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This article reports the results of a meta-analysis of technology-based intervention studies for children with autism spectrum disorders. We conducted a systematic review of research that used a pre-post design to assess innovative technology interventions, including computer programs, virtual reality, and robotics. The selected studies provided interventions via a desktop computer, interactive DVD, shared active surface, and virtual reality. None employed robotics. The results provide evidence for the overall effectiveness of technology-based training. The overall mean effect size for posttests of controlled studies of children with autism spectrum disorders who received technology-based interventions was significantly different from zero and approached the medium magnitude, "d" = 0.47 (confidence interval: 0.08-0.86). The influence of age and IQ was not significant. Differences in training procedures are discussed in the light of the negative correlation that was found between the intervention durations and the studies' effect sizes. The results of this meta-analysis provide support for the continuing development, evaluation, and clinical usage of technology-based intervention for individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Reading therapy has been shown to be effective in treating reading disabilities (RD) in dyslexic children, but little is known of its use in subjects with mild mental retardation (MR). Twenty adult volunteers, with both RD and mild MR, underwent 60 consecutive weeks in a cognitive remediation program, and were compared with 32 untreated control subjects. The experimental group showed a significant improvement in word identification, as measured by oral production (p=0.0004) or silent reading (p=0.023), and sentence comprehension (p=0.0002). Adults with MR appear to benefit from new approaches in the field of RD.

Many common risk factors have been described in addictive disorders. Little is known about factors' respective contributions to discrimination of addicted and nonaddicted participants. Two large samples were compared including 513 nonpsychiatric participants and 374 addicted participants meeting the DSM-IV criteria for eating disorders, alcohol, or substance dependence. Twenty six risk factors were assessed by interview or self-rating scales. A discriminant analysis determined the respective weight of each risk factor. One discriminant function emerged and characterized a depressive dimension. The results suggest that the different risk factors described in addiction could be related to a depressive dimension.

Human studies suggest the existence of an exercise dependency syndrome and a link between drug intake and intense physical activity. Our aim was to assess whether a link actually existed between running activity and cocaine intake in mice. Thirty male Swiss mice were used. Ten mice were used as controls, individually housed in cages without a wheel, and 20 mice were in cages with free access to a running wheel. Cocaine preference was estimated as the ratio (as percent) of cocaine solution intake over total fluid intake in the course of free oral access to cocaine solution versus water. High cocaine scores were only found with high wheel activity. The lowest activity scores were found with low cocaine preference. A group of "high runners" impervious to cocaine appetence and to the effects of exercise withdrawal were found, which may suggest that shared mechanisms could be involved in both dependence on sport and drug taking. Findings suggest that moderate activity seems to be associated with low cocaine preference, and cocaine intake could increase in cases of intense activity. The urge for physical activity (as seen with top-level professional athletes) may theoretically combine with different degrees of vulnerability to cocaine. The use of substances by those engaging in intense physical activity, for performance enhancement or recreational purposes, could potentially trigger a pattern of consumption and addiction. This pattern corresponds with the theory that there may be an addictive element in physical activity. Animal models could prove useful for identifying biological or behavioral predictors of such vulnerability and identifying persons either at risk or possessing resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study used animal models to examine potential similarities between dependence on physical activity (i.e., exercise) and dependence on morphine. Using C57BL/6 mice, the study also tested the hypothesis that physical exercise (e.g., long-term wheel running) may enhance vulnerability to the development of morphine dependence. The existence of an endorphin-related dependence induced by physical activity was also assessed. Naloxone was used to precipitate morphine withdrawal in mice accustomed to morphine. Specifically, the study sought to assess the intensity of addiction provoked by injection of morphine in mice that engaged in wheel-running activity as opposed to inactive mice. After 25 days of free access to activity wheel, mice that engaged in wheel-running demonstrated increased vulnerability to naloxone-induced withdrawal symptoms, which may be linked to activation of peripheral, as opposed to central, opioid receptors. These results indicate a behavioral interaction in which engaging in wheel running appears to potentiate the effects of morphine addiction. Implications of these findings for understanding human behavior and exercise addiction are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: The objective of the present study was to explore the comorbidity of borderline personality disorder (BPD) with other personality disorders in adolescents and compare these comorbidities in male and female subjects. Methods: The sample was drawn from a European research project investigating the phenomenology of BPD in adolescence (EURNET BPD). A total of 85 BPD patients (11 boys and 74 girls) with a mean age of 16.3 years were included in the study. Results: According to the results of the Structured Interview for DSM-IV Disorders of Personality, obsessive-compulsive (35.3%), antisocial (22.4%), avoidant (21.2%), dependent (11.8%) and paranoid (9.4%) personality disorders had significant co-occurrences with BPD. Although none of the gender differences was statistically significant, we observed a trend towards higher rates of antisocial personality disorders in men (45.5%) than in women (19%). Conclusion: The study results confirmed the frequency of Axis II comorbidity in adolescents with BPD and, for the first time, evidenced a differential pattern of comorbidity in males and females. This differential pattern must be taken into account when developing treatment strategies for adolescents with BPD. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Background: Several studies in animal models suggest a possible effect of the specific part of the Y-chromosome (YNPAR) on brain opioid, and more specifically on brain b-endorphin (BE). In humans, male prevalence is found in autistic disorder in which observation of abnormal peripheral or central BE levels are also reported. This suggests gender differences in BE associated with genetic factors and more precisely with YNPAR. Methodology/Principal Findings: Brain BE levels and plasma testosterone concentrations were measured in two highly inbred strains of mice, NZB/BlNJ (N) and CBA/HGnc (H), and their consomic strains for the YNPAR. An indirect effect of the YNPAR on brain BE level via plasma testosterone was also tested by studying the correlation between brain BE concentration and plasma testosterone concentration in eleven highly inbred strains. There was a significant and major effect (P<0.0001) of the YNPAR in interaction with the genetic background on brain BE levels. Effect size calculated using Cohen's procedure was large (56% of the total variance). The variations of BE levels were not correlated with plasma testosterone which was also dependent of the YNPAR. Conclusions/Significance: The contribution of YNPAR on brain BE concentration in interaction with the genetic background is the first demonstration of Y-chromosome mediated control of brain opioid. Given that none of the genes encompassed by the YNPAR encodes for BE or its precursor, our results suggest a contribution of the sex-determining region (Sry, carried by YNPAR) to brain BE concentration. Indeed, the transcription of the Melanocortin 2 receptor gene (Mc2R gene, identified as the proopiomelanocortin receptor gene) depends on the presence of Sry and BE is derived directly from proopiomelanocortin. The results shed light on the sex dependent differences in brain functioning and the role of Sry in the BE system might be related to the higher frequency of autistic disorder in males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In synucleinopathies, including Parkinson's disease, partially ubiquitylated α-synuclein species phosphorylated on serine 129 (PS129-α-synuclein) accumulate abnormally. Parkin, an ubiquitin-protein ligase that is dysfunctional in autosomal recessive parkinsonism, protects against α-synuclein-mediated toxicity in various models. We analyzed the effects of Parkin deficiency in a mouse model of synucleinopathy to explore the possibility that Parkin and α-synuclein act in the same biochemical pathway. Whether or not Parkin was present, these mice developed an age-dependent neurodegenerative disorder preceded by a progressive decline in performance in tasks predictive of sensorimotor dysfunction. The symptoms were accompanied by the deposition of PS129-α-synuclein but not PS87-α-synuclein in neuronal cell bodies and neuritic processes throughout the brainstem and the spinal cord; activation of caspase 9 was observed in 5% of the PS129-α-asynuclein- positive neurons. As in Lewy bodies, ubiquitin-immunoreactivity, albeit less abundant, was invariably co-localized with PS129-α-synuclein. During late disease stages, the disease-specific neuropathological features revealed by ubiquitinand PS129-α-synuclein-specific antibodies were similar in mice with or without Parkin. However, the proportion of PS129-α-asynuclein- immunoreactive neuronal cell bodies and neurites co-stained for ubiquitin was lower in the absence than in the presence of Parkin, suggesting less advanced synucleinopathy. Moreover, sensorimotor impairment and manifestation of the neurodegenerative phenotype due to overproduction of human α-synuclein were significantly delayed in Parkindeficient mice. These findings raise the possibility that effective compensatory mechanisms modulate the phenotypic expression of disease in parkin-related parkinsonism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reports of reduced pain sensitivity in autism have prompted opioid theories of autism and have practical care ramifications. Our objective was to examine behavioral and physiological pain responses, plasma β-endorphin levels and their relationship in a large group of individuals with autism. Methodology/Principal Findings: The study was conducted on 73 children and adolescents with autism and 115 normal individuals matched for age, sex and pubertal stage. Behavioral pain reactivity of individuals with autism was assessed in three observational situations (parents at home, two caregivers at day-care, a nurse and child psychiatrist during blood drawing), and compared to controls during venepuncture. Plasma β-endorphin concentrations were measured by radioimmunoassay. A high proportion of individuals with autism displayed absent or reduced behavioral pain reactivity at home (68.6%), at day-care (34.2%) and during venepuncture (55.6%). Despite their high rate of absent behavioral pain reactivity during venepuncture (41.3 vs. 8.7% of controls, P<0.0001), individuals with autism displayed a significantly increased heart rate in response to venepuncture (P<0.05). Moreover, this response (D heart rate) was significantly greater than for controls (mean±SEM; 6.4±2.5 vs. 1.3±0.8 beats/min, P<0.05). Plasma β-endorphin levels were higher in the autistic group (P<0.001) and were positively associated with autism severity (P<0.001) and heart rate before or after venepuncture (P<0.05), but not with behavioral pain reactivity. Conclusions/Significance: The greater heart rate response to venepuncture and the elevated plasma β-endorphin found in individuals with autism reflect enhanced physiological and biological stress responses that are dissociated from observable emotional and behavioral reactions. The results suggest strongly that prior reports of reduced pain sensitivity in autism are related to a different mode of pain expression rather than to an insensitivity or endogenous analgesia, and do not support opioid theories of autism. Clinical care practice and hypotheses regarding underlying mechanisms need to assume that children with autism are sensitive to pain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents the psychometric properties of the French adaptation of the Infant–Toddler Social and Emotional Assessment (ITSEA), named the Evaluation Sociale et Emotionelle de Jeunes Enfants (ESEJE). The French adaptation involved translation and backtranslation and was administered to 179 parents in pediatric well-baby centers and 115 parents in childcare centers. Confirmatory factor analyses were employed to assess for latent factor structure, and model fit was assessed using three standard-fit indices. Analysis of variance examined age and gender effects on mean domain and scale scores. Confirmatory factor analyses supported a comparable latent factor structure to that reported for the ITSEA. All domains and most scales show adequate intrascale reliability. Certain age and gender effects on mean score differed from those reported for the U.S. sample. Our preliminary results indicate that the ESEJE shares the same latent factor structure as its English counterpart and may be a promising tool for the early detection of problem behaviors and delays in the acquisition of competencies in a French population. ©2004 Michigan Association for Infant Mental Health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The factor structure of the Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSS)-Form V was studied in 2 large French samples, using confirmatory factorial analyses (CFA) to test the 4-dimensional model of sensation seeking postulated by Zuckerman.Method: The study included 769 healthy subjects and 659 patients who met the DSM-IV criteria for substance use disorders or eating disorders and completed the SSS. The correlation matrices for each of the samples were analyzed using CFA.Results: In each sample, we found the 4-factor model to be replicable.Conclusion: The multidimensionality of sensation seeking is supported by the results, and the 4-dimensional model of sensation seeking identified by Zuckerman can be explored in French-speaking people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]