Cited by 84Autism Spectrum Disorder ResearchGenetics and Neurodevelopmental DisordersSchizophrenia research and treatment

Neurobehavioral Abnormalities in First-Degree Relatives of Individuals With Autism

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Mosconi, Matthew W., Kay, Margaret, D’Cruz, Anna-Maria, Guter, Stephen, Kapur, Kush, Macmillan, Carol, Stanford, Lisa D., Sweeney, John A.·2010·Archives of General Psychiatry

Abstract

CONTEXT: Studying sensorimotor and neurocognitive impairments in unaffected family members of individuals with autism may help identify familial pathophysiological mechanisms associated with the disorder. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether atypical sensorimotor or neurocognitive characteristics associated with autism are present in first-degree relatives of individuals with autism. DESIGN: Case-control comparison of neurobehavioral functions. SETTING: University medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Fifty-seven first-degree relatives of individuals with autism and 40 age-, sex-, and IQ-matched healthy control participants (aged 8-54 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Oculomotor tests of sensorimotor responses (saccades and smooth pursuit); procedural learning and response inhibition; neuropsychological tests of motor, memory, and executive functions; and psychological measures of social behavior, communication skills, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. RESULTS: On eye movement testing, family members demonstrated saccadic hypometria, reduced steady-state pursuit gain, and a higher rate of voluntary response inhibition errors relative to controls. They also showed lateralized deficits in procedural learning and open-loop pursuit gain (initial 100 milliseconds of pursuit) and increased variability in the accuracy of large-amplitude saccades that were confined to rightward movements. In neuropsychological studies, only executive functions were impaired relative to those of controls. Family members reported more communication abnormalities and obsessive-compulsive behaviors than controls. Deficits across oculomotor, neuropsychological, and psychological domains were relatively independent from one another. CONCLUSIONS: Family members of individuals with autism demonstrate oculomotor abnormalities implicating pontocerebellar and frontostriatal circuits and left-lateralized alterations of frontotemporal circuitry and striatum. The left-lateralized alterations have not been identified in other neuropsychiatric disorders and are of interest given atypical brain lateralization and language development associated with the disorder. Similar oculomotor deficits have been reported in individuals with autism, suggesting that they may be familial and useful for studies of neurophysiological and genetic mechanisms in autism.

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  • Recent findings that oculomotor deficits in AD are also present in unaffected family members suggest dysfunctions within oculomotor vermis may be familial and could serve as intermediate phenotypes for gene discovery.

    “Our recent findings that oculomotor deficits observed in individuals with AD also are present in unaffected family members suggest that dysfunctions within the oculomotor vermis may be familial and could serve as intermediate phenotypes for gene discovery [204].”

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Research works printed but not linked: 1

  1. [49]Bolton P Macdonald H Pickles A Rios P Goode S Crowson M Bailey A Rutter M A case-control family history study of autism J Child Psychol Psychiatry 1994 35 5 877 900 7962246

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Authors
Mosconi, M. W., Kay, M., D’Cruz, A.-M., Guter, S., Kapur, K., Macmillan, C., Stanford, L. D., & Sweeney, J. A.
Affiliations
University of Illinois Chicago (US)
Venue
Archives of General Psychiatry
Published
2010-08-01
Volume
67
Issue
8
Pages
830
ISSN
0003-990X (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2122281609
Cited by
84
References
108
Citations by year
2025: 4 · 2023: 2 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 10 · 2020: 7 · 2019: 4 · 2018: 3 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 5 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 11 · 2012: 9
FWCI
5.03
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Archives of General Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
  • KU ScholarWorks (The University of Kansas) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
  • Autism Speaks (AS6337, AS4853)
  • Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P50HD055751, P01HD035469, HD35469, U19HD035469)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Autism Spectrum Disorder Research
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Genetics and Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Schizophrenia research and treatment
Keywords
autism spectrum disorder, first-degree relatives, familial aggregation, eye movement disorders, saccades, smooth pursuit eye movements, response inhibition, procedural learning, executive function, hemispheric lateralization, striatum, obsessive-compulsive behavior, social behavior, neurobehavioral abnormalities
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Autistic Disorder, Brain, Child, Eye Movements, Family, Female, Humans, Functional Laterality, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Pursuit, Smooth, Saccades, Ocular Motility Disorders, Case-Control Studies, Executive Function

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