Visual Attention to Competing Social and Object Images by Preschool Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Eye tracking studies of young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) report a reduction in social attention and an increase in visual attention to non-social stimuli, including objects related to circumscribed interests (CI) (e.g., trains). In the current study, fifteen preschoolers with ASD and 15 typically developing controls matched on gender and age (range 24–62 months) were eye tracked while viewing a paired preference task of face and object stimuli. While co-varying verbal and nonverbal developmental quotients, preschoolers with ASD were similar to controls in their visual attention to faces presented with objects unrelated to CI, but attended significantly less than controls to faces presented with CI-related objects. This was consistent across three metrics: preference, prioritization and duration. Social attention in preschoolers with ASD therefore appears modulated by salience of competing non-social stimuli, which may affect the development of both social and non-social characteristics of the disorder.     

The Strategic Use of Noise in Pragmatic Reasoning

We combine two recent probabilistic approaches to natural language understanding, exploring the formal pragmatics of communication on a noisy channel. We first extend a model of rational communication between a speaker and listener, to allow for the possibility that messages are corrupted by noise. In this model, common knowledge of a noisy channel leads to the use and correct understanding of sentence fragments. A further extension of the model, which allows the speaker to intentionally reduce the noise rate on a word, is used to model prosodic emphasis. We show that the model derives several well-known changes in meaning associated with prosodic emphasis. Our results show that nominal amounts of actual noise can be leveraged for communicative purposes.     

Exposure to childhood trauma is associated with altered n-back activation and performance in healthy adults: implications for a commonly used working memory task

Previous research suggests that a history of early life stress (ELS) impacts working memory (WM) in adulthood. Despite the widespread use of WM paradigms, few studies have evaluated whether ELS exposure, in the absence of psychiatric illness, also impacts WM-associated brain activity in ways that might improve sensitivity to these ELS effects or provide insights into the mechanisms of these effects. This study evaluated whether ELS affects WM behavioral performance and task-associated activity by acquiring 3T functional images from 27 medication-free healthy adults (14 with ELS) during an N-back WM task that included 0- and 2-back components. Whole brain voxel-wise analysis was performed to evaluate WM activation, followed by region of interest analyses to evaluate relationships between activation and clinical variables. ELS was associated with poorer accuracy during the 2-back (79 %?±?19 vs. 92 %?±?9, p?=?0.049); accuracy and response time otherwise did not differ between groups. During the 0-back, ELS participants demonstrated increased activation in the superior temporal gyrus/insula, left inferior parietal lobule (IPL) (both corrected p?<?0.001), and middle temporal and parahippocampal gyrus (MTG/PHG)(corrected p?<?0.010). During the 2-back, ELS was associated with greater activation in the IPL, MTG/PHG and inferior frontal gyrus (corrected p?<?0.001), with a trend towards precuneus activation (p?=?0.080). These findings support previous research showing that ELS is associated with impaired neurobehavioral performance and changes in brain activation, suggesting recruitment of additional cognitive resources during WM in ELS. Based on these findings, ELS screening in future WM imaging studies appears warranted.     

Pemphigus erythematosus associated with anti-DNA antibodies and multiple anti-ENA antibodies: a case report

Pemphigus erythematosus (PE) is an autoimmune blistering disease combining features of pemphigus foliaceus (PF) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We report a case of PE associated with anti-double-stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA), anti-Smith (anti-Sm), anti-Ro (anti-SSA), and antiribonucleoprotein (anti-RNP) antibodies. This case required extensive immunosuppressive therapy. We treated our patient with a combination of systemic steroids, intramuscular gold injections, azathioprine, and hydroxychloroquine. The patient's response was complete remission--evaluated clinically, serologically, and immunohistochemically.     

Isolated lichen planus of the lower lip

An idiopathic inflammatory dermatosis, lichen planus (LP) involves the skin, mucosa, or both, in a variety of clinical forms. The involvement of the mucous membranes is seen frequently and usually is asymptomatic, but occasionally, LP can be complicated by extensive painful erosions. We report the case of a 44-year-old man who presented with a 3-year history of isolated lower lip erosions, for which the diagnosis of LP was made. This report represents only the fourth case of LP exclusively localized on the lower lip.