Increasing ‘insistence on sameness’ might be a sign of future anxiety issues in autism
Insistence on sameness behavior (IS) might be an important driver of anxiety issues in ASD according to new research out of Canada. Researchers followed over 400 children with ASD over a couple of years, measuring repetitive and anxiety-related behaviors periodically to ascertain the nature of any connection between the two features. They concluded that IS and anxiety are closely related. Anxiety, while not a core feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), can nonetheless be a source of significant distress for many autistic people. Researchers further speculated that interventions designed to tackle IS might have anxiety-linked behaviors.
Abstract: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35871413
Higher prevalence of neuroradiological findings in ASD (but not by much)
The brain is a central focus for the presentation of ASD. At present however, no structure or related feature has been universally found to distinguish ASD from typically-developing persons. A recent study complements this status quo, finding that while nearly 90% of people with ASD studied presented with some form of neuroradiological finding, a similar figure was also observed in age-matched non- autistic control participants. Examining brain scans acquired as part of the Longitudinal European Autism Project (LEAP), and importantly including those with cognitive (learning) disability, researchers presented their findings. Such results also suggest no neuro-anatomical basis for the terms ‘neurotypical’ and ‘neurodivergent’ as having any scientific merit in relation to ASD.
Balovaptan, a selective vasopressin 1a receptor antagonist, fails for social communication in autism
Balovaptan, an oral selective vasopressin 1a receptor antagonist, did not improve communication or socialization difficulties in a cohort of children (n=167) with ASD according to recent results from a collaborative study based in New York, USA. Based on the suggestion that neuropeptides such as vasopressin and their receptors might have a role to play in some of the core features of ASD, daily use of balovaptan for 24 weeks was studied under placebo-controlled conditions. Despite previous successes in adults with ASD, balovaptan in children with ASD did not show significant behavioral results compared with a placebo. Authors did suggest that future medication trials might incorporate more objective measures outside of just behavioral observations to combat a ‘robust’ placebo response to such research trials.
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