Purpose: Major depressive disorder (MDD) disproportionately affects those living with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and is associated with significant impairment and treatment recidivism. Methods: We studied the use of accelerated theta burst stimulation (ATBS) for the treatment of refractory MDD in ASD (3 treatments daily x 10 days). This…

During the last 40 years, neuroscience has become one of the most central and most productive approaches to investigating autism. In this commentary, we assemble a group of established investigators and trainees to review key advances and anticipated developments in neuroscience research across five modalities most commonly employed in autism…

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurological and developmental disorder, and a growing body of literature suggests the presence of autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunction in individuals with ASD. ANS is part of the "gut brain axis", which consists of an intricate interplay between the gut microbiome, mucosal immune system,…

Atypical pitch processing is a feature of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), which affects non-tone language speakers' communication. Lifelong auditory experience has been demonstrated to modify genetically-predisposed risks for pitch processing. We examined individuals with ASD to test the hypothesis that lifelong auditory experience in tone…

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may demonstrate atypical autonomic (ANS) responses; however, research remains inconsistent. This study examined parasympathetic response during social evaluation in 241 youth (10-13 years) with ASD (n = 138) or typical development (TD; n = 103). Diagnosis, age, pubertal development, and body mass…

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) are characterised by impaired social communication and restricted repetitive behaviours. Researchers posit that these core features may be underpinned by disrupted structural connectivity. A tract based spatial statistical analysis of diffusion MRI data was performed to investigate white matter organisation (an…

Visual perception in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is often debated in terms of enhanced local and impaired global perception. Deficits in global motion perception seem to support this characterization, although the evidence is inconsistent. We conducted a large meta-analysis on global motion, combining 48 articles on biological…

Dysregulation of glutamate neurotransmission plays a critical role in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) pathophysiology and is a primary target for core deficit research treatment trials. The mechanism of action of ketamine has striking overlap with the theory of ASD as a disorder of synaptic communication and neuronal networks. This two-dose,…

Bullying victimization is a prevalent concern for neurodivergent (e.g., autistic, ADHD) youth. Bullying assessment methods vary widely and there is currently no questionnaire specific to neurodivergent youth. The "Assessment of Bullying Experiences" ("ABE") was created to fill this gap. The "ABE" questionnaire was…

Previous studies indicate that autobiographical memory is impaired in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Successful recollection of information referring to one's own person requires the intact ability to re-activate representation of the past self. In the current fMRI study we investigated process of conscious reflection on the…

Empathy is an essential component of human social life. It requires the ability to understand another's mental state and respond with an appropriate emotion or action. Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been described to exhibit atypical empathic responses which limit communication and social interactions. This review highlights…

Students with Down syndrome (DS) receive school-based physical therapy (SBPT), however little data exists regarding services and outcomes. Using a prospective observational cohort study our aim was to explore SBPT activities and interventions, and students' goal achievement of 46 students with DS, tracked by 17 physical therapists (PTs). PTs…

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) sometimes have difficulties learning categories. Past computational work suggests that such deficits may result from atypical representations in cortical maps. Here we use neural networks to show that idiosyncratic transformations of inputs can result in the formation of feature maps that impair…

Examination of resting state brain activity using electrophysiological measures like complexity as well as functional connectivity is of growing interest in the study of autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The present paper jointly examined complexity and connectivity to obtain a more detailed characterization of resting state brain activity in ASD.…

The EEG coherence among 14 scalp points during intermittent photic stimulation at 11 fixed frequencies of 3-24 Hz was studied in 14 boys with autism, aged 6-14 years, with relatively intact verbal and intellectual functions, and 19 normally developing boys. The number of interhemispheric coherent connections pertaining to the 20 highest…