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With recent investigation beginning to reveal the cortical and subcortical neuroanatomical correlates of humor appreciation, the present event-related functional MRI (fMRI) study was designed to elucidate sex-specific recruitment of these humor related networks. Twenty healthy subjects (10 females) underwent fMRI scanning while subjectively rating 70 verbal and nonverbal achromatic cartoons as funny or unfunny. Data were analyzed by comparing blood oxygenation-level-dependent signal activation during funny and unfunny stimuli. Males and females share an extensive humor-response strategy as indicated by recruitment of similar brain regions: both activate the temporal-occipital junction and temporal pole, structures implicated in semantic knowledge and juxtaposition, and the inferior frontal gyrus, likely to be involved in language processing. Females, however, activate the left prefrontal cortex more than males, suggesting a greater degree of executive processing and language-based decoding. Females also exhibit greater activation of mesolimbic regions, including the nucleus accumbens, implying greater reward network response and possibly less reward expectation. These results indicate sex-specific differences in neural response to humor with implications for sex-based disparities in the integration of cognition and emotion. executive function | male/female | reward | functional MRI

Aim: To study sex differences in attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, we explored whether X chromosome absence or excess is independently associated with deficits in attention and hyperactivity, executive function, and processing speed. Method: We assessed 116 children (ages 3y 10mo–11y 11mo, mean 8y 5mo, SD 1y 11mo) with a variable number of sex chromosomes: 36 females with Turner syndrome (45, X0), 20 males with Klinefelter syndrome (47, XXY), 37 typically developing females (XX), and 23 typically developing males (XY). Results: X chromosome absence was associated with increased attention problems, hyperactivity, and deficits in inhibitory control, compared with female children with XX (all p<0.003). Conversely, X chromosome excess was associated with weakness in working memory (p=0.018) and approached significance for attention problems (p=0.071) but not with hyperactivity, or weakness in inhibitory control relative to male children with XY. Using non‐parametric effect size to quantify the clinical effect revealed that X chromosome absence affected attention, hyperactivity, executive function, and processing speed (all r>0.4), while X excess affected in‐laboratory as well as parent‐reported working memory (all r>0.4). Interpretation: Our observations provide compelling evidence that the absence or excess of an X chromosome distinctly affects cognition and behaviors associated with ADHD. Video Podcast https://youtu.be/eFzWpLv_OHk [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) has posited a set of social dimensions that could be useful in identifying sources of individual variation in social impairments across neurodevelopmental disorders. The current investigation aimed to derive estimates of the RDoC social constructs from the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ) and examine whether RDoC social processes, as captured by the SCQ, are best represented by a dimensional, categorical, or hybrid model. Individual SCQ items from 4 databases were combined resulting in a total of 26,407 individuals (Mage = 8.13 years, SDage = 4.19; 69.1% male). The sample consisted of 60.0% of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), 6.8% with a range of neurodevelopmental disorders and 33.2% of siblings of individuals with ASD. Comparison of a range of factor solutions through the use of exploratory structural equation modeling and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that a 3-factor structure with separate attachment and affiliation, production of nonfacial and facial communication factors provided excellent fit to the data (comparative fit index =.989, Tucker–Lewis index =.984, root mean square error of approximation =.045). and robustness across clinical groups, age, sex, and verbal status. Comparison between the best-fitting factor analysis, latent class analysis, and factor mixture analysis solutions demonstrated that the RDoC social processes domain is best represented as dimensional. Our findings show promise for capturing some of the important RDoC social constructs using the SCQ but also highlight crucial areas for the development of new, dedicated dimensional measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRB) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) encompass several distinct domains. However, commonly used general ASD measures provide broad RRB scores rather than assessing separate RRB domains. The main objective of the current investigation was to conduct a psychometric evaluation of the ability of the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2), the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) and the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) to capture different RRB constructs. Methods: Exploratory Structural Equation Modeling (ESEM) was conducted using individual item-level data from the SRS-2, SCQ, ADI-R and the ADOS. Data were obtained from five existing publicly available databases. For the SRS-2, the final sample consisted of N = 16,761 individuals (Mage = 9.43, SD = 3.73; 18.5% female); for the SCQ, of N = 15,840 (Mage = 7.99, SD = 4.06; 18.1% female); for the ADI-R, of N = 8985 (Mage = 8.86, SD = 4.68; 19.4% female); and for the ADOS, of N = 6314 (Mage = 12.29, SD = 6.79; 17.7% female). Results: The three-factor structure provided the most optimal and interpretable fit to data for all measures (comparative fit index ≥.983, Tucker Lewis index ≥.966, root mean square error of approximation ≤.028). Repetitive-motor behaviors, insistence on sameness and unusual or circumscribed interests factors emerged across all instruments. No acceptable fit was identified for the ADOS. Limitations: The five datasets used here afforded a large as well as wide distribution of the RRB item scores. However, measures used for establishing convergent and divergent validity were only available for a portion of the sample. Conclusions: Reported findings offer promise for capturing important RRB domains using general ASD measures and highlight the need for measurement development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess whether previously observed brain and cognitive differences between children with type 1 diabetes and control subjects without diabetes persist, worsen, or improve as children grow into puberty and whether differences are associated with hyperglycemia.Research Design and Methods: One hundred forty-four children with type 1 diabetes and 72 age-matched control subjects without diabetes (mean ± SD age at baseline 7.0 ± 1.7 years, 46% female) had unsedated MRI and cognitive testing up to four times over 6.4 ± 0.4 (range 5.3-7.8) years; HbA1c and continuous glucose monitoring were done quarterly. FreeSurfer-derived brain volumes and cognitive metrics assessed longitudinally were compared between groups using mixed-effects models at 6, 8, 10, and 12 years. Correlations with glycemia were performed.Results: Total brain, gray, and white matter volumes and full-scale and verbal intelligence quotients (IQs) were lower in the diabetes group at 6, 8, 10, and 12 years, with estimated group differences in full-scale IQ of -4.15, -3.81, -3.46, and -3.11, respectively (P < 0.05), and total brain volume differences of -15,410, -21,159, -25,548, and -28,577 mm3 at 6, 8, 10, and 12 years, respectively (P < 0.05). Differences at baseline persisted or increased over time, and brain volumes and cognitive scores negatively correlated with a life-long HbA1c index and higher sensor glucose in diabetes.Conclusions: Detectable changes in brain volumes and cognitive scores persist over time in children with early-onset type 1 diabetes followed longitudinally; these differences are associated with metrics of hyperglycemia. Whether these changes can be reversed with scrupulous diabetes control requires further study. These longitudinal data support the hypothesis that the brain is a target of diabetes complications in young children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]