act
January 2025
Department of Sports Science and Physical Education, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Background: Physical activity (PA) interventions have been shown to yield positive effects on cognitive functions. However, it is unclear which type of PA intervention is the most effective in children and adolescents with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs). This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of different types of PA interventions on cognitive functions in children and adolescents with NDDs, with additional analyses examining intervention effects across specific NDD types including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMol Autism
January 2025
Department of Special Education, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel.
Background: Alterations in sensory perception, a core phenotype of autism, are attributed to imbalanced integration of sensory information and prior knowledge during perceptual statistical (Bayesian) inference. This hypothesis has gained momentum in recent years, partly because it can be implemented both at the computational level, as in Bayesian perception, and at the level of canonical neural microcircuitry, as in predictive coding. However, empirical investigations have yielded conflicting results with evidence remaining limited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMC Psychiatry
January 2025
Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, Section of Psychiatry, University of Pisa, 67 Via Roma, 56126, Pisa, Italy.
Objective: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by high rates of comorbidity with other mental disorders, including anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Beyond a mere concept of comorbidity, recent literature is speculating the existence of a neurodevelopmental nature of such mental disorders. The aim of the study is to investigate the distribution of social-phobic, obsessive-compulsive and panic-agoraphobic traits within a sample of individuals with ASD, social anxiety disorder (SAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and panic disorder (PD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Child Psychol Psychiatry
January 2025
Cotton Exchange Chambers, Liverpool, UK.
Objective: Anxiety rates amongst autistic youth range from 11% to 84%. While Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is an effective treatment of anxiety in neurotypical youth, there are concerns autistic youth lack the cognitive resources necessary to effectively engage with CBT. It is also unclear whether standard or adapted CBT is more effective.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDev Med Child Neurol
January 2025
Department of Community Health Sciences, Max Rady College of Medicine, Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Aim: To quantify optic nerve hypoplasia (ONH) and septo-optic-pituitary dysplasia (SOD) morbidities and comorbidities.
Method: A retrospective population-based study with a case-control design was undertaken using administrative health data from Manitoba, Canada. Cases were 124 patients with ONH or SOD (70 males, 54 females; age range 6 months-36 years 8 months [mean 13 years, SD 7 years 2 months]) diagnosed from 1990 to 2019, matched to 620 unrelated population-based controls (350 males, 270 females; age range 0-36 years 8 months [mean 12 years 5 months, SD 7 years 2 months]) on birth year, sex, and area of residence.
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