No abstract

No abstract

Research suggests an overrepresentation of autism spectrum diagnoses (ASD) or autistic traits in gender diverse samples, particularly in children and adolescents. Using data from the GENTLE (GENder identiTy Longitudinal Experience) Cohort at the Gender Diversity Service at the Perth Children’s Hospital, the primary objective of the current retrospective chart review was to explore psychopathology and quality of life in gender diverse children with co-occurring ASD relative to gender diverse children and adolescents without ASD. The Social Responsiveness Scale (Second Edition) generates a Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) score indicating a likely clinical ASD diagnosis, which was used to partition participants into two groups (indicated ASD, n = 19) (no ASD indicated, n = 60). Indicated ASD was far higher than would be expected compared to general population estimates. Indicated ASD on the Social Responsiveness Scale 2 (SRS 2) was also a significant predictor of Internalising behaviours (Anxious/Depressed, Withdrawn/Depressed, Somatic Complaints, Thought Problems subscales) on the Youth Self Report. Indicated ASD was also a significant predictor of scores on all subscales of the Paediatric Quality of Life Inventory. The current findings indicate that gender diverse children and adolescents with indicated ASD comprise an especially vulnerable group that are at marked risk of mental health difficulties, particularly internalising disorders, and poor quality of life outcomes. Services working with gender diverse young people should screen for ASD, and also provide pathways to appropriate care for the commonly associated mental health difficulties.

aggressive behaviour in children and adolescents: a systematic review.Objective: The role of serotonin (5-HT) in human aggression has been the subject of a large number of studies, mostly with adults. Meta-analyses indicate a small but significant inverse relationship between central nervous 5-HT availability and aggression, but genetically informed studies suggest two pathways: one to reactive aggression and the other to proactive aggression. Method: We conducted a systemic review on central nervous 5-HT function in children and adolescents, with attention to the function of aggression. Results: In total, 675 articles were screened for relevance, with 45 reviewed. These included blood assays (e.g. plasma, 5-HIAA; platelet 5-HTR 2A ), epigenetic studies, retrospective PET studies and 5-HT challenge paradigms (e.g. tryptophan depletion). Overall, findings were mixed, with support both for negative and for positive associations of central nervous 5-HT function with aggression in children and adolescents. Conclusion: We propose factors that may be blurring the picture, including problems in the conceptualization and measurement of aggression in young people, the lack of prospective designs and the bias towards clinical samples of boys. Research needs to account for variance in the both motivation for and implementation of aggression, and look to the behavioural economics literature to consider the roles of reward, vengeance and self-control more clearly.• Central nervous serotonin (5-HT) function plays a complex and nonlinear role in child and adolescent aggression, with evidence indicating a role for low-expression of 5-HT as well as a role for increased central nervous availability of 5-HT.• Low central nervous 5-HT function may play a role in impulsive implementation of aggression, and increased 5-HT availability may play a role in deliberate, planned implementation and/or in callousunemotional traits that enable aggression for some children and adolescents.

No abstract

The ability to maintain attention to simple tasks (i.e., vigilant attention, VA) is often impaired in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms at the brain network level are not clear yet. We therefore investigated ADHD-related differences in resting-state functional connectivity within a meta-analytically defined brain network of 14 distinct regions subserving VA (comprising 91 connections in total), as well as the association of connectivity with markers of behavioural dysfunction in 17 children (age range: 9-14 years) with a diagnosis of ADHD and 21 age-matched neurotypical controls. Our analyses revealed selective, rather than global, differences in the intrinsic coupling between nodes of the VA-related brain network in children with ADHD, relative to controls. In particular, ADHD patients showed substantially diminished intrinsic coupling for 7 connections and increased coupling for 4 connections, with many differences involving connectivity with the anterior insula. Moreover, connectivity strength of several aberrant connections was found to be associated with core aspects of ADHD symptomatology, such as poor attention, difficulties with social functioning, and impaired cognitive control, attesting to the behavioural relevance of specific connectivity differences observed in the resting state.

An inverse association between psychosocial functioning and psychotic experiences is now established in both clinical and non-clinical populations, however the mechanisms which drive this are unclear. Adolescents with subclinical psychotic experiences (SPE) are more likely to use maladaptive coping strategies and less likely to use adaptive ones, and maladaptive coping has also been associated with poor functioning. A within study replication in two adolescent samples from the general populations of Melbourne, Australia (n = 723) and Birmingham, United Kingdom (n = 239), was conducted to determine whether the association between SPE and psychosocial functioning is mediated by coping style. SPE were associated with reduced general and family functioning and to a lesser extent with reduced peer functioning. Task-oriented (focusing on solving the problem) and emotion-oriented (negative emotional responses) coping were found to mediate the relationship between SPE and three types of functioning in both the Melbourne and the Birmingham samples. The within study replication consistently found that coping style mediates SPE and psychosocial functioning, despite significant differences in age, gender, functioning, use of coping styles, and level of SPE between the two samples. Longitudinal research is needed to fully understand any causal role coping may play in the relationship between SPE and poor functioning. The results have important public health and clinical implications, and suggest that techniques which increase levels of adaptive coping and reduce levels of maladaptive coping (in particular emotion-oriented styles) may help to break the cycle between SPE, functional decline, and eventual need for care.

Frequent, intrusive and distressing perceptual anomalies and proneness to hallucinations tend to occur in healthy individuals with hypomanic personality traits and may be associated with transient difficulties with inhibitory control. Inhibitory control may be a cognitive marker of vulnerability to hallucinations across diagnostic boundaries.