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| Research article summary (published 29 Apr 2009): |
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Neuropsychological profile of autism and the broad autism phenotype.
Full Abstract
CONTEXT: Multiple articles describe a constellation of language, personality, and social-behavioral features present in relatives that mirror the symptom domains of autism, but are much milder in expression. Studies of this broad autism phenotype (BAP) may provide a potentially important complementary approach for detecting the genes causing autism and defining associated neural circuitry by identifying more refined phenotypes that can be measured quantitatively in both affected and unaffected individuals and that are tied to functioning in particular regions of the brain. OBJECTIVE: To gain insight into neuropsychological features that index genetic liability to autism. DESIGN: Case-control study. SETTING: The general community. PARTICIPANTS: Thirty-eight high-functioning individuals with autism and parents of autistic individuals, both with and without the BAP (n = 83), as well as control individuals. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: A comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tasks assessing social cognition, executive function, and global vs local processing strategies (central coherence). RESULTS: Both individuals with autism and parents with the BAP differed from controls on measures of social cognition, with performance in the other 2 domains being more similar to controls. CONCLUSIONS: Data suggest that the social cognitive domain may be an important target for linking phenotype to cognitive process to brain structure in autism and may ultimately provide insight into the genes involved in autism.
Author information
Author/s: Losh, Molly (M); Adolphs, Ralph (R); Poe, Michele D (MD); Couture, Shannon (S); Penn, David (D); Baranek, Grace T (GT); Piven, Joseph (J);
Affiliation: Department of Allied Health Sciences, Campus Box 7190, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7190, USA. losh(-atsign-)med.unc.edu
Grants: 1 U54 MH66418 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; KL2RR025746 (Agency:NCRR NIH HHS) ; L30 MH081741-01 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; R01 MH080721-02 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS) ; R03 MH079998-01A1 (Agency:NIMH NIH HHS)
Journal and publication information
Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Journal: Archives of general psychiatry (Arch Gen Psychiatry), published in United States. (Language: eng)
Reference: 2009-May; vol 66 (issue 5) : pp 518-26
Dates: Created 2009/05/05; Completed 2009/05/18; Revised 2009/09/09;
PMID: 19414711, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 9/10/2009, IMS Date: 10 Sep 2009 00:00:00)
Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.
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