Catatonia is a syndrome which includes immobility, stupor, and sometimes regression in psychiatric wellness or even ability to feed or take care of ones self. This syndrome is seen in autism about 10% of the time but is is often overlooked or misdiagnosed. This may be because the symptoms are relatively rare or because catatonia is harder to detect in those with autism. This week, special guests Drs. Joshua Smith and Dr. Zachary Williams from Vanderbilt University discuss what happens when researchers following people who are suffering from catatonia and autism across time. What treatments work? How?

Click to access AUR-18-449.pdf

ASF has partnered with NCSA, Autism Speaks, Vanderbilt University, the Catatonia Foundation and other groups to bring you a 6 part series on catatonia given by experts and family members. It is aimed at increasing the visibility and research priority of catatonia. It is NOT this podcast – you have to register via zoom seperately here:

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/RV6rkPh_SAW8Hw3wmQdCrg

Today’s #ASFpodcast explains the potential and the unknowns behind folate, known as leucovorin when prescribe, for treating autism. CBSNews reported on a “miraculous” study using leucovorin that will need further research before it lives up to the type. However, it is an example of how different biological markers may direct what treatments work best in what people, and possibly an example of precision medicine in ASD. Second, more of the mystery of the male/female diagnosis difference in ASD. How do genetics affect liability in males and females? It’s been well established females have more of a certain type of genetic variation, but females are less likely to be diagnosis. New results show that the liability for autism is the same in males and females (both are just as likely to receive a diagnosis based on their genetics), however these two sexes may have a different threshold for an autism diagnosis. Females may need more of these mutations to receive an autism diagnosis. Read more below:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00431-024-05762-6

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27752075

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39954678

Two therapies that are meant to alter brainwave activity, called Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation are receiving a lot of attention for potential efficacy in treating autism. They are non-invasive, which means treatment is provided on the scalp. While results vary, the overall evidence does not support these two interventions in helping to treat core autism features. However, as TMS is approved for depression and OCD, people should ask their doctors about these potential treatments if they suffer from these conditions. Learn more in the articles below:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00787-024-02635-z

Click to access nihms-1934887.pdf

https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article-abstract/34/13/8/7661139?redirectedFrom=fulltext&login=false

This week, more on genetics as an influence to an autism diagnosis with a twist: can genetics lead to a specific treatment for core symptoms – across the board? How do you measure such broad symptoms? Our Rett Syndrome family friends and colleagues developed a novel outcome measure to capture what was most important to them, and the FDA approved it for use in a clinical trial. Years later, a new drug was approved that led to a reduction in behaviors associated with Rett Syndrome. Autism can take a lesson from this. In addition, can the genetics of autism be explained by parents with similar phenotypes? This is called assortative mating. The answer is complex.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10450502/pdf/fped-11-1229553.pdf

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-023-02398-1

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/pmid/38877467

General psychiatrists are trained deal with a range of psychiatric issues in a variety of areas, but very few have experience helping families of children and adults with autism. This is training that is desperately needed, as, like other professions, there are not enough psychiatrists to help families and waitlists are staggering. Dr. Arthur Westover at UT Southwestern discusses some potentially simple solutions, what he has tried and worked, and how families and advocacy groups can get more involved to ensure that doctors know about the unique and difficult psychiatric issues that autistics face. His ideas will not happen spontaneously, it’s going to take work to make psychiatrists more tuned into the needs of the autism community. He even wrote a paper (link below).

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38782841

Did you miss the ASF 2024 Day of Learning and can’t wait for the videos to be posted? This is a 17 minute brief summary of what was discussed, but unfortunately, with no visuals. Don’t just listen to the podcast, watch the videos when they are posted. Also included in this podcast is a shoutout to the Profound Autism Summit which brought together hundreds of advocates around those who need 24/7 care for their lives. The link to their advocacy page is here: https://www.votervoice.net/ProfoundAutism/campaigns/112917/respond

What do anxiety, prevalence, ketamine, other neurodevelopmental disorders, siblings, genetics, brain imaging and the autistic researcher committee at INSAR all have in common? They were all topics at the last Day of Learning. You can hear a 20 minute summary of the talks on this week’s #ASFpodcast.

Clinical trials in autism are so incredibly important to families and adults, but sometimes hard to understand. Why? How can it help me or my family? What do I need to do? What do all of these terms mean? For researchers: it’s hard to get families to participate in my study. What can I do to improve the appeal? Caroline Averius and Zachary Williams explain in this podcast about a newly launched two new guidebooks designed to help explain clinical trials, why they are important and what needs to be shared with the community to ensure transparency.

Want to read them? Links below:

https://tinyurl.com/AutismTrialsGuidebook

https://tinyurl.com/AutismTrialsExplainer

More and more, psychiatrists are looking to psychedelic medication to help individuals who are resistant to other types of therapies. These include seizures, PTSD and depression. But can they help individuals with autism or ease autism-related problems or improve cognition? Two new studies on cannabis and one on ketamine are summarized in this week’s ASFpodcast. Promising, interesting, but not definitive. It’s a short podcast this week.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36085294/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35617670/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666247722000549?via%3Dihub

This week’s podcast focuses on innovative methodologies to understand how to reach black families, understand why and when autistic people prefer not to look at faces and how interventions can improve conversation and social communication. They use culturally and racially matched mentors, old home video tapes (keep taking those!) and machine learning to look not just at novel methods but novel ways of studying a particular outcome.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35232271/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35228613/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35229983/