Adverse Childhood Experiences and Behavioral and Emotional Problems in Adolescents With and Without Autism.

Objectives: We sought to examine differences in caregiver-reported adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) in adolescents with and without autism and explore associations between ACEs and behavioral and emotional problems in those with ACEs.

Methods: Children were classified as having autism, another developmental disability (DD), or population comparison (POP) after a comprehensive evaluation in the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) between 2 to 5 years of age. Caregivers of these same children completed the SEED Teen survey and answered questions about ACEs and current behavioral and emotional problems at 12 to 16 years of age.

An epigenome-wide association study in the case-control study to explore early development identifies differential DNA methylation near ZFP57 as associated with autistic traits.

Background: Quantitative measures of autism spectrum disorder (ASD)-related traits can provide insight into trait presentation across the population. Previous studies have identified epigenomic variation associated with ASD diagnosis, but few have evaluated quantitative traits. We sought to identify DNA methylation patterns in child blood associated with Social Responsiveness Scale score, Second Edition (SRS).

Effects of combined estrogen and bazedoxifene (CEB) on depressive symptoms in perimenopause.

Background: Perimenopause is characterized by ovarian hormone fluctuation and associated with elevated risk for depression. Perimenopausal-onset major depression (PO-MDD) can be alleviated with estrogen treatment. However, due to potential risk for breast and uterine cancer, traditional hormone treatments may not be suitable for some.

Molecular neuroimaging of ovarian steroid effects on the female brain: A systematic review of human non-clinical studies.

Molecular neuroimaging is a powerful tool for studying ovarian steroid effects on the brain. We systematically reviewed non-clinical studies of female reproductive transitions, ovarian suppression, or estradiol (E2) and/or progesterone (P4) administration. Most studies used ≤3T [H]MRS to study neurometabolites or PET imaging of glucose metabolism and serotoninergic activity.

Brain-wide connectivity changes due to social-emotional regulation during a naturalistic fMRI task.

Social-emotional (SE) regulation is necessary for successful social interactions. Such emotion regulation (ER), however, has been examined in only a few studies using naturalistic SE tasks during functional neuroimaging. We examined ER in typically developed young adults (n = 62) watching and listening to a video of a person telling an emotional (positive, negative) or neutral story during functional MRI.

Changes in Autism Traits from Early Childhood to Adolescence in the Study to Explore Early Development.

Purpose: The objectives of this study were to investigate associations between co-occurring developmental, psychiatric, behavioral, and medical symptoms and conditions and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) traits, as well as predictors of changes in autistic traits from early childhood to adolescence.

Methods: Participants from the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED) were identified as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD) (n=707), another developmental disorder (DD) (n=995), or as a population comparison group (POP) (n=898). Caregivers completed the Social Responsiveness Scale-2nd edition (SRS-2) to measure autistic traits and were asked about co-occurring symptoms and conditions when their child was 2-5 years old and 12-16 years old.

The effects of estradiol on subcortical brain volumes in perimenopausal-onset depression.

Background: Perimenopause is associated with increases in depressive and vasomotor symptoms (VMS), which can be alleviated with transdermal estradiol (TE2) administration. Subcortical brain regions are commonly implicated in depression, are dense with E2 receptors and are susceptible to volumetric changes resulting from E2 regulation of synaptic density. No studies have examined linkages among TE2 administration, perimenopausal-onset major depression (PO-MDD) and subcortical brain volumes.

Estradiol modulates resting-state connectivity in perimenopausal depression.

The perimenopausal transition is marked by an increased risk for affective dysregulation and major depressive disorder (MDD), with hormone replacement therapy using estradiol (E2) showing promise for alleviating symptoms of perimenopausal-onset MDD (PO-MDD). Although E2's effectiveness is recognized, its mechanisms underlying mood symptom modulation remain to be fully elucidated. Building on previous research suggesting that E2 may influence mood by altering cortico-subcortical connectivity, this study investigated the effects of transdermal E2 on resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) in perimenopausal women with and without PO-MDD, focusing on rsFC changes using seed regions within reward and emotion processing networks.

A parallel-arm, randomized trial of Behavioral Activation Therapy for anhedonia versus mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for adults with anhedonia.

Background: Anhedonia, deficits in motivation and pleasure, is a transdiagnostic symptom of psychopathology and negative prognostic marker.

Methods: In this randomized, parallel-arm clinical trial, a novel intervention, Behavioral Activation Treatment for Anhedonia (BATA), was compared to an individually administered Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in a transdiagnostic cohort of adults with clinically significant anhedonia (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers NCT02874534 and NCT04036136).

The effects of psychotherapy for anhedonia on subcortical brain volumes measured with ultra-high field MRI.

Background: Anhedonia is a transdiagnostic symptom often resistant to treatment. The identification of biomarkers sensitive to anhedonia treatment will aid in the evaluation of novel anhedonia interventions.

Methods: This is an exploratory analysis of changes in subcortical brain volumes accompanying psychotherapy in a transdiagnostic anhedonic sample using ultra-high field (7-Tesla) MRI.

Bilingualism Predicts Affective Theory of Mind in Autistic Adults.

Purpose: This study examined the impact of bilingualism on affective theory of mind (ToM) and social prioritization (SP) among autistic adults compared to neurotypical comparison participants.

Method: Fifty-two (25 autistic, 27 neurotypical) adult participants (ages 21-35 years) with varying second language (L2) experience, ranging from monolingual to bilingual, completed an affective ToM task. A subset of this sample also completed a dynamic eye-tracking task designed to capture differences in time spent looking at social aspects of a scene (SP).

Depressive symptoms and activity engagement in autistic adolescents and those with other developmental disabilities.

Background: Autistic adults and those with other developmental disabilities (DD) have increased depressive symptoms and decreased activity engagement when compared to those with no DD. Few studies explore activities related to depressive symptoms in autistic people and those with other DD during adolescence.

Objective: The objectives of this analysis were to describe depressive symptoms and activity engagement among autistic adolescents and those with other DD and no DD and explore types of activities associated with depressive symptoms, stratified by study group.

Hormone sensitivity predicts the beneficial effects of transdermal estradiol on reward-seeking behaviors in perimenopausal women: A randomized controlled trial.

Unlabelled: Depression is highly prevalent during the menopause transition (perimenopause), and often presents with anxious and anhedonic features. This increased vulnerability for mood symptoms is likely driven in part by the dramatic hormonal changes that are characteristic of the menopause transition, as prior research has linked fluctuations in estradiol (E2) to emergence of depressed mood in at risk perimenopausal women. Transdermal estradiol (TE2) has been shown to reduce the severity of depression in clinically symptomatic women, particularly in those with recent stressful life events.

Striatal dopamine in anhedonia: A simultaneous [C]raclopride positron emission tomography and functional magnetic resonance imaging investigation.

Background: Anhedonia is hypothesized to be associated with blunted mesocorticolimbic dopamine (DA) functioning in samples with major depressive disorder. The purpose of this study was to examine linkages between striatal DA, reward circuitry functioning, anhedonia, and, in an exploratory fashion, self-reported stress, in a transdiagnostic anhedonic sample.

Methods: Participants with (n = 25) and without (n = 12) clinically impairing anhedonia completed a reward-processing task during simultaneous positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance (PET-MR) imaging with [C]raclopride, a DA D2/D3 receptor antagonist that selectively binds to striatal DA receptors.

Parsing within & between-person dynamics of therapy homework completion and clinical symptoms in two cognitive behavioral treatments for adults with anhedonia.

Objective: Homework is a key theoretical component of cognitive-behavioral therapies, however, the effects of homework on clinical outcomes have largely been evaluated between-persons rather than within-persons.

Methods: The effects of homework completion on treatment response were examined in a randomized trial comparing Behavioral Activation Treatment for Anhedonia (BATA, n = 38), a novel psychotherapy, to Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT, n=35). The primary endpoint was consummatory reward sensitivity, measured weekly by the Snaith Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), up to 15 weeks.

Longitudinal associations between perceived stress and anhedonia during psychotherapy.

Background: Chronic stress alters reward sensitivity and contributes to the emergence of anhedonia. In clinical samples, the perception of stress is a strong predictor of anhedonia. While there is substantial evidence demonstrating psychotherapy reduces perceived stress, little is known regarding the effects of treatment-related decreases in perceived stress on anhedonia.

Perimenopausal Effects of Estradiol on Anhedonia and Psychosis Study (PEEPs): study protocol for a neural and molecular mechanistic clinical trial.

Background: The perimenopausal transition is accompanied by psychiatric symptoms in over 10% of women. Symptoms commonly include depressed mood and anhedonia and less commonly include psychosis. Psychiatric symptoms have been linked to the depletion and/or variability of circulating estradiol, and estradiol treatment reduces perimenopausal anhedonia and psychosis in some women.

Social goals in girls transitioning to adolescence: associations with psychopathology and brain network connectivity.

The motivation to socially connect with peers increases during adolescence in parallel with changes in neurodevelopment. These changes in social motivation create opportunities for experiences that can impact risk for psychopathology, but the specific motivational presentations that confer greater psychopathology risk are not fully understood. To address this issue, we used a latent profile analysis to identify the multidimensional presentations of self-reported social goals in a sample of 220 girls (9-15 years old, M = 11.

Anhedonia and Hyperhedonia in Autism and Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Although autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is defined by impaired social communication and restricted and repetitive behaviors and interests, ASD is also characterized by impaired motivational processes. The "social motivation theory of autism" describes how social motivation disruptions in ASD in early childhood may impede the drive to engage in reciprocal social behaviors and ultimately interfere with the development of neural networks critical for social communication (Chevallier et al., Trends Cogn Sci 16:231-239, 2012b).

Multilevel growth curve analyses of behavioral activation for anhedonia (BATA) and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy effects on anhedonia and resting-state functional connectivity: Interim results of a randomized trial.

Background: The neural mechanisms associated with anhedonia treatment response are poorly understood. Additionally, no study has investigated changes in resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) accompanying psychosocial treatment for anhedonia.

Methods: We evaluated a novel psychotherapy, Behavioral Activation Therapy for Anhedonia (BATA, n = 38) relative to Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT, n = 35) in a medication-free, transdiagnostic, anhedonic sample in a parallel randomized controlled trial.

Health Status and Health Care Use Among Adolescents Identified With and Without Autism in Early Childhood - Four U.S. Sites, 2018-2020.

Persons identified in early childhood as having autism spectrum disorder (autism) often have co-occurring health problems that extend into adolescence (1-3). Although only limited data exist on their health and use of health care services as they transition to adolescence, emerging data suggest that a minority of these persons receive recommended guidance* from their primary care providers (PCPs) starting at age 12 years to ensure a planned transition from pediatric to adult health care (4,5). To address this gap in data, researchers analyzed preliminary data from a follow-up survey of parents and guardians of adolescents aged 12-16 years who previously participated in the Study to Explore Early Development (https://www.

Dynamic Eye Tracking as a Predictor and Outcome Measure of Social Skills Intervention in Adolescents and Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

To evaluate an eye tracking task as a predictor and outcome measure of treatment response for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) social skills interventions, adolescents and young adults with ASD completed the eye tracking task before, immediately after, and two months after completing Social Cognition and Interaction Training for Autism (SCIT-A). The study compared SCIT-A participants (n = 20) to participants with ASD who received treatment as usual (TAU; n = 21). Overall, increased visual attention to faces and background objects and decreased attention to hands playing with toys at baseline were associated with improved social functioning immediately following intervention, suggesting this eye tracking task may reliably predict ASD social intervention outcomes.