SCHAFER AUTISM REPORT                "Healing Autism:

                             No Finer a Cause on the Planet" ________________________________________________________________

Friday, November 07, 2003                        Vol. 7 Nos. 223

 

 

    RESEARCH  (15 Abstracts, 2 Articles)

   * Necdin-Related MAGE Proteins Differentially Interact With The E2F1

     Transcription Factor And The P75 Neurotrophin Receptor.

   * Left-Hemisphere Dysfunction In Autism: What Are We Measuring?

   * Cortical Sound Processing In Children With Autism Disorder: An

     MEG Investigation.

   * Parental Assessment And Treatment of Food Selectivity In

     Natural Settings.

   * Using Simultaneous Presentation To Increase Vegetable Consumption

     In A Mildly Selective Child With Autism.

   * The Role Of Specific Consequences In The Maintenance Of Three

     Types Of Questions.

   * Increased Prevalence Of Familial Autoimmunity In Probands

     With Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

   * Safety of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Two-Phased Study of

     Computerized Health Maintenance Organization Databases.

   * Perception of Complex Sounds: Abnormal Pattern Of Cortical

     Activation In Autism.

   * Abnormal Brain Lateralization In High-Functioning Autism.

   * The Effect of Choice-Making Opportunities During Activity Schedules

     On Task Engagement Of Adults With Autism.

   * Prevalence And Patterns Of Use Of Psychoactive Medicines Among

     Individuals With Autism in the Autism Society of Ohio.

   * The Friendship Questionnaire: An Investigation of Adults With Asperger

     Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism, And Normal Sex Differences.

   * Peer Interaction & Loneliness In High-Functioning Children With Autism.

   * Theory of Mind--Based Action In Children From The Autism Spectrum.

   * Neurogenesis Management FGF-2 Controls Neurogenesis In The Adult

     Hippocampus After Brain Injury

   * Brain Hard-Wired for Empathy: Study

 

    PUBLIC HEALTH

   * USA TODAY: Unvaccinated Toddlers Pose Risk To Health

 

 

RESEARCH

 

Necdin-Related MAGE Proteins Differentially Interact With The E2F1 Transcription Factor And The P75 Neurotrophin Receptor.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14593116&dopt=Abstract

 

Kuwako KI, Taniura H, Yoshikawa K.

Department of Regulation of Macromolecular Functions, Osaka University, Osaka, Osaka 565-0871.

 

      Necdin is a growth suppressor expressed predominantly in postmitotic neurons and implicated in their terminal differentiation.

      Necdin shows a moderate homology to the MAGE family proteins, whose functional roles are largely unknown.

      Human genes encoding necdin, MAGEL2 (necdin-like 1), and MAGE-G1 (necdin-like 2) are located in proximal chromosome 15q, a region associated with neurodevelopmental disorders such as Prader-Willi syndrome, Angelman syndrome, and autistic disorder.

      The necdin and MAGEL2 genes are subjected to genomic imprinting and suggested to be involved in the etiology of Prader-Willi syndrome.

      In this study, we compared biochemical and functional characteristics of murine orthologs of these necdin-related MAGE proteins.

      The colony formation and bromodeoxyuridine incorporation analyses revealed that necdin and MAGE-G1, but not MAGEL2, induced growth arrest.

      Necdin and MAGE-G1 interacted with the transcription factor E2F1 via its transactivation domain, repressed E2F1-dependent transcription, and antagonized E2F1-induced apoptosis of N1E-115 neuroblastoma cells.

      In addition, necdin and MAGE-G1 interacted with the p75 neurotrophin receptor via its distinct intracellular domains.

      In contrast, MAGEL2 failed to bind to these necdin interactors, suggesting that MAGEL2 has no necdin-like function in developing brain.

      Overexpression of p75 translocated necdin and MAGE-G1 in the proximity of the plasma membrane and reduced their association with E2F1 to facilitate E2F1-induced death of neuroblastoma cells.

      These results suggest that necdin and MAGE-G1 target both E2F1 and p75 to regulate cell viability during brain development.

      PMID: 14593116 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

* * *

 

Left-Hemisphere Dysfunction In Autism: What Are We Measuring?

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14592007&dopt=Abstract

 

Sussman K, Lewandowski L., Syracuse University, U.S.A

 

      This study sought to investigate the left hemisphere deficit hypothesis regarding autism.

      A group of 15 autistic youngsters between the ages of 8 and 13 years was compared with a group of 15 mentally retarded youngsters matched for age and IQ on a set of measures presumed to be sensitive to neuropsychological dysfunction.

      The results suggested that this sample of autistic youngsters is best characterized by bilateral neuropsychological involvement, affecting left-hemisphere functioning predominantly but not exclusively.

      The findings of this and other such studies seem to be somewhat determined by the varied samples and assessments employed in the research.

      The practice of selecting tests which presumably tap left or right cerebral functions is highly inferential, and warrants concern, particularly when assessing complex cognitive functioning in autistic individuals.

      PMID: 14592007 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

Cortical Sound Processing In Children With Autism Disorder: An MEG Investigation.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14600495&dopt=Abstract

 

GageCA NM, Siegel B, Callen M, Roberts TP.

 

      SUMMARY: Previous work investigating frequency encoding mechanisms in human auditory cortex has provided evidence that latency of the auditory evoked M100 is strongly proportional to frequency, with low frequency (100-200 Hz) tones associated with approximately 30 ms longer latencies than mid-range frequency (1-2 kHz) tones.

      Motivated by pervasive speech and auditory perception deficits observed in autism spectrum disorder, we evaluated M100 frequency dependence in children with autism disorder and typically developing controls.

      Results indicate that for control children, the dynamic range of frequency modulation was similar to previous reports for healthy adults.

      Children with autism had a much reduced range of modulation in right hemisphere sites.

      Findings indicate that frequency encoding mechanisms may follow a differential maturational path in autism spectrum disorder.

      PMID: 14600495 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

Parental Assessment And Treatment of Food Selectivity In Natural Settings.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14596582&dopt=Abstract

 

Najdowski AC, Wallace MD, Doney JK, Ghezzi PM.

University of Nevada, Reno 89557, USA.

 

      This study evaluated the effects of a parent-conducted functional analysis and treatment consisting of differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior, escape extinction, and demand fading on food selectivity in a young child with autism.

      Increases in food acceptance at home and in a restaurant were obtained.

      PMID: 14596582 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

Using Simultaneous Presentation To Increase Vegetable Consumption In A Mildly Selective Child With Autism.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14596577&dopt=Abstract

 

Ahearn WH.

The New England Center for Children, Southborough, Massachusetts 01772, USA.

      Bahearn@necc.org

 

      A multiple baseline design was used to evaluate the effects of adding condiments on the consumption of previously rejected foods (vegetables).

      Adding condiments produced increased food acceptance across three food items.

      Data are discussed in relation to conditioned food preferences and establishing operations.

      PMID: 14596577 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

The Role Of Specific Consequences In The Maintenance Of Three Types Of Questions.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14596570&dopt=Abstract

 

Williams G, Perez-Gonzalez LA, Vogt K.

Applied Behavioral Consultant Services, Englewood, New York 07631, USA.

      gladyswilliams2003@hotmail.com

 

      This research replicated and extended a study by Williams, Donley, and Keller (2000).

      In that study, children with autism received a box with an object inside and learned to ask "What's that?," "Can I see it?," and "Can I have it?" to have the name of the object, to see the object, and to get the object, respectively.

      The purpose of the present research was to determine if the three questions (a) were three independent repertoires of behavior, (b) constituted three instances of a single functional response class, or (c) belonged to a chain of behavior.

      The 3 boys with autism who participated responded independently to each question when the consequences for each question were altered.

      This indicates that the three target responses were three independent repertoires of behavior, each one reinforced and maintained with its specific consequences.

      Thus, this procedure serves to teach children with autism to ask questions with flexibility according to a variable context.

      PMID: 14596570 [PubMed - in process]

 

 

 

 

 

                 -- > DO SOMETHING ABOUT AUTISM NOW < --

 

                            SUBSCRIBE. . . !

            . . .Read, then Forward the Schafer Autism Report.

                (Delivered Fresh Daily to Your Emailbox)

            To Subscribe http://home.sprynet.com/~schafer/

                Or mailto:subs@doitnow.com    No Cost!

           _______________________________________________________

 

 

 

* * *

 

Increased Prevalence Of Familial Autoimmunity In Probands With Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14595086&dopt=Abstract

 

Sweeten TL, Bowyer SL, Posey DJ, Halberstadt GM, McDougle CJ. Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, and James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children Indianapolis 46202-4800, USA.

 

      OBJECTIVES: Increased prevalence of familial autoimmune disease is a common finding among probands with various autoimmune disorders.

      Autistic disorder (autism) is a highly genetic disorder with known immune and immunogenetic abnormalities.

      Previous research has found an increased frequency of autoimmune disorders in families with autistic probands.

      We further investigated this association by determining the frequency of autoimmune disorders in families that have probands with pervasive developmental disorders (PDDs), including autism, compared with 2 control groups.

      METHODS: Three well-defined study groups, including 1) families that have a child with a PDD, 2) families that have a child with an autoimmune disorder, and 3) families with a healthy control child, constituted the sample.

      A questionnaire inquiring about which first- and second-degree family members had received a diagnosis of having specific autoimmune disorders was completed by 101 families in each group.

      RESULTS: The frequency of autoimmune disorders was significantly higher in families of the PDD probands compared with families of both the autoimmune and healthy control probands.

      Autoimmunity was highest among the parents of PDD probands compared with parents of the healthy control subjects.

      Hypothyroidism/Hashimoto's thyroiditis and rheumatic fever were significantly more common in families with PDD probands than in the healthy control families.

      CONCLUSIONS: Autoimmunity was increased significantly in families with PDD compared with those of healthy and autoimmune control subjects.

      These preliminary findings warrant additional investigation into immune and autoimmune mechanisms in autism.

      PMID: 14595086 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

Safety of Thimerosal-Containing Vaccines: A Two-Phased Study Of Computerized Health Maintenance Organization Databases.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14595043&dopt=Abstract

 

Verstraeten T, Davis RL, DeStefano F, Lieu TA, Rhodes PH, Black SB, Shinefield H, Chen RT; Vaccine Safety Datalink Team. Epidemic Intelligence Service Program, Epidemiology Program Office, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia 30333, USA.

 

      OBJECTIVE: To assess the possible toxicity of thimerosal-containing vaccines (TCVs) among infants.

      METHODS: A 2-phased retrospective cohort study was conducted using computerized health maintenance organization (HMO) databases.

      Phase I screened for associations between neurodevelopmental disorders and thimerosal exposure among 124 170 infants who were born during 1992 to 1999 at 2 HMOs (A and B).

      In phase II, the most common disorders associated with exposure in phase I were reevaluated among 16 717 children who were born during 1991 to 1997 in another HMO (C).

      Relative risks for neurodevelopmental disorders were calculated per increase of 12.5 micro g of estimated cumulative mercury exposure from TCVs in the first, third, and seventh months of life.

      RESULTS: In phase I at HMO A, cumulative exposure at 3 months resulted in a significant positive association with tics (relative risk [RR]: 1.89; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05-3.38).

      At HMO B, increased risks of language delay were found for cumulative exposure at 3 months (RR: 1.13; 95% CI: 1.01-1.27) and 7 months (RR: 1.07; 95% CI: 1.01-1.13).

      In phase II at HMO C, no significant associations were found.

      In no analyses were significant increased risks found for autism or attention-deficit disorder.

      CONCLUSIONS: No consistent significant associations were found between TCVs and neurodevelopmental outcomes.

      Conflicting results were found at different HMOs for certain outcomes.

      For resolving the conflicting findings, studies with uniform neurodevelopmental assessments of children with a range of cumulative thimerosal exposures are needed.

      PMID: 14595043 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

Perception of Complex Sounds: Abnormal Pattern Of Cortical Activation In Autism.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14594758&dopt=Abstract

 

Boddaert N, Belin P, Chabane N, Poline JB, Barthelemy C, Mouren-Simeoni MC, Brunelle F, Samson Y, Zilbovicius M.

 

      OBJECTIVE: Bilateral temporal hypoperfusion at rest was recently described in autism.

      In normal adults, these regions are activated by listening to speech-like sounds.

      To investigate auditory cortical processing in autism, the authors performed a positron emission tomography activation study.

      METHOD: Regional cerebral blood flow was measured in five autistic adults and eight comparison subjects during rest and while listening to speech-like sounds.

      RESULTS: Similar to the comparison subjects, autistic patients showed a bilateral activation of the superior temporal gyrus.

      However, an abnormal pattern of hemispheric activation was observed in the autistic group.

      The volume of activation was larger on the right side in the autistic patients, whereas the reverse pattern was found in the comparison group.

      The direct comparison between the two groups showed that the right middle frontal gyrus exhibited significantly greater activation in the autistic group.

      Conversely, the left temporal areas exhibited less activation in autistic patients.

      CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that abnormal auditory cortical processing is implicated in the language impairments and the inadequate response to sounds typically seen in autism.

      PMID: 14594758 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

Abnormal Brain Lateralization In High-Functioning Autism.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14594334&dopt=Abstract

 

Escalante-Mead PR, Minshew NJ, Sweeney JA.

University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL 60612, USA.

 

      Disturbances in lateral preference in autism are of interest because of their potential to shed light on brain maturational processes in this disorder.

      Forty-seven autistic individuals with a history of disordered early language development and 22 autistic individuals with normal early language acquisition were matched with 112 healthy individuals and compared on a standardized measure of lateral preference, the Edinburgh Handedness Inventory.

      Autistic individuals with a history of early language disturbance showed more atypical cerebral dominance than both healthy participants and autistic individuals with normal early language skills.

      The data indicated maturational disturbances in establishing lateral preference rather than increased rates of left handedness.

      Atypical establishment of cerebral dominance may be one cause of disordered language development in autism.

      PMID: 14594334 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

The Effect of Choice-Making Opportunities During Activity Schedules On Task Engagement Of Adults With Autism.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14594333&dopt=Abstract

 

Watanabe M, Sturmey P.

Department of Psychology, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367, USA.

 

      Increasing choice and participation by adults with autism spectrum disorders is an important, but neglected, aspect of research and services.

      This study evaluated the effects of choice-making opportunities, embedded within activity schedules, and contingent praise on the engagement of three adults with autism in a community vocational setting.

      In the baseline condition, staff assigned the order of the tasks.

      In the Choice condition and Maintenance phases, the participants chose the order of tasks that supervisors assigned to them.

      They made their own activity schedules by writing down the order of their tasks for that morning.

      Social praise was provided contingent on the participant's task completion.

      The same tasks were used in baseline, intervention, and maintenance phases.

      During the Choice and Maintenance conditions, client engagement was substantially higher than baseline for all three participants.

      Increasing choice-making opportunities within activity schedules was an effective and socially acceptable way to increase choice and engagement in adults with autism.

      PMID: 14594333 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

Prevalence And Patterns Of Use Of Psychoactive Medicines Among Individuals With Autism in the Autism Society of Ohio.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14594332&dopt=Abstract

 

Aman MG, Lam KS, Collier-Crespin A.

The Nisonger Center for Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, The Ohio State University, 1581 Dodd Drive, Columbus, OH 43210-1296, USA.

 

      To date, there have been few surveys of psychotropic and antiepileptic drug (AED) prevalence in individuals with autism-spectrum conditions.

      We surveyed 747 families in the Autism Society of Ohio regarding the use of psychotropic drugs, AEDs, and over-the-counter (OTC) preparations for autism.

      In all, 417 families (55.8%) replied.

      A total of 45.6% were taking some form of psychotropic agent (including St.

      John's wort and melatonin), whereas 11.5% were taking AEDs, and 10.3% took OTC autism preparations.

      The most common psychotropic agents included antidepressants (21.6%), antipsychotics (14.9%), antihypertensives (12.5%), and stimulants (11.3%).

      Some 51.6% were prescribed psychotropic drugs or AEDs, and 55.4% took psychotropic drugs, AEDs, or autism supplements.

      Demographic variables frequently found to be associated with medication use included greater age, more severe autism, more severe intellectual handicap, and housing outside the family home.

      Whereas there is empirical support for the use of some of these psychotropic agents in autism, others are being prescribed with minimal research support.

      OTC autism preparations were used in substantial numbers of individuals, despite limited research support and the possibility of toxic effects.

      PMID: 14594332 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

The Friendship Questionnaire: An Investigation of Adults With Asperger Syndrome or High-Functioning Autism, And Normal Sex Differences.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14594330&dopt=Abstract

 

Baron-Cohen S, Wheelwright S.

Department of Experimental Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

 

      Friendship is an important part of normal social functioning, yet there are precious few instruments for measuring individual differences in this domain.

      In this article, we report a new self-report questionnaire, the Friendship Questionnaire (FQ), for use with adults of normal intelligence.

      A high score on the FQ is achieved by the respondent reporting that they enjoy close, empathic, supportive, caring friendships that are important to them; that they like and are interested in people; and that they enjoy interacting with others for its own sake.

      The FQ has a maximum score of 135 and a minimum of zero.

      In Study 1, we carried out a study of n = 76 (27 males and 49 females) adults from a general population, to test for previously reported sex differences in friendships.

      This confirmed that women scored significantly higher than men.

      In Study 2, we employed the FQ with n = 68 adults (51 males, 17

females) with Asperger Syndrome or high-functioning autism to test the theory that autism is an extreme form of the male brain.

      The adults with Asperger Syndrome or high-functioning autism scored significantly lower on the FQ than both the male and female controls from Study 1.

      The FQ thus reveals both a sex difference in the style of friendship in the general population, and provides support for the extreme male brain theory of autism.

      PMID: 14594330 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

Peer Interaction And Loneliness In High-Functioning Children With Autism.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14594329&dopt=Abstract

 

Bauminger N, Shulman C, Agam G.

School of Education, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 52900, Israel. bauminn@mail.biu.ac.il

 

      Social interaction with peers and the understanding and feelings of loneliness were examined in 18 high-functioning children with autism and 17 typically developing children matched for IQ, chronological age, gender, and maternal education.

      Observations were conducted on children's spontaneous social initiations and responses to their peers in natural settings such as recess and snack time, and children reported on their understanding and feelings of loneliness and social interaction.

      Overall, children with autism revealed a good understanding of both social interaction and loneliness, and they demonstrated a high level of social initiation.

      However, they spent only half the time in social interactions with peers compared with their matched counterparts, and they interacted more often with a typically developing child than with another special education child.

      Despite the intergroup differences in frequency of interaction, a similar distribution of interactions emerged for both groups, who presented mostly positive social behaviors, fewer low-level behaviors, and very infrequent negative behaviors.

      Children with autism reported higher degrees of loneliness than their typical age-mates, as well as a lower association between social interaction and loneliness, suggesting their poorer understanding of the relations between loneliness and social interaction.

      Research and practice implications of these findings are discussed.

      PMID: 14594329 [PubMed - in process]

 

 

 

          _______________________________________________________

 

             LOOKING FOR SOMETHING - ANYTHING - ABOUT AUTISM?

 

             Search The Most Complete Autism News & Info Database

              The Schafer Autism Report -- Updated Fresh Daily

             http://groups.yahoo.com/group/-AuTeach/messages

 

               . . .OR ASK A NEIGHBOR: Free Readers' Posts

               http://home.sprynet.com/~schafer/frm/postsc.htm

         ________________________________________________________

 

 

* * *

 

Theory of Mind--Based Action In Children From The Autism Spectrum.

 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_ui

ds=14594328&dopt=Abstract

 

Begeer S, Rieffe C, Terwogt MM, Stockmann L.

Paedologisch Instituut, Duivendrecht, The Netherlands. S.Begeer@psy.vu.nl

 

      In this study we investigated whether task interest facilitated the application of Theory of Mind capacities in high-functioning children from the autism spectrum.

      Children were invited to carry out two simple tasks.

      Sabotage of both tasks by a third party resulted in the experimenter appearing to have a false belief.

      Whereas pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified

(PDDNOS) children tended to correct the experimenter's false belief in the rewarded task condition, children with autism were not influenced by task condition.

      These results highlight the role played by social and communicative factors in the application of Theory of Mind knowledge in the former clinical group.

      PMID: 14594328 [PubMed - in process]

* * *

 

Neurogenesis Management FGF-2 Controls Neurogenesis In The Adult Hippocampus After Brain Injury

 

      [By Tudor Toma.] http://www.cnsfoundation.org/newsletter/newsletter_50/newsletter_06.html

 

      Unlike other organs, the brain had been assumed to have a limited ability to repair itself, but recent evidence suggests that brain is a more dynamic, plastic organ than originally appreciated and is endowed with the potential for repair and regeneration. Despite this observation, the molecular signals that control neurogenesis-the generation of new neurons-in the adult brain have been unclear. In the October 15 Journal of Clinical Investigation, Shinichi Yoshimura and colleagues from Harvard Medical School show that fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) regulates neurogenesis and degeneration in the dentate gyrus following traumatic brain injury (Journal of Clinical Investigation, 112:1202-1210, October 15, 2003).

      Yoshimura et al. used FGF-2-/- mice and observed that in these animals, following a controlled cortical impact, BrdU marked positive cells and BrdU-positive neurons numbered fewer in the dentate gyrus compared with

FGF-2+/+ mice. In FGF-2-/- mice, there was also a greater decrease in

FGF-2+the

volume of the granule cell layer (GCL) and the number of GCL neurons following traumatic brain injury. In addition, the authors showed that overexpression of FGF-2 significantly increased the numbers of dividing cells and BrdU-positive neurons and decreased the volume of GCL.

      “FGF-2 is, at least in part, responsible for regulating neuronal replacement, as well as attenuating neuronal loss after traumatic brain injury. FGF-2 supplementation may provide a rational strategy to treat brain injury by simultaneously enhancing neurogenesis and reducing neurodegeneration,” conclude the authors.

      “[This] demonstrates that neurogenesis is not simply a cell-autonomous property of resident stem cells but is determined by the environmental milieu,” suggest Anna F. Hallbergson and colleagues from the Chicago Medical School in an accompanying spotlight editorial.

* * *

 

Brain Hard-Wired for Empathy: Study

 

      [By Merritt McKinney.] http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=healthNews&storyID=3770979

 

      Reuters Health - Ever watched someone grimace after they sniffed a carton of sour milk? Even though you were spared a whiff of stinky milk, to your brain, you might as well have been sniffing the milk yourself, a report from Italy suggests.

      New research shows that when we see an expression of disgust on someone else's face, the same part of our brain -- the insula -- is activated as when we feel disgust ourselves.

      “People have overemphasized the importance of thoughts in our understanding of others,” Dr. Christian Keysers of the University of Parma, a co-author of the report, told Reuters Health.

      Although Keysers said that empathy for others is often thought of as a matter of morals, “in our study, on the other hand, we show that empathy is a very basic, simple and automatic process,” he said.

      Keysers explained that when we see the emotions on another's face, “we don't need to think about how that person feels.” Instead, according to Keysers, we share the feeling of disgust because the insula is activated as if we were disgusted ourselves.

      “This sharing is automatic,” he said. “Our subjects were not asked to share the emotion of the other person and did not report attempting to do so after the scan. It just happens.”

      Keysers continued, “This shared feeling of disgust could then be our key to understanding how the other person feels.”

      Researchers used a tool called functional magnetic resonance imaging

(fMRI) to monitor the brain activity of 14 men as they watched short movies of people smelling pleasant, disgusting and neutral odors. Brain activity was also monitored while participants themselves smelled a variety of odors.

      The researchers found that a part of the brain called the anterior insula, which previously has been linked to feelings of disgust, was activated not only when participants smelled something disgusting but also when they watched others take a whiff of something stinky.

      A report on the findings is published in the October 30th issue of the journal Neuron.

      “We implicitly understand the meaning of the actions of others and the meaning of their emotions by simply stimulating them,” Dr. Giacomo Rizzolatti, another of the study's authors, told Reuters Health.

      “What we provide is a neurophysiological characterization of empathy,” said Rizzolatti.

      The next step, according to Rizzolatti, will involve studies of schizophrenia and autism to see to what extent malfunctioning in the ability to mirror the emotions of others is to blame for difficulties in establishing meaningful relationships with other people.

      SOURCE: Neuron, October 30, 2003.

* * *

 

PUBLIC HEALTH

 

USA TODAY: Unvaccinated Toddlers Pose Risk To Health

 

      [By Marilyn Elias for USA TODAY. McLean, Va.: Nov 4, 2003.] http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSIHW000/333/21343/371565.html

 

 About one-quarter of U.S. toddlers haven't received all of their recommended vaccines, “and they're like dry wood ready to catch fire” if serious diseases break out, a federal researcher said Monday.

      Immunization rates aren't increasing and seem to be slipping in some regions, says Philip Smith, an epidemiologist at the National Immunization Program of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

      About 1.4 million children 19 months to 35 months old have been given at least one dose of a vaccine but not all the shots advised, and 18,000 haven't received any vaccines, a CDC survey shows. Smith presented the vaccine data at the American Academy of Pediatrics meeting in New Orleans.

      Most kids, 98%, have been fully vaccinated by the time they start school, when parents must show proof of immunization. But preschool years “are a window of vulnerability that gives us a lot of concern,” says Duke University pediatrician Samuel Katz of the National Network for Immunization Information.

      Undervaccinated children tend to come from very different kinds of families from those who are given no shots, Smith says. Those who don't get all of their shots are disproportionately poor and minority children. They're often uninsured or not fully covered for childhood immunizations, he says.

      The unvaccinated tend to have white, well-educated and affluent parents who doubt vaccine safety. “These are intelligent, yuppie parents who chase the Internet and read all the misinformation that's there,” Katz says.

      Toddlers not receiving any vaccines tend to cluster in certain

regions: Southern California; Cook County, Ill.; Westchester County, N.Y.; Dallas; Salt Lake City; and King County, Wash.  Recent outbreaks of pertussis (whooping cough), a potentially fatal disease, in wealthy Westchester County and Seattle show the danger of holes in the vaccine “safety net,” Smith says. “The unvaccinated get the disease, and those not fully vaccinated can catch it from them.”

      Costs can be a great concern for the working poor, Smith adds. For example, the four doses required of a vaccine to prevent pneumonia cost $360, he says.

      More than 50% of 2-year-olds qualify for free vaccines under a federal program. But states vary widely in efforts to inform and find eligible families, Katz says. Most New England states and North Carolina provide free vaccines to all children, and they have the highest vaccination rates, he says.

      Parents' safety concerns should have been eased by recent federal reports that found no proof of a link between vaccines and autism, diabetes or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, Katz says.

      But vaccine studies have been poorly designed and done by scientists with financial conflicts of interest, such as ties to drug makers, says Barbara Loe Fisher of the National Vaccine Information Center, a group opposing mandatory vaccination. “Even the federal reports couldn't totally rule out an autism problem . . . We need basic science to identify the genetic and other high- risk factors that make vaccines dangerous for some children, but there is no will to do this kind of research,” Fisher says.

 

The unvaccinated children:

      * 82% white

      * 22% live in families with more than $75,000 annual income.

      * Their parents are 10 times more likely than parents of undervaccinated children to say they're concerned about vaccine safety and six times more likely to say their family doctor was not influential in their decision about vaccines.

 

The undervaccinated children:

      * 40% black or Hispanic

      * 11% live in families with more than $75,000 annual income.

      * 26% live below the poverty line.

      Source: Philip Smith, statistician, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

 

 

      [Brief commentary: Dr. Samuel Katz is quoted above as saying “These [non-vaccinators] are intelligent, yuppie parents who chase the Internet and read all the misinformation that's there.” Well which is it, Doctor Katz, are they intelligent or are they Internet dupes?  And what references do you have to back up these assertions about the origins of “yuppie” behavior, or is this speculative stuff you picked up off some iatrogenic web site on the Internet?

      Does the Schafer Autism Report dupe its readers? Almost 100 of our subscribers report residing in Westchester County, N.Y. Of those, 18 of 40 who responded to our subscription entry survey report having graduate degrees, 14 report bachelor degrees. Three hundred and fifteen subscribers live in Cook Country, Ill. Fifty-eight claim graduate degrees and 62 with bachelors. But most of these “intelligent” readers have already vaccinated their children who also now have autism, so they did what they were told. Were they duped? Is it our readers’ fault if their neighbors subsequently pass on vaccinations for their kids, despite government perseverative assurances of safety?

      Besides, one doesn’t bother going on the pedestrian Internet to get this publication. We email it to our readers. Pretty smart, huh? - LS.]

 

 

      _______________________________________________________

 

        PROMOTE YOUR MEETINGS, CHAPTER OR CONFERENCE

 

             No Cost to List

      In the Largest, Widest Read "The Autism Calendar"tm

      http://home.sprynet.com/~schafer/frm/calendar-form.htm

 

       NOTE CALENDAR DEADLINE NOV 25 FOR DECEMBER UPDATE

      _______________________________________________________

 

 

 

_________________________________________________________________

Lenny Schafer, Editor mailto:edit@doitnow.com

Edward Decelie Debbie Hosseini Richard Miles Ron Sleith Kay Stammers

 

 

_______________________________________________

SAReport mailing list

SAReport@envirolink.org

 

You can change your options at: http://lists.envirolink.org/mailman/listinfo/sareport