14 research outputs found
Attention Deficits Influence the Development of Motor Abnormalities in High Functioning Autism
No full textEarly attentional dysfunction is one of the most consistent findings in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including the high functioning autism (HFA). There are no studies that assess how the atypical attentional processes affect the motor functioning in HFA.
In this study, we evaluated attentional and motor functioning in a sample of 15 drug-naive patients with HFA and 15 healthy children (HC), and possible link between attentional dysfunction and motor impairment in HFA.
Compared to HC, HFA group was seriously impaired in a considerable number of attentional processes and showed a greater number of motor abnormalities. Significant correlations between attention deficits and motor abnormalities were observed in HFA group.
These preliminary findings suggest that deficit of attentional processes can be implied in motor abnormalities in HFA
Attention Deficits Influence the Development of Motor Abnormalities in High Functioning Autism
No full text: Early attentional dysfunction is one of the most consistent findings in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including the high functioning autism (HFA). There are no studies that assess how the atypical attentional processes affect the motor functioning in HFA. In this study, we evaluated attentional and motor functioning in a sample of 15 drug-naive patients with HFA and 15 healthy children (HC), and possible link between attentional dysfunction and motor impairment in HFA. Compared to HC, HFA group was seriously impaired in a considerable number of attentional processes and showed a greater number of motor abnormalities. Significant correlations between attention deficits and motor abnormalities were observed in HFA group. These preliminary findings suggest that deficit of attentional processes can be implied in motor abnormalities in HFA
Gray matter abnormalities in ADHD: A structural MRI study in drug-naive adolescents without learning disorders
No full textAttention impairment in childhood absence epilepsy:An impulsivity problem?
No full text<p>Although attention problems have often been described in children with childhood absence epilepsy (CAE), the use of different methodological approaches, neuropsychological tests, and heterogeneous experimental groups has prevented identification of the selective areas of attention deficit in this population. In this study, we investigated several components of attention in children with CAE using a unique computerized test battery for attention performance. Participants included 24 patients with CAE and 24 controls matched for age and sex. They were tested with a computerized test battery, which included the following tasks: selective attention, impulsivity, focused attention, divided attention, alertness, and vigilance. Compared with healthy controls, patients with CAE made more commission errors in the Go/No-Go task and more omission errors in the divided attention task. Childhood absence epilepsy patients also showed decreased reaction times in measures of selective attention and a great variability of reaction times in alertness and Go/No-Go tasks. Our findings suggest that patients with CAE were impaired in tonic and phasic alertness, divided attention, selective attention, and impulsivity. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.</p>
A Small Supernumerary Marker Derived from the Pericentromeric Region of Chromosome 5: Case Report and Delineation of Partial Trisomy 5p Phenotype
No full textA 17-year-old girl presented with a distinct phenotype mainly featuring craniofacial dysmorphism, including a disproportioned large, round, elongated face; hypertelorism; deep-set eyes with short palpebral fissures; obesity (BMI 37), and a neuropsychiatric disorder with high-functioning autism. Postnatal conventional cytogenetic analyses from peripheral blood revealed a mosaic small supernumerary marker chromosome (sSMC) with a mos 47,XX,+mar[7]/46,XX[43] karyotype. By cenM-FISH technique, the sSMC was identified as a ring derivative of chromosome 5. Metaphase FISH analysis with a set of dedicated probes defined its origin from the pericentromeric region of chromosome 5, including the NIPBL gene at 5p13.2. Such sSMCs, exceedingly rare in the literature, underlie proximal trisomy 5p. In order to delineate a core phenotype of proximal trisomy 5p, we compared our patient's features with those of 6 patients found in the literature with similar der(5) chromosomes. Furthermore, a dozen individuals with 5p13 (micro)duplication syndrome was compared and discussed. We identified highly distinctive craniofacial dysmorphism, obesity, and intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder as typical features of proximal 5p trisomy. In the critical region (band 5p13), the NIPBL gene is likely to be a major determinant of the neurobehavioral phenotype, and its presence at the sSMC level may be relevant to predict clinical outcome
Scientific Evidence for the Evaluation of Neurological Soft Signs as Atypical Neurodevelopment Markers in Childhood Neuropsychiatric Disorders
No full textMotor dysfunction is commonly present in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Developmental changes in voluntary control of motor skills include improvements in speed and motor coordination as well as reduced frequency of neurological soft signs (NSS) that are commonly observed in typically developing younger children. NSS are motor and sensory conditions that cannot be linked to specific cerebral lesions. The persistence of NSS into later childhood and adolescence is linked with an increased risk of psychiatric disorders. This finding gives support to the neurodevelopmental model of NSS in which minor neurological impairments may be viewed as potential signs of deviant brain development and might represent trait markers of vulnerability for neurodevelopmental disorders. Given that NSS are easily detectable, it is important that clinicians increase their knowledge of the clinical presentation and research implications of the relationship between NSS and childhood neurodevelopmental disorders. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first review article to give an updated overview of the current knowledge of NSS in the most common neuropsychiatric disorders of childhood/adolescence, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, bipolar disorder, and first episode of psychosis. The article also presents key points for future research studies on this topic
Motor examination in children with Attention-deficit/hyperactivity Disorder and Asperger Syndrome
No full textEvaluating whether motor skills could differentiate drug-naive subjects with two neurodevelopmental disorders: Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Asperger Syndrome (AS)
Asynchronicity of Organic and Psychiatric Symptoms in a Case of Sertraline Intoxication
No full textSertraline is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor used as an antidepressant and antipanic agent in children and adolescents. Sertraline is well tolerated and its safety profile in overdose is favorable. However, sertraline overdose may cause a toxic hyperserotonergic state known as serotonin syndrome (SS). Serotonin syndrome may be misdiagnosed in children because it has been reported mostly in adults. In the present case report, we describe a 16-year-old female patient who ingested 2000 mg of sertraline to attempt suicide. The patient showed symptoms and signs suggestive of SS, characterized by an asynchronicity between organic and psychiatric symptoms. In addition, the patient showed a variability of psychiatric symptoms through time. Thirteen hours after sertraline overdose, she was poorly cooperative with poverty of speech and marked emotional tension, but she was oriented in space and time and was able to remember what happened to her and to reconstruct the dynamics of the fact. Twenty-four hours after sertraline overdose, the patient developed a delusion of reference associated with intense anxiety and depressed mood. In the present case report, we discuss the pathophysiologic mechanisms of the observed clinical manifestations and propose an observation period for sertraline overdose in children and adolescents that is sufficiently long (at least 72 hours) even in the absence of unstable vital signs
Antipsychotics do not influence neurological soft signs in children and adolescents at ultra-high risk for psychosis: A pilot study
No full textObjective: Ultra-high risk for psychosis (UHR) is considered as the condition that temporally precedes the onset of psychotic symptoms. In addition to the core symptoms, patients with schizophrenia show motor abnormalities, also known as neurological soft signs (NSS), that are considered an endophenotype for psychotic disorders and particularly for schizophrenia. Antipsychotic medications do not appear to influence NSS in individuals with schizophrenia. However, NSS in UHR subjects have been poorly studied and, to date, we do not know what effects antipsychotics have in early treated UHR subjects. Therefore, we evaluated NSS in treated UHR subjects in comparison with drug-naive UHR subjects and a group of healthy control subjects and the effect of pharmacological treatment on early treated UHR children and adolescents. Patients and Methods: Fifteen UHR subjects receiving pharmacological treatment, 15 drug-naive UHR subjects, and 25 healthy control subjects were evaluated for NSS to analyze any differences between clinical subjects and healthy controls and to evaluate the effect of antipsychotic medications in early treated UHR subjects. Results: Both clinical groups showed a greater number of NSS compared with the healthy control subjects. However, no significant differences in NSS were found between treated and drug-naive UHR subjects. Conclusions: Consistent with what has been observed in the population of patients with a first psychotic episode and/or with schizophrenia, our results support the conclusion that antipsychotic medications do not influence NSS in children and adolescents who are at high risk for psychosis
Detecting anxiety symptoms in children and youths with neurofibromatosis type I
No full textChildren with Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) are known to have cognitive, social, and behavioral deficits. Fifteen NF1-subjects (5 boys, 10 girls, mean age = 13.4), and 15 healthy controls matched for age and sex were assessed on the presence of anxiety symptoms, using the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC), self-report questionnaire. Significant group differences emerged with regard to MASC total (Z = -2.058, P = 0.041) and anxiety disorder index (ADI; Z = -2.202, P = 0.026), but not with regard to single scales. When the severity and visibility of NF1 were considered, correlation between severity and social anxiety, and severity and MASC total was found. This is the first study assessing anxiety symptoms in NF1 children and youths. A precocious psychological survey and intervention in NF1 subjects, may contribute to reduce the risk of psychiatric disorders in adulthood
