Variation is a ubiquitous feature of speech. Listeners must take into account context-induced variation to recover the interlocutor's intended message. When listeners fail to normalize for context-induced variation properly, deviant percepts become seeds for new perceptual and production norms. In question is how deviant percepts accumulate in a systematic fashion to give rise to sound change (...

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to investigate potential differences in neural structure in individuals with Asperger syndrome (AS), high-functioning individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The main symptoms of AS are severe impairments in social interactions and restricted or repetitive patterns of behaviors, interests or activities. METHODS Diffusion weighted magnetic resonanc...

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) studies have demonstrated white matter (WM) abnormalities in tracts involved in emotion processing in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), but little is known regarding the nature and distribution of WM anomalies in relation to ASD trait severity in adults. Increasing evidence suggests that ASD occurs at the extreme of a distribution of social abilities. We aimed to ex...

Aim Patients’ and spouses’ neurodevelopmental traits may influence marital relationships, which are significantly associated with depressive symptoms. However, no studies have examined relationships in persistent disorder (PDD) terms of traits. This study aimed to explore the association between autism spectrum (ASD) or attention-deficit/hyperactivity (ADHD) female PDD patients both partners’ (...

Our objective was to examine the overlap between autistic traits and other behavioral problems in a general population sample, and explore the extent to which this overlap is due to genetic or environmental factors. Youth Self Report (YSR) data were collected in a general population sample of 424 twin pairs at 18 years of age, and their nontwin siblings. In 197 of these twin families, self-repo...

Objective: To examine the overlap between autistic traits and other behavioural problems in a general population sample, and explore whether this overlap is of genetic or environmental origin. Method: Youth Self Report (YSR) data were collected in a general population sample of 424 twin pairs at 8 years of age, and their non-twin siblings. In 97 of these families self-report ratings on the Au...

Prevalence studies among prisoners have found rates of 1–4% for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autistic traits. However, little is known about those with high levels This aim this study was to compare the mental health characteristics traits neurotypical not screening positive neurodevelopmental disorders. The recruited 240 male from a London prison and screened using Autism Quotient (AQ) 20...

OBJECTIVES Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most debilitating psychiatric disorders, with some speculating that a reason for difficulty in its treatment might be its coexistence with autism spectrum. We investigated the tendency for autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) in patients with OCD from a neuroimaging point of view using voxel-based morphometry. METHODS We acquired T1-we...

Aim: Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are described as a continuum of severity gradient of autistic symptoms diffusing through particular ASD diagnoses, however the biological correlates among individuals with the different ASD diagnoses slightly or considerably differ. Oxytocin (OT) has been implicated to play an important role in autism etiology. Lower OT levels have been previously found in c...