Do Children with PDDNOS Have a Theory of Mind?

This study sought to differentiate PDDNOS from a similar nonautistic disorder (i.e., language impairment) on the basis of a cognitive deficit, theory-of-mind (ToM). ToM is an ability to infer mental states in others and has been found to be highly prevalent in autism, a disorder that shares many characteristics with PDDNOS (Baron-Cohen, 1985; Volkmar & Cohen, 1988). A sample of 28 children with either PDDNOS or a language impairment formed two groups (n = 14), matched on gender and verbal mental age. Participants were administered the brain function task (Baron-Cohen, 1989) and the false belief task (Perner, Frith, Leslie, & Leekam, 1989) to assess ToM. Results suggest that children with PDDNOS are deficient in a ToM ability, however, this relationship is not as strong as in previous studies with autistic samples, suggesting that children with PDDNOS may have a greater ToM ability. The existence of PDDNOS on the higher end of a spectrum of the Pervasive Developmental Disorders as well as the construct of ToM itself existing on a continuum are discussed.     

Partial Status Epilepticus in Benign Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal Spikes: Are Independent Right and Left Seizures a Risk Factor?

PURPOSE: To describe an association between continuous simple partial seizures and independent right and left partial seizures in children with benign childhood epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes (BCECTS). METHODS: Three children with BCECTS and episodes of continuous simple partial seizures are described. RESULTS: All three children had a history of typical rolandic seizures occurring on the right and left sides of the body on different occasions. CONCLUSIONS: The occurrence of independent right and left rolandic seizures in children with BCECTS may be a predisposing factor for the development of partial status epilepticus.     

Do Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders Eat Differently and Less Adequately than Those with Subclinical ASD and Typical Development? EPINED Epidemiological Study

Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders - Food consumption in children with ASD, subclinical ASD and with typical development (TD), and their adequacy to dietary recommendations was studied....     

Do cognitively normal children with epilepsy have a higher rate of injury than their nonepileptic peers?

The objective of this study was to determine if cognitively normal children with epilepsy have higher accidental injury rates than their age- and sex-matched friends without epilepsy and what factors may predict this. Patients 5 to 16 years old, with a developmental quotient >70, without major motor or sensory impairments, with a 1-year history of epilepsy and who either had a seizure or had been on antiepileptic drugs within the past year, were identified from the pediatric neurology database of the Royal University Hospital. Twenty-five of 31 cases and their best friend controls agreed to participate. Seizure-related factors including type, duration, frequency, timing, date of diagnosis, antiepileptic drug initiation and discontinuation, and specific types and total antiepileptic drugs used were assessed by interview. Questionnaires about accidental injury including type, number, severity, and, if applicable, injuries resulting from seizures, as well as general safety practices, activity restrictions, and presence of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, were completed by cases and controls. No significant differences in injury numbers (specific types or total) or severity were found, although a small number of epileptic children were very predisposed to injury. Seizure-related factors did not predict injury in cases. Safety practices were similar, and restrictions in cases were not excessive. Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder had a higher injury rate, both in cases and controls. Cognitively normal children with epilepsy do not have a higher injury rate than their nonepileptic peers. If consciousness is impaired in seizures, extra supervision for swimming and bathing and restricted climbing heights are suggested. All other safety restrictions for epileptic children should follow those appropriate to nonepileptic children to allow a normal lifestyle.     

Do Children with Specific Language Impairment have a Cognitive Profile Reminiscent of Autism? A Review of the Literature

There is debate regarding the relationship between autism and specific language impairment (SLI), with some researchers proposing aetiological overlap between the conditions and others maintaining their aetiological distinction. Although considerable research has investigated the language phenotypes of these disorders, the relationship between the cognitive phenotypes has been left relatively unexplored. This paper reviews relevant literature on whether individuals with SLI exhibit cognitive characteristics reminiscent of autism. Overall, findings are inconsistent and there is a lack of substantive evidence supporting overlapping cognitive phenotypes in autism and SLI. Better powered and more rigorous experimental designs, as well as studies directly comparing the cognitive phenotype of children with SLI and those with autism will further elucidate the aetiological relationship between these two conditions.     

Do Children with Autism have a Theory of Mind? A Non-verbal Test of Autism vs. Specific Language Impairment

Children with autism have delays in the development of theory of mind. However, the sub-group of children with autism who have little or no language have gone untested since false belief tests (FB) typically involve language. FB understanding has been reported to be intact in children with specific language impairment (SLI). This raises the possibility that a non-verbal FB test would distinguish children with autism vs. children with SLI. The present study tested two predictions: (1) FB understanding is to some extent independent of language ability; and (2) Children with autism with low language levels show specific impairment in theory of mind. Results confirmed both predictions. Results are discussed in terms of the role of language in the development of mindreading.     

What Does the Modularity of Morals Have to Do With Ethics? Four Moral Sprouts Plus or Minus a Few

Flanagan (1991) was the first contemporary philosopher to suggest that a modularity of morals hypothesis (MMH) was worth consideration by cognitive science. There is now a serious empirically informed proposal that moral competence is best explained in terms of moral modules‐evolutionarily ancient, fast‐acting, automatic reactions to particular sociomoral experiences ( Haidt & Joseph, 2007 ). MMH fleshes out an idea nascent in Aristotle, Mencius, and Darwin. We discuss the evidence for MMH, specifically an ancient version, “Mencian Moral Modularity,” which claims four innate modules, and “Social Intuitionist Modularity,” which claims five innate modules. We compare these two moral modularity models, discuss whether the postulated modules are best conceived as perceptual/Fodorian or emotional/Darwinian, and consider whether assuming MMH true has any normative ethical consequences whatsoever. The discussion of MMH reconnects cognitive science with normative ethics in a way that involves the reassertion of the “is‐ought” problem. We explain in a new way what this problem is and why it would not yield. The reason does not involve the logic of “ought,” but rather the plasticity of human nature and the realistic options to “grow” and “do” human nature in multifarious legitimate ways.     

Is a combined therapy more effective than either CBT or SSRI alone? Results of a multicenter trial on panic disorder with or without agoraphobia

Objective: To establish whether the combination of cognitive‐behavioral therapy (CBT) and pharmacotherapy (SSRI) was more effective in treating panic disorder (PD) than either CBT or SSRI alone, and to evaluate any differential effects between the mono‐treatments. Method: Patients with PD (n = 150) with or without agoraphobia received CBT, SSRI or CBT + SSRI. Outcome was assessed after 9 months, before medication taper. Results: CBT + SSRI was clearly superior to CBT in both completer and intent‐to‐treat analysis (ITT). Completer analysis revealed superiority of CBT + SSRI over SSRI on three measures and no differences between CBT and SSRI. ITT analysis revealed superiority of SSRI over CBT on four measures and no differences between CBT + SSRI and SSRI. Conclusion: Both the mono‐treatments (CBT and SSRI) and the combined treatment (CBT + SSRI) proved to be effective treatments for PD. At post‐test, CBT + SSRI was clearly superior to CBT, but differences between CBT + SSRI and SSRI, and between SSRI and CBT, were small.     

What Does Sex Have to Do with It? The Role of Sex as a Biological Variable in the Development of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

Purpose of Review

This review highlights the neurobiological aspects of sex differences in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), specifically focusing on the physiological responses to trauma and presents evidence supporting hormone and neurosteroid/peptide differences from both preclinical and clinical research.

Recent Findings

While others have suggested that trauma type or acute emotional reaction are responsible for women’s disproportionate risk to PTSD, neither of these explanations fully accounts for the sex differences in PTSD. Sex differences in brain neurocircuitry, anatomy, and neurobiological processes, such as those involved in learning and memory, are discussed as they have been implicated in risk and resilience for the development of PTSD. Gonadal and stress hormones have been found to modulate sex differences in the neurocircuitry and neurochemistry underlying fear learning and extinction.

Summary

Preclinical research has not consistently controlled for hormonal and reproductive status of rodents nor have clinical studies consistently examined these factors as potential moderators of risk for PTSD. Sex as a biological variable (SABV) should be considered, in addition to the endocrine and reproductive status of participants, in all stress physiology and PTSD research.

     

Do antiphospholipid antibodies increase the long‐term risk of thrombotic complications in young patients with a recent TIA or ischemic stroke?

BACKGROUND: The purpose of our study was to determine the relative risk of thrombotic events in young patients with a recent TIA or ischemic stroke and positive antiphospholipid antibodies (aPL). METHODS: We included 128 consecutive patients aged 18-45 years with a recent TIA or ischemic stroke. All patients underwent computed tomography scanning and were screened for cardiovascular risk factors, cardiac disorders and large vessel disease. Lupus anticoagulant (LA) was screened for by an APTT-based assay and a diluted PT-assay. Anticardiolipin antibodies (aCL) were tested by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, using cardiolipin and anti-human IgG and IgM. Thrombotic events could be TIA, stroke, myocardial infarction, deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism. Product limit estimates of the time free of TIA or stroke and of the time free of any thrombotic event were made. The relative risk was estimated by means of a Cox proportional hazards regression model. RESULTS: Of the 128 patients, 22 (17.2%) had aPL. The mean follow-up was 3 years and 3 months (range 41 days to 6 yrs). The incidence of any thrombotic event per 100 patient years of follow-up was 9.0, and the incidence of recurrent stroke or TIA was 7.9. The relative risk of any thrombotic event in patients with aPL was 0.9 (95% CI: 0.3-2.4) and for recurrent ischemic stroke or TIA 0.7 (95% CI: 0.3-2.2). CONCLUSION: In young patients with a recent TIA or ischemic stroke, aPL do not seem to be a strong risk factor for recurrent stroke or TIA, nor for other thrombotic complications.