In a study from UCLA published in the online issue of the peer-reviewed journal Brain and Behavior, Jann and colleagues have found that brain areas linked to social behaviors are both underdeveloped and insufficiently networked in youths with high functioning autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared to study participants without ASD. 

The researchers used pseudo-continuous arterial spin labeling with 3D background-suppressed GRASE, a novel MRI technique to assess resting cerebral blood flow (CBF) and functional connectivity (FC) in 17 youths with ASD and 22 matched typically developing (TD) children. A pattern of altered resting perfusion was found in ASD versus TD children including frontotemporal hyperperfusion and hypoperfusion in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. They also found increased local functional connectivity (FC) in the anterior module of the default mode network (DMN) accompanied by decreased CBF in the same area. Both alterations were associated with greater social impairments as assessed with the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-total T scores). While FC was correlated with CBF in TD children, this association between FC and baseline perfusion was disrupted in children with ASD. 

This was the first time the MRI tool known as arterial spin labeling perfusion was used to study ASD. Arterial spin labeling (ASL) provide a noninvasive alternative to assessing cerebral perfusion by utilizing magnetically labeled arterial blood water as an endogenous tracer. This approach has been used in other brain disorders, such as schizophrenia, which has already led to novel insights and alternative treatment approaches in that disorder. Neurocognitive or neuropsychiatric disorders are often associated with altered functional organization of the brain and its accompanying energy demands. 

ASD might be caused by increased or decreased connectivity within specific neural networks that form the "social brain." This connectivity can be measured by the amount of blood flow and activity patterns between brain nodes, or neural networks. According to Danny J.J Wang one of the senior authors "One major brain network, the default mode network, has become a focus of such research, because it is important for social and emotional processes, self-referential thought, and in 'Theory of Mind,' which is the ability to attribute mental states to one-self and to others. These are cognitive processes that are to some extent impaired in persons with autism spectrum disorders." 

Children with ASD exhibited a pattern of widespread increased blood flow, or hyper-perfusion, linked to increased oxygen metabolism in frontal brain areas that are important in navigating social interactions. This is important because, as a brain develops, blood flow is generally reduced. These signs of continuing hyper-perfusion in ASD participants suggest delayed neurodevelopment in these frontal brain regions associated with socio-emotional cognition,These findings are consistent with structural MRI findings of enlarged brain size and an overabundance of neurons in ASD, due to the fact that the synapses of neurons have not been sufficiently "pruned" as the brain develops. Too many functioning synapses inhibit cognition while requiring extra blood flow. 

The researchers also discovered reduced long-range connectivity between default mode network nodes located in the front and back of the brain in those with ASD, compared to typical brains. This loss of connectivity means that information cannot flow as it should between distant areas of the brain, which may help explain impairment in social responsiveness. 

The team will continue to study the relationship between network connectivity and metabolism in individuals with ASD, extending their work to other relevant brain networks. They're also seeking to define the range of variation in these factors in the general population. 

Citation: Kay Jann, Leanna M. Hernandez, Devora Beck-Pancer, Rosemary McCarron, Robert X. Smith, Mirella Dapretto, Danny J. J. Wang. Altered resting perfusion and functional connectivity of default mode network in youth with autism spectrum disorder. Brain and Behavior, 2015; 5 (9) DOI: 10.1002/brb3.358 

The above post is sourced from a University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), Health Sciences news release.

It is with great sadness that the ICNA announce the death of Hanneke de Boer a great advocate for epilepsy not only in her native Netherlands, but all across the world. Hanneke had dedicated her entire professional life was dedicated towards improving the lives of people with epilepsy. 

Hanneke began her professional life as a vocational consultant at Stichting Epilepsie Instellingen Nederland (SEIN) in Heemstede, the Netherlands in 1965 and would continue to work there till the end. In her early years she worked to open career doors for people with epilepsy by engaging employers and educating them about the issues faced by potential employees with epilepsy while at the same time gently pushing her clients into the working world. By her ability to encourage and persuade, she opened up life opportunities that people had never thought possible. She took her ability to encourage and persuade to the international stage. 

She started with the International Bureau for Epilepsy as the editor of Newsletter and served on the Executive Committee before she became the IBE President. She was also a long standing member of the Executive Committee of the ILAE. She became Secretary General in 1989 and served as President from 1993 to 1997 and Past President from 1997 to 2001. 

Her greatest achievement was the ILAE/IBE/WHO Global Campaign Against Epilepsy 'Out of the shadows' in 1997 in which Hanneke and (then ILAE President) Ted Reynolds had worked so tirelessly to introduce. She was a co-chair of the Global Campaign for many years, later becoming Secretary of Global Outreach in 2009 and a member of the Global Outreach Task Force in 2013. Within the work of the Global Campaign were efforts to close the treatment gap, which was achieved to a tremendous degree in China. 

She was also one of the great voices to end the stigma that many people with epilepsy face in their private and public lives. The benefits of her efforts have been seen in the many laws passed assuring the rights of people with epilepsy. The recent WHO Resolution on Epilepsy was the most recent benefit of her early efforts. 

Her work was recognized by the large number of awards with which she was presented. She received the IBE/ILAE Ambassador for Epilepsy award in 1987, the Social Accomplishment award in 1995 and the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. Her dedication was also recognized at national level in the Netherlands. She received the Award of the Christian Society for the Care of People with Epilepsy in 1982, was awarded the Spike and Wave award of the Dutch Branch of ILAE in 1997, and was inducted as an Officer of the Orange Order of Nassau by the Royal Dutch House, one of the highest awards presented in the Netherlands. 

Hanneke had tremendous energy and drive. There was never a locked door to which she would not eventually find the key and her will to improve the quality of life of people with epilepsy around the world was unfailing. For this reason she was known, respected and loved by hundreds of people in every corner of the epilepsy world. She never fully retired from her work and, until recent months was still a member of the Global Outreach Task Force and Chair of the IBE Legislation Task Force

(with additional reporting from ILAE & IBE)

​The ICNA congratulates Professor Paolo Curatolo on receiving the  Manuel Gomez Award 2015 from the Tuberous Sclerosis Alliance (TSA). This prestigious award has been given in honour of his pioneering efforts in improving the understanding and treatment of Tuberous Sclerosis. The award was given at the International Tuberous Sclerosis Conference held in Windsor, United Kingdom in September 2015.

Professor Paolo Curatolo is currently the Director, Pediatric Neuroscience Unit"Tor Vergata" University Hospital,Rome, Italy and has been the President of the International Child Neurology Association from 2002-2006. Besides numerous publications on the topic, he is also the author of "Tuberous Sclerosis Complex: from basic science to clinical phenotypes", published in 2003 on the International Review of Child Neurology Series,

The spread of scientific and clinical child neurological knowledge and expertise among the congress participants from all different backgrounds has been an important priority for the Educational Committee of ICNC 2016. For this reason we offer an extensive, high level, innovative and complimentary teaching program. 

The teaching program consists of daily breakfast courses that introduce and refresh the knowledge on the leading topic of the day. Topics are related to the important CNS neuroanatomical structure and its most relevant disorders. They are: Grey matter on Monday, White matter on Tuesday, Cerebellum on Wednesday and Muscle and Peripheral Nerves on Thursday Two interactive meet the expert tutorial sessions and case consultations with experts in the field will be organised in the late afternoon on Monday (Movement Disorders) and Tuesday (MRI Pattern recognition)

The two evening teaching classes cover, Basic principles and clinical relevance of immune mediated diseases (Monday) and Neurophysiology (Tuesday). Please note that registration for this free teaching class is necessary. 

A complementary light dinner buffet preceding the teaching class is served for registered participants.. The teaching program is not only aimed at trainees but also at qualified paediatric neurologists who want to refresh their knowledge on different topics. We invite you all to participate in this attractive program.