In this letter to the editor, the author attempts to speculate on the link between autism spectrum disorder and gender dysphoria. Read on to find out more.
The consequences of neurologic injury in early childhood can be profound and long-lasting. This analysis of data from a Taiwanese national insurance database examines the association between TBI in children younger than 3 years and the subsequent risk of ADHD, autism spectrum disorders, and developmental delay.
Families living with autism may use the emergency department to manage crises related to a variety of factors. This review summarizes current research relating to ED visits among youth with autism, including patient characteristics, reasons for visits, and presenting symptoms.
Although some studies suggest that excessive brain opioid activity may affect or even determine the pathogenesis of autism, discrepancies exist between results of individual studies. Read this article to learn if a relationship was found between β-endorphin levels, self-injurious behaviors, or pain reactivity in patients with autism.
Sleep problems are more prevalent in children with autism spectrum disorders than in children with typical development. Could sleep problems in infancy serve as an early indicator of atypical neurodevelopment? This study used data from a birth cohort to estimate associations between infant sleep characteristics at 12 months of age and autism screening scores at 2 years of age.
In this installment of his Clinical and Practical Psychopharmacology column, Dr Andrade provides a meta-review of 6 meta-analyses examining the risk of autism spectrum disorder associated with use of antidepressants during pregnancy and considers whether maternal mental illness is a major determinant of that risk.
Autism has been linked to higher rates of depression and to suicidality. This study leveraged data from a large insurance database to find out whether the presence of depression is key to the increased suicidality risk, or if this risk is independent of psychiatric comorbidity.
What variables might explain the association between antenatal SSRI exposure and autism? This systematic review and meta-analysis will give you some insight on factors that might influence this association.
Antipsychotics such as risperidone and aripiprazole are efficacious for controlling behavioral symptoms in children with intellectual disability or autism spectrum disorder, but they are also associated with adverse reactions including weight gain and sedation. Are clinicians and families satisfied with the trade-off? A group from Italy investigated risperidone and aripiprazole use by pediatric patients in a naturalistic setting for 2 years to see whether—and when—the use of these drugs was discontinued.
Baclofen, a French Exception, Seriously Harms Alcohol Use Disorder Patients Without Benefit
To the Editor: Dr Andrade’s analysis of the Bacloville trial in a recent Clinical and Practical Psychopharmacology column, in which he concluded that “individualized treatment with high-dose baclofen (30-300 mg/d) may be a useful second-line approach in heavy drinkers” and that “baclofen may be particularly useful in patients with liver disease,” deserves comment.1
First, Andrade failed to recall that the first pivotal trial of baclofen, ALPADIR (NCT01738282; 320 patients, as with Bacloville), was negative (see Braillon et al2).
Second, Dr Andrade should have warned readers that Bacloville’s results are most questionable, lacking robustness. Although he cited us,3 he overlooked the evidence we provided indicating that the Bacloville article4 was published without acknowledging major changes to the initial protocol, affecting the primary outcome. Coincidentally (although as skeptics, we do not believe in coincidence), the initial statistical team was changed when data were sold to the French pharmaceutical company applying for the marketing authorization in France. As Ronald H. Coase warned, “If you torture the data long enough, it will confess.”
MY ACCOUNT