Autism Spectrum Disorder

Question 1

what is ASD

Answer 1

lifelong developmental disability
currently no biomarker so diagnosis based purely on behaviour

Question 2

what is ASD diagnosis based on

Answer 2

persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction
restricted, repetitive patterns of behaviour, interests and activities

Question 3

what is meant by social communication?

Answer 3

facial expressions
tone of voice
jokes and sarcasm

Question 4

what is meant by social interaction

Answer 4

appear to be insensitive, seek out time alone when overloaded by other people

Question 5

what is the prevalence of autism

Answer 5

1 in 100 children
more common in boys than girls

Question 6

what chance of autism do identical twins sharing genome have?

Answer 6

77%

Question 7

is ASD heritable

Answer 7

highly heritable through a combination of common, rare and denovo variation

Question 8

why do we need clinical models of asd?

Answer 8

it has multiple origins so there is complex interplay between genetics and environment
early behavioural interventions are not effective for all children
lack of pharmacological and neurobiological solutions for core symptoms
and there is lack of understanding of ASD neurobiology

Question 9

what is construct validity of an animal model

Answer 9

how well the animal model mirrors the underlying causes of human disease

Question 10

what is face validity of the animal model

Answer 10

how closely the observable symptoms/outcomes in animal models match those seen in human patients
e.g repetitive behaviours for asd

Question 11

what is predictive validity in animal models

Answer 11

how closely animal model reacts to treatment used in human diseases
if it works same way in animal and humans the animal has predictive validity

Question 12

why do we need to use non-human primates for asd research?

Answer 12

it is extremely difficult to obtain biological samples e.g brain tissue from asd people
we rely too much on animal models that lack cognitive and social ability like mice
primates are related to humans in genetics neurobiology and behaviour

Question 13

what brain structures do rodents not have

Answer 13

prefrontal cortex

Question 14

what is an SRS score

Answer 14

social responsiveness scale score

Question 15

are autistic-like traits continuously distributed across general populations of non human primates?

Answer 15

macaque social responsiveness scale was made derived from human SRS - just removed itemns related to language
it is pretty good screening tool

Question 16

what is needed to perform the primate SRS

Answer 16

you need to know the animal really well - like 2 years

Question 17

what are some of the criteria for NHP SRS

Answer 17

fidgetiness
confidence
would rather be alone than with others
interactions with other monkeys
socially awkward
the monkey is silly

Question 18

does the MACAQUE SRS have high face validity

Answer 18

yes because their behaviours reflect those of humans

Question 19

what is CANTAB

Answer 19

cambridge neuropsychological test automated battery
computer cognitive assessment system - tests memory and learning, working memory, visual memory, attention and reaction time, decision making

Question 20

what is the link between eye tracking and ASD

Answer 20

front et al 2019
autistic people look outside of centre of vision

Question 21

what are the key social brain areas in asd

Answer 21

both human and nhp brains share critical ‘social brain’ regions such as amygdala, anterior cingulate, prefrontal and temporal cortices - all which exhibit similar developmental trajectories