Active clinical trials for "Child Development Disorders, Pervasive"

There is accumulating evidence that genetic expression plays a role in autism spectrum disorder, but the regulation of such genes is poorly understood. Small RNA particles, called microRNA (miRNA), have the ability to alter gene expression. These particles can be packaged and released from brain cells into the blood. Changes in miRNA may contribute to the patterns observed in autism spectrum disorder. The purpose of this study is to identify small RNA particles that regulate gene expression in autism spectrum disorder. The goal is to identify miRNA expression patterns which may improve our understanding and diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

Rationale: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is defined by deficits in social interaction and communication identified before the age of 3 years. Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) is a sensitive tool for ASD screening in children 16-23 months. A limited number of studies with a small number of patients have documented the developmental profile of children with ASD during infancy. Retrospective evaluations of videotaped behavior of children with ASD at 8 months and at 12 months identified early signs of ASD. A few studies found early signs of ASD during infancy in siblings of autistic children. Data documenting the age of onset and regression in ASD is controversial and limited. No large prospective studies documented the specific developmental profile of children with ASD starting at 6 months of age. Defining a specific autistic pattern on a developmental screening test could help identify infants at risk for ASD and improve their outcome through earlier diagnosis and treatment. More recently, genetic tests have been shown to aid in early identification of ASD which facilitates earlier intervention. Genetic testing among siblings of children with autism can aid in identification of autism or other related disorders in the siblings. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to learn about the early signs of autism in siblings of children with autism spectrum disorders. The investigators will enroll siblings of children with ASD. Those siblings who completed the Red Flags for Communication scale (RFC) at 6 months and/or at 12 months and failed the RFC at 12 months will be given a genetic screening test. It is the investigators goal to define a specific autistic pattern on a developmental screening test that could help identify sibling infants at risk for ASD and improve their outcome through earlier diagnosis and treatment and to evaluate if the results of the clinical screening test will correlate with the results of the genetic screening test.

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is a common childhood-onset, multi-factorial, highly heritable, clinically and genetically heterogeneous, neurodevelopmental disorder. Due to its high prevalence and severe lifelong impairment without effective prevention and treatment, there is a dearth of investigating its pathogenesis, longitudinal outcome, and biomarkers (endophenotypes). The ultimate goals of this 5-year project are to prospectively investigate the outcome and changes of psychosocial and neurocognitive functions of a cohort of probands with ASD at adolescence and young adulthood as the primary aim; and to test whether structural and functional brain connectivity can be effective endophenotypes of ASD using the unaffected sibling and follow-up designs as the secondary aims.

The Division of Medical Genetics at the University of Mississippi Medical Center is recruiting parents of children with a pervasive developmental disorder (including autism, autistic spectrum disorder, PDD-NOS, Asperger syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and Rett syndrome) to participate in a study to help determine potential causes of the increasing prevalence of these disorders. The study is being conducted using an anonymous on-line survey available to parents through a secure link. The study consists of approximately 90 questions about the affected child, siblings, parents, and grandparents, which will take roughly 10-15 minutes to complete. Several families will also be invited to participate in a phone interview. Both the survey and the phone interview are conducted using a self-designated code to protect anonymity and patient privacy. No identifying information such as name, date of birth, address, or phone number will be asked. Only questions regarding the year of birth of family members will be asked.

The study aims to evaluate whether or not an EEG (a type of brain scan) is useful in diagnosing youth with either ADHD, BPD, ASD. Youth with ADHD, BPD, ASD, and healthy controls (without ADHD, BPD, and ASD) will undergo an EEG, and the results will be analyzed using brain activity flow pattern analysis (BAFPA). Twenty subjects with each disorder and twenty without any of the disorders under study (controls) will be evaluated. All subjects will be comprehensively assessed with structured diagnostic interviews and neuropsychological testing. All EEG analyses will be conducted under blind conditions. Conditional probability and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses will examine the diagnostic utility of the EEG scan, using the clinical diagnosis of ASD as the gold standard.

This is a prospective, longitudinal, exploratory, open study with a 6-month follow-up period to explore via a specific Smartphone© application the evolution of a child's behavior over 6 months and the (psychological and social) effects of these changes on the family.

Antipsychotic medications are commonly prescribed in children and adults with ASD (Curtin, Jojic & Bandini, 2014). But weight gain has been known to be one of the less desirable effects of these medications, increasing one's risk for overweight and obesity. Based on experience in Holland Bloorview's Nutrition Clinic, working with a dietitian to follow specific dietary advice, such as having more protein while keeping the amount of calories the same, may be a possible and useful way to limit weight gain. This study's objective is to evaluate the feasibility (study designs, methods, processes) and acceptability (client/family satisfaction, perceived effectiveness) of a controlled energy diet with elevated protein intake in children and youth with ASD who are currently taking prescribed atypical antipsychotic medication.

The objective of this study is to gain preliminary information and knowledge on metabolic profile in ASD. The benefit of this study will be to expand our insight of the potential relationship in metabolic processes and neuropsychological functions in ASD. For example, based on the obtained data of the study we can determine whether there is a link between the tryptophan pathway and cognitive functions in autism. The project is based on a systematic and multidisciplinary approach using tracers for delineating the mechanism by which the metabolism of amino acids like TRP is involved in affective and cognitive functions in ASD. Using an innovative approach to the evaluation of amino acids has not been used in adults with ASD. In addition, the obtained data of the study holds promise to develop specific markers (metabolic and/or neuropsychological) for guiding the identification those individuals with increased risk of developing mood disturbances or cognitive impairment, and for predicting the therapeutic effect of a specific nutritional interventions in subjects with ASD.

Specific Aim 1: Obtain proof of concept evidence that cortical metrics will change in response to treatment with Memantine extended release (XR)®, an agent that modulates n-methyl d-asptartate (NMDA) receptor activation, in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who clinically demonstrate treatment response. Hypothesis1: Children with ASD who have dramatic clinical response to Memantine XR® will exhibit changes in their cortical metrics, which will differ less from neurotypical children. Subjective ratings of improvement will be correlated with the change in cortical metrics. The completion of these aims will be essential to design a larger federally funded trial to validate cortical metrics as an outcome measure in a more heterogeneous pediatric ASD sample. Specifically, the feasibility data obtained may demonstrate the potential for detecting changes in cortical metrics over time, so that a larger grant could focus on determining how sensitive and clinically relevant changes in cortical metrics are or may indicate the need to explore different interventions to use in a validation study. We have chosen to use Memantine XR® because of its impact on NMDA neurotransmission, its current evaluation in a large multi-site randomized ASD clinical trial whose initial results are expected shortly, and our own observations of clinical improvements and good tolerability in the ongoing trial.

Background: the autism spectrum disorders (ASD) can be related with abnormalities in cortical structures and cause behavior imbalances. In addition, as soon as the diagnosis is done, the better will be the prognosis. In this context, heart rate variability (HRV) stands out, which is a non-invasive tool representing autonomic modulation, with potential prognostic value. The literature showed there are no changes in HRV at rest using linear methods of analysis, but changes can be identified during tasks. Nonlinear methods of HRV are more sensitive and provide additional information to the linear. Objective: to analyze autonomic modulation using nonlinear and linear indexes of HRV in children with ASD at rest and during tasks in comparison to typical children. In addition, to correlate HRV analysis between them, also between behavior and severity of the disease. Methods: this study involves both typical children and children with ASD. Autonomic modulation will be performed using nonlinear indices (extracted from Poincaré plot, detrended fluctuation of tendency analysis and recurrence plot) and linear indices of HRV in the time (RMSSD e SDNN) and frequency domain (LF, HF, VLF). The tasks consist in games to identify and recognize faces and facial expressions. Behavior and severity of the disease will be evaluated using the Autism Behavior Checklist and the Childhood Autism Rating Scale respectively. Statistical Analysis: to identify differences between moments and protocols two-way analysis of variance will be used along with the Bonferroni post-test or Dunn post-test according to the data distribution. Statistical significance will be set at 5%.