Since Hans Asperger's first description (Arch Psych Nervenkrankh 117:76-136, 1944), through Lorna Wing's translation and definition (Psychol Med 11:115-129, 1981), to its introduction in the fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM, 1994), Asperger Syndrome has always aroused huge interest and debate, until vanishing in the DSM fifth edition (2013). The debate regarded its diagnostic validity and its differentiation from high functioning autism (HFA). The present study aimed to examine whether AS differed from HFA in clinical profiles and to analyze the impact of DSM-5's innovation. Differences in cognitive, language, school functioning and comorbidities, were revealed when 80 AS and 70 HFA patients (3-18 years) were compared. Results suggested that an AS empirical distinction within autism spectrum disorder should be clinically useful.

BackgroundOver the last decade, several studies investigated the outcomes in children born very preterm. Only recently there has been an increasing interest in the late preterm infants (born between 34 + 0 and 36 + 6 weeks). This population is at high risk of morbidity and mortality in the first years of life. Other studies reported that they are also at risk of long-term developmental problem. Therefore, the aim of this study is to describe the neurodevelopmental and emotional-behavioral outcome in a sample of late preterm patients.MethodsThe study included late preterm children and adolescents who had neuropsychiatric and/or neurological symptoms. They underwent a general, neurocognitive and an emotional-behavioral assessment. Exclusion criteria included: patients affected by Central Nervous System congenital abnormalities, neurodegenerative diseases, genetic disorders, epilepsy, or in pharmacological treatment, or adopted children. A descriptive statistics analysis was performed to describe the sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of patients. Risk factors related to late preterm birth, prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders, and cognitive functioning were recorded and analyzed.ResultsThe sample included 68 LPI (45 males and 23 females) aged from 2 to 16.3 years (mean age 7,5 years), who were affected by one or more neurodevelopmental disorder, including Language Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Specific Learning Disorder, Developmental Coordination Disorder, Intellectual Disability and Autism Spectrum Disorder. Moreover, in 30.8% of patients, internalizing problems (affective and social skills problem) were detected.ConclusionsOur results support the importance of a long-term surveillance of late preterm and the great need for more longitudinal large population studies in order to collect data on the neurodevelopmental outcomes of this population.

Background Recurrent painful ophthalmoplegic neuropathy (RPON), previously known as ophthalmoplegic migraine (OM), is an uncommon disorder with repeated episodes of ocular cranial nerve neuropathy associated with ipsilateral headache. The age of presentation is most often during childhood or adolescence. MRI has a central role in the assessment of the RPON, especially to distinguish orbital, parasellar, or posterior fossa lesions that mimic symptoms of RPON. Actually, oculomotor nerve tumors may be masquerade as RPON so that MRI follow-ups are required to detect the possibility of tumor etiology. Case presentation We report a 16-year-old boy with a 7-year follow-up and multiple brain MRI data, previously diagnosed as OM. The last brain MRI, performed during an acute phase of oculomotor paresis with ipsilateral headache, showed a nodular lesion described as schwannoma of III cranial nerve. Then, we reviewed the literature on OM and RPON in pediatric age with a focus on brain MRI findings. Conclusions This review highlights the important role of serial brain MRIs in the long-term follow-up of RPON, especially in the cases with childhood onset, in order to not delay the diagnosis of a possible oculomotor nerve schwannoma.

BackgroundHyperprolactinemia and glucose and lipid metabolism abnormalities are often found in patients with schizophrenia and are generally considered secondary to the use of antipsychotic drugs. More recent studies have shown these same neuroendocrine and metabolic abnormalities in antipsychotic naïve patients with first episode psychosis (FEP), rising the hypothesis that schizophrenia itself may be related to an abnormal regulation of prolactin secretion and to impaired glucose tolerance. The aim of this study was to compare prolactin levels, glycometabolism parameters and lipid profile between a sample of 31 drug-naive adolescents in the acute phase of FEP and a control group of 23 subjects at clinical high risk (CHR) of developing psychosis.MethodsThe assessment involved anthropometric data (weight, height, BMI index, pubertal stage) and blood tests (levels of glucose, glycated hemoglobin, serum insulin, triglycerides, total and fractionated cholesterol, prolactin). Insulin resistance (IR) was calculated through the homeostatic model of assessment (HOMA-IR), assuming a cut-off point of 3.16 for adolescent population. FEP patients and CHR controls were compared by using Student’s t-distribution (t-test) for parametric data. P < 0.05 was considered significant.ResultsSignificant higher level of prolactin was found in FEP group than in CHR group (mean = 28.93 ± 27.16 vs 14.29 ± 7.86, P = 0.009), suggesting a condition of hyperprolactinemia (HPRL). Patients with FEP were more insulin resistant compared to patients at CHR, as assessed by HOMA-IR (mean = 3.07 ± 1.76 vs 2.11 ± 1.11, P = 0.043). Differences of fasting glucose (FEP = 4.82 ± 0.71, CHR = 4.35 ± 0.62, P = 0.016) and HbA1c (FEP = 25.86 ± 13.31, CHR = 33.00 ± 2.95, P = 0.013), were not clinically significant as the mean values were within normal range for both groups. No significant differences were found for lipid profile. A BMI value within the range of normal weight was found for both groups, with no significant differences.ConclusionWe suggested that HPRL, increase in HOMA-IR, and psychotic symptoms may be considered different manifestations of the acute onset of schizophrenia spectrum psychosis, with a common neurobiological vulnerability emerging since adolescence. The influence of age and gender on clinical manifestations of psychotic onset should be considered for early prevention and treatment of both schizophrenia spectrum psychosis and neuroendocrine-metabolic dysfunctions.