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Sven Bölte

Publications and source records attributed to Sven Bölte.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

A case-control study of personality style and psychopathology in parents of subjects with autism.

To probe the specificity of traits that might be conceptualised as the broader phenotype of autism, parents of subjects with autism from simplex and multiplex families as well as parents of subjects with obsessive-compulsive disorders (OCD), early onset schizophrenia (EOS) and mental retardation (MR) were assessed using the Personality Style and Disorder Inventory and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised. Autism parents' scores were increased on several subscales (e.g. reserved/schizoid, depression) compared to parents of subjects with OCD, EOS and normative data, but not in comparison to MR parents. Results provide some support for the specificity of the broader phenotype of autism. The burden of raising severely disabled children could not be ruled out as a factor influencing parts of this phenotype.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Gestalt perception and local-global processing in high-functioning autism.

This study examined gestalt perception in high-functioning autism (HFA) and its relation to tasks indicative of local visual processing. Data on of gestalt perception, visual illusions (VI), hierarchical letters (HL), Block Design (BD) and the Embedded Figures Test (EFT) were collected in adult males with HFA, schizophrenia, depression and normative controls. Individuals with HFA processed gestalt stimuli less in accord with gestalt laws, particularly regarding the principle of similarity. Gestalt processing correlated positively with global processing of the HL. EFT and BD performance correlated negatively with VI susceptibility in HFA. All clinical groups succumbed less to VI than the normative sample. Results suggest decreased gestalt perception in HFA, being associated with a more general local visual processing bias.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Facial affect recognition training in autism: can we animate the fusiform gyrus?

One of the most consistent findings in the neuroscience of autism is hypoactivation of the fusiform gyrus (FG) during face processing. In this study the authors examined whether successful facial affect recognition training is associated with an increased activation of the FG in autism. The effect of a computer-based program to teach facial affect identification was examined in 10 individuals with high-functioning autism. Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) changes in the FG and other regions of interest, as well as behavioral facial affect recognition measures, were assessed pre- and posttraining. No significant activation changes in the FG were observed. Trained participants showed behavioral improvements, which were accompanied by higher BOLD fMRI signals in the superior parietal lobule and maintained activation in the right medial occipital gyrus.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

The broader cognitive phenotype of autism in parents: how specific is the tendency for local processing and executive dysfunction?

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the tendency for local processing style ('weak central coherence') and executive dysfunction in parents of subjects with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) compared with parents of individuals with early onset schizophrenia (EOS) and mental retardation (MR). METHOD: Sixty-two parents of subjects with ASD, 36 parents of subjects with EOS and 30 parents of subjects with MR were examined. Data on two scales indicative of local visual processing (Embedded Figures Test, Block Design) and on three executive function tests (Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, Tower of Hanoi, Trailmaking Test) were collected for all participants. RESULTS: Parents of subjects with ASD performed significantly faster on the Embedded Figures Test compared with both control samples. No other substantial group differences were observed. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that an increased tendency for local processing in terms of visual disembedding could be a relatively specific core feature of the broader cognitive phenotype of autism in parents.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

The long-term outcome in two females with autism spectrum disorder.

We describe the results of a long-term follow-up examination of two adult females diagnosed exhibiting an autism spectrum disorder in childhood. Over four decades after the initial diagnosis made by Gerhard Bosch, besides Leo Kanner and Hans Asperger, one of the first clinicians to describe cases of autistic behavior, the individuals had largely different psychiatric outcomes. Despite the fact that both females continuously showed definite autistic traits, one woman exhibited a generalized anxiety disorder, while the other was predominantly characterized by schizoaffective symptoms. The trajectories of the two cases are discussed in the light of research on possible associations and overlaps between autism spectrum disorders, psychosis and anxiety disorders. It is suggested that adult outcome studies in autism should consider a broader range of comorbidity.

Anxiety Disorders↗
PubMed2005

[Psychodiagnostic instruments for the assessment of autism spectrum disorders].

OBJECTIVES: Established scales for the early detection and general diagnostics of autism will be reviewed with a focus on the instruments available in German. METHODS: All questionnaires, observation scales and interviews for the assessment of autism and associated conditions found in a search of Medline, PsychInfo, Psyndex and Google up to May 2004 are quoted. Instruments adapted and developed for the German-speaking countries are presented in more depth. RESULTS: An increasing number of reliable national and international scales for the assessment of disorders of the autism spectrum are available. Currently a combination of the Social Communication Questionnaire (SCQ), the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) and the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R) is regarded as the standard for a psychometrically based diagnosis of autism. CONCLUSIONS: For certain diagnostic groups and issues there continues to be a need for German-language instruments. Particularly scales for the assessment of the broader phenotype of autism, as well as instruments that are more sensitive to change would be desirable for outcome measurement and intervention evaluation.

Autistic Disorder↗
PubMed2003

The recognition of facial affect in autistic and schizophrenic subjects and their first-degree relatives.

BACKGROUND: Autism and schizophrenia are considered to be substantially influenced by genetic factors. The endophenotype of both disorders probably also includes deficits in affect perception. The objective of this study was to examine the capacity to detect facially expressed emotion in autistic and schizophrenic subjects, their parents and siblings. METHOD: Thirty-five subjects with autism and 102 of their relatives, 21 schizophrenic subjects and 46 relatives from simplex (one child affected) and multiplex (more than one child affected) families, as well as an unaffected control sample consisting of 22 probands completed a 50-item computer-based test to assess the ability to recognize basic emotions. RESULTS: The autistic subjects showed a poorer performance on the facial recognition test than did the schizophrenic and the unaffected individuals. In addition, there was a tendency for subjects from multiplex families with autistic loading to score lower on the test than individuals from simplex families with autistic loading. Schizophrenic subjects and their relatives as well as siblings and parents of autistic subjects did not differ from the sample of unaffected subjects in their ability to judge facial affect. CONCLUSIONS: Findings corroborate the assumption that emotion detection deficits are part of the endophenotype of autism. In families with autistic children, the extent of facial recognition deficits probably indexes an elevation in familial burden. It seems unlikely that problems in emotion perception form a consistent part of the endophenotype of schizophrenia or the broader phenotype in relatives of patients with psychosis or autism.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2002

Autism spectrum disorders and low body weight: is there really a systematic association?

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between autism spectrum disorders and low body weight. METHOD: The effect of maladaptive social and communicative behavior as well as stereotyped features on the normative body mass index (BMI) was analyzed in 103 subjects with autism or Asperger syndrome. Statistics were controlled for medication, neurological signs, overactivity, and general intelligence. RESULTS: Twenty-eight percent of the male individuals had a BMI in the fifth percentile or below. Except for hyperactive behavior, none of the predictors showed a significant association with BMI. None of the subjects met diagnostic criteria for anorexia nervosa. DISCUSSION: Although low body weight is often present in male subjects with autism or Asperger syndrome, results indicate that this link is inconsistent and partly mediated by hyperactivity. The co-occurrence of autism spectrum disorders and anorexia nervosa is probably due to chance.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

The relation between general cognitive level and adaptive behavior domains in individuals with autism with and without co-morbid mental retardation.

This study examined the association between adaptive behavior and general cognitive level in individuals with autism or PDD-NOS with and without comorbid mental retardation. Data from the screening version of the Vineland Adaptive Scales and the Wechsler Intelligence Scales were analysed in a sample of 67 subjects. While in the higher functioning individuals (IQ > 70, n = 34) IQ and adaptive behavior level differed significantly, performances were fairly comparable in subjects showing lower cognitive functioning (IQ < 70, n = 33). Regression models revealed a higher correlation between IQ and single adaptive behavior domains in the non-mentally retarded participants, with the domain Communication reaching the highest predictive power of the single adaptive behavior areas. Findings indicate, the relationship between adaptive and cognitive function in autistic disorders is mediated by the presence of a qualitative reduction of intelligence. Methodological limitations of the study are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed2002

The development and evaluation of a computer-based program to test and to teach the recognition of facial affect.

Autism is a chronic pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by the early onset of social and communicative impairments as well as restricted, ritualized, stereotypic behavior. The endophenotype of autism includes neuropsychological deficits, for instance a lack of "Theory of Mind" and problems recognizing facial affect. In this study, we report the development and evaluation of a computer-based program to teach and test the ability to identify basic facially expressed emotions. 10 adolescent or adult subjects with high-functioning autism or Asperger-syndrome were included in the investigation. A priori the facial affect recognition test had shown good psychometric properties in a normative sample (internal consistency: rtt=.91-.95; retest reliability: rtt=.89-.92). In a prepost design, one half of the sample was randomly assigned to receive computer treatment while the other half of the sample served as control group. The training was conducted for five weeks, consisting of two hours training a week. The trained individuals improved significantly on the affect recognition task, but not on any other measure. Results support the usefulness of the program to teach the detection of facial affect. However, the improvement found is limited to a circumscribed area of social-communicative function and generalization is not ensured.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The cognitive structure of higher functioning autism and schizophrenia: a comparative study.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether performance on a standard cognitive test-battery can be used to clearly separate higher functioning autism from schizophrenia. Revised Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC-R) or Adults (WAIS-R) profiles of 20 autistic and 20 schizophrenic adolescent young adult subjects matched for age, sex, and IQ level were contrasted. On average, autistic individuals had higher values on the subtest "Similarities," while schizophrenic participants scored better on "Comprehension." Discriminant analysis showed that a prognosis of the psychiatric classification can be made with 82.5% accuracy if all subscale data are considered. Even though this finding probably has limited merit for making judgements in clinical practice, it might be of exploratory value in the pursuit of differentiating autism and schizophrenia on a cognitive level.

Adolescent↗