Brain responses to biological motion predict treatment outcome in young children with autism.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are common yet complex neurodevelopmental disorders, characterized by social, communication and behavioral deficits. Behavioral interventions have shown favorable results-however, the promise of precision medicine in ASD is hampered by a lack of sensitive, objective neurobiological markers (neurobiomarkers) to identify subgroups of young children likely to respond to specific treatments. Such neurobiomarkers are essential because early childhood provides a sensitive window of opportunity for intervention, while unsuccessful intervention is costly to children, families and society. In young children with ASD, we show that functional magnetic resonance imaging-based stratification neurobiomarkers accurately predict responses to an evidence-based behavioral treatment-pivotal response treatment. Neural predictors were identified in the pretreatment levels of activity in response to biological vs scrambled motion in the neural circuits that support social information processing (superior temporal sulcus, fusiform gyrus, amygdala, inferior parietal cortex and superior parietal lobule) and social motivation/reward (orbitofrontal cortex, insula, putamen, pallidum and ventral striatum). The predictive value of our findings for individual children with ASD was supported by a multivariate pattern analysis with cross validation. Predicting who will respond to a particular treatment for ASD, we believe the current findings mark the very first evidence of prediction/stratification biomarkers in young children with ASD. The implications of the findings are far reaching and should greatly accelerate progress toward more precise and effective treatments for core deficits in ASD.

Behavior therapy in Russia.

The development of behavior therapy in Russia is discussed within the context of the evolution of Russian psychology. The pre-revolutionary contributions of Sechenov, Grot, Pavlov, and Bekhterev to the conceptual foundation of behaviorism in Russia are examined. This is followed by a discussion of the marked impact of social and political influences on the development of therapeutic methods from 1917 onward. Major milestones in the development of behavior therapy are examined. Finally, it is noted that the current period of openness provides an expanded opportunity to teach behavior therapy which has so far been limited to major Russian cities.

Moderation of antipsychotic-induced weight gain by energy balance gene variants in the RUPP autism network risperidone studies.

Second-generation antipsychotic exposure, in both children and adults, carries significant risk for excessive weight gain that varies widely across individuals. We queried common variation in key energy balance genes (FTO, MC4R, LEP, CNR1, FAAH) for their association with weight gain during the initial 8 weeks in the two NIMH Research Units on Pediatric Psychopharmacology Autism Network trials (N=225) of risperidone for treatment of irritability in children/adolescents aged 4-17 years with autism spectrum disorders. Variants in the cannabinoid receptor (CNR)-1 promoter (P=1.0 × 10(-6)), CNR1 (P=9.6 × 10(-5)) and the leptin (LEP) promoter (P=1.4 × 10(-4)) conferred robust-independent risks for weight gain. A model combining these three variants was highly significant (P=1.3 × 10(-9)) with a 0.85 effect size between lowest and highest risk groups. All results survived correction for multiple testing and were not dependent on dose, plasma level or ethnicity. We found no evidence for association with a reported functional variant in the endocannabinoid metabolic enzyme, fatty acid amide hydrolase, whereas body mass index-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms in FTO and MC4R showed only trend associations. These data suggest a substantial genetic contribution of common variants in energy balance regulatory genes to individual antipsychotic-associated weight gain in children and adolescents, which supersedes findings from prior adult studies. The effects are robust enough to be detected after only 8 weeks and are more prominent in this largely treatment naive population. This study highlights compelling directions for further exploration of the pharmacogenetic basis of this concerning multifactorial adverse event.

A Russian version of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory: preliminary data.

Spielberger's (1988) State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory represents a conceptual advance over previous anger measures. It measures both immediate anger experiences and longer term dispositions to experience anger, as well as modes of anger expression. In American samples, the inventory has been shown to be both internally consistent and conceptually valid. This study presents initial data on a Russian version of the inventory. Our subjects were 120 students from St. Petersburg University and 31 psychiatric patients from the St. Petersburg Top Security Hospital. The results provide initial support for Spielberger's factorial model of anger in a Russian sample. All of the scales, with the exception of Anger-In, showed good alpha coefficients, and the means were generally similar to those found in American subgroups. Russian men scored higher on Anger-Out than did Russian women. Determination of subgroup norms in larger samples will allow us to explore further the cross-national similarity of anger in Russia and America.

Development of a Russian State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory.

We examined the possible universality of Spielberger's (1988) model of anger by validating a Russian State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI). In Eckhardt, Kassinove, Tsytsarev, and Sukhodolsky (1995), support was found for all STAXI factors except anger-in, using students from St. Petersburg State University. In the present study, 346 students from Russian high schools and the Pavlov Medical School served as subjects. Using new items, we found strong support for the factor structure hypothesized by Spielberger. All scales showed good to excellent alphas, and there was substantial similarity of the current means with results from the earlier study. The Russian samples, however, showed a lower level of state anger. The data support the possibility that state anger consists of two subscales, a simple experience and an experience combined with an action tendency. Trait anger occurs as a general temperament or as a reaction to specific triggers. It is positively related to anger-out and negatively related to anger control. Future studies can use this instrument to evaluate the stability of anger in Russian speaking populations, and to assess anger experiences and expression in response to specific triggers.