IQ, parent- and self-reports of child anxiety and salivary cortisol in a sample of children with autism spectrum disorder.

This study examined the relation between IQ, parent-reported child anxiety, and salivary cortisol levels in youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) with a wide range of intellectual abilities using a prospective design. Results showed that IQ at time 1 (T1) positively predicted parent-reports of child anxiety at time 2 (T2); however, IQ at T1 negatively predicted cortisol levels from saliva samples taken at a research laboratory at T2. Parent reports of child anxiety at T1 and T2 were not associated with cortisol levels at T2.

Brain structure and function in the fourth decade of life after extremely low birth weight: An MRI and EEG study.

Objective: To examine potential long-term effects of extremely low birth weight (ELBW; ≤ 1000 g) on adult brain structure, brain function, and cognitive-behavioral performance.

Methods: A subset of survivors from the prospectively-followed McMaster ELBW Cohort (n = 23, M = 816 g) and their peers born at normal birth weight (NBW; ≥ 2500 g; n = 14, M = 3361 g) provided T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans, resting electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings, and behavioral responses to a face-processing task in their early thirties.

Results: Visual discrimination accuracy for human faces, resting EEG alpha power, and long-distance alpha coherence were lower in ELBW survivors than NBW adults, and volumes of white matter hypointensities (WMH) were higher.

Structural Connectivity and Emotion Recognition Impairment in Children and Adolescents with Chromosome 22q11.2 Deletion Syndrome.

Children with chromosome 22q11.2 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) exhibit impaired ability to process and understand emotions in others.