Austin Health

Title
Endophenotyping social cognition in the broader autism phenotype.
Publication Date
2023-11-30
Author(s)
Pua, Emmanuel Peng Kiat
Desai, Tarishi
Green, Cherie
Trevis, Krysta
Brown, Natasha
Delatycki, Martin B
Scheffer, Ingrid E
Wilson, Sarah
Subject
autism spectrum disorder
behavioral genetics
broader autism phenotype
language pragmatics
social cognition
Type of document
Journal Article
OrcId
0000-0001-9519-2495
0009-0007-5648-6790
0000-0002-3160-2106
0000-0003-3572-1839
0000-0002-1822-9191
#PLACEHOLDER_PARENT_METADATA_VALUE#
0000-0002-2311-2174
0000-0002-2678-1576
DOI
10.1002/aur.3057
Abstract
Relatives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) may display milder social traits of the broader autism phenotype (BAP) providing potential endophenotypic markers of genetic risk for ASD. We performed a case-control comparison to quantify social cognition and pragmatic language difficulties in the BAP (n = 25 cases; n = 33 controls) using the Faux Pas test (FPT) and the Goldman-Eisler Cartoon task. Using deep phenotyping we then examined patterns of inheritance of social cognition in two large multiplex families and the spectrum of performance in 32 additional families (159 members; n = 51 ASD, n = 87 BAP, n = 21 unaffected). BAP individuals showed significantly poorer FPT performance and reduced verbal fluency with the absence of a compression effect in social discourse compared to controls. In multiplex families, we observed reduced FPT performance in 89% of autistic family members, 63% of BAP relatives and 50% of unaffected relatives. Across all affected families, there was a graded spectrum of difficulties, with ASD individuals showing the most severe FPT difficulties, followed by the BAP and unaffected relatives compared to community controls. We conclude that relatives of probands show an inherited pattern of graded difficulties in social cognition with atypical faux pas detection in social discourse providing a novel candidate endophenotype for ASD.
Link
Citation
Autism Research : Official Journal of the International Society for Autism Research 2023-11-30
Jornal Title
Autism Research : Official Journal of the International Society for Autism Research
ISSN
1939-3806

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