Association of verbal and non-verbal theory of mind abilities with non-coding variants of OXTR in youth with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing individuals: a case-control study.

BACKGROUND: The ability to attribute mental states to others is called theory of mind (ToM) and is a substantial component of social cognition. This ability is abnormally developed in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Several studies over the past decade have identified the oxytocin receptor gene (OXTR) and its variants as promising components for explaining the molecular mechanisms underlying Theory of Mind (ToM). The main aim of this study is to examine the association between rs2268498 and rs53576, two functional single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and verbal and non-verbal ToM in children and adolescents with ASD and a group of typically developing youth. METHODS: The study involved 44 children and adolescents with high-functioning ASD aged 8 to 18 years old and 44 TD individuals who were matched on age and sex. In all participants, blood samples were collected and rs2268498 and rs53576 were genotyped. Happe's Strange Stories test and the moving shapes paradigm were used to measure verbal and non-verbal ToM in all participants. RESULTS: The results of permutation tests and logistic regression suggested that in TD group, rs2268498 AA carriers showed significant higher scores in variables representing verbal ToM (ToM stories and appropriateness score) whereas, in ASD group, rs53576 AA carriers exhibited significant better performance in parameters related to non-verbal ToM (ToM general rule and intentionality score). The results of hierarchical clustering in both groups support the findings by distinguishing between language-related and language-independent aspects of ToM. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, we examined the association between rs2268498 and rs53576 and social functioning in individuals with ASD and TD group. We found preliminary evidence that rs2268498 and rs53576 are associated with ToM related abilities in healthy individuals as well as in autistic individuals. Accordingly, rs2268498 and rs53576 may play an important role in predicting ToM capabilities. It will be necessary to conduct further research to address the association of genetic variants with a deficit in ToM in individuals with ASD.

Normative Data and Reliability of the Moving Shapes Paradigm.

Objective: Moving Shapes paradigm is a test that evaluates intentionality as a theory of mind (ToM) component. This study aimed to assess the normative data and reliability of this test in a community sample of 9-11-year-old children. Method : A total of 398 children aged between 9 and 11 years were recruited from mainstream elementary schools through a random cluster sampling. All participants were evaluated using the Moving Shapes paradigm. To evaluate test-retest reliability, the test was administered again after 2-4 weeks. Results: The intentionality mean score was 29.70 (+5.88) out of 60. There was no significant difference between girls and boys in test scores. Age was not significantly related to the paradigm variables scores. Ten percent of the participants achieved the scores below 22, and 10% above 37. Cronbach's Alfa was 0.40 for the intentionality score. The test-retest reliability was fair to good (0.43 - 0.79) for different groups of animations. The inter-rater agreement was 80%. Conclusion: The study found that the Moving shapes paradigm is a reliable instrument to evaluate intentionality in normal school-aged children.

Prevalence of Hookah Smoking among University Students in Iran: A Meta-Analysis of Observational Studies.

BACKGROUND: The rise in popularity of waterpipe smoking among younger people cause increase its deleterious effects on health in recent years. The aim of this study was to estimate the pooled prevalence of water-pipe smoking in university students in Iran. METHODS: We performed the literature search from 1946 to January 21, 2019, in several international and national databases such as Medline/PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar, Magiran, Iranmedex, and IranPsych. To investigate the between-study heterogeneity we used the chi-squared test and I2 index. We used a random-effects model to estimate the pooled prevalence of water-pipe smoking. The potential source of heterogeneity was assessed by subgroup analysis and meta-regression. RESULTS: According to the eligibility criteria, we included 37 relevant studies in our meta-analysis. The pooled prevalence of lifetime water-pipe smoking was 25% (95% CI: 22-29) and in male and female subgroups was 37% (95%CI: 30-45), 17% (95%CI: 15-19) respectively. The pooled prevalence of water-pipe smoking in last year was 21% (95%CI: 16-25) and in last month was 8% (95%CI: 5-11). Results of meta-regression analysis showed that there was not any significant association between suspected variables and the prevalence of water-pipe smoking. CONCLUSION: The higher prevalence rate of water pipe smoking among university students indicates the emergency need for planning preventive program.

A new semi-nonverbal task glance, moderate role of cognitive flexibility in ADHD children's theory of mind.

Introduction: Studies have documented both executive functions (EF) impairment in children with Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorders (ADHD) and Theory of Mind (ToM), yielding mixed results, possibly because of a variety of tasks used, all requiring different levels of language skills.Aim: To investigate the relationship between ToM and EF with non-language-based tasks.Methods: Thirty ADHD (7-9 years old) were compared to thirty controls (age and IQ matched). Participants' ToM was assessed using the Animated Triangles task and two EF tasks, namely spatial control test, the Stockings Of Cambridge (SOC) and rule and acquisition test, the Intra-Extra Dimensional set shift (IED)-from the neuropsychological battery of the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB).Results: ADHD group had a significant ToM and EF impairment relative to the control group. ToM was not significantly correlated with EF; however, the performance on IED tasks affected the performance on ToM tasks.Discussion: The study provides evidence for a link between the abilities to attribute correct mental states to others, planning and shifting attention in ADHD children, suggesting the ability to rely on cognitive flexibility in the face of a changing environment plays a role in explaining the association between ToM and EF.

Normative data and psychometric properties of a farsi translation of the strange stories test.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The Strange Stories test is one of the most commonly used tests to evaluate advanced "theory of mind," i.e. attribution of mental states. Normative data and psychometric properties of a new Farsi translation of this test were evaluated in a large community-based sample of Iranian school-aged children. METHODS: Through randomized cluster sampling, 398 children aged 9-11 years studying at 20 elementary schools were recruited from 4 central regions of Tehran, Iran. The mean age of the students was 9.96 years (SD = 0.92), and 51% were girls (n = 202). The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was completed by parents. The Strange Stories test was completed by all children and repeated for 20% of them after 2-4 weeks to assess the test-retest reliability. FINDINGS: Students in upper grades had higher scores (P < .01); age predicted 2% of variance on the mental state score. Girls had significantly higher mentalizing scores than boys (P = .003). The split-half internal reliability coefficient was good (0.73). The test-retest reliability was fair to good. Item-scale score correlations were all significant (P < .01). CONCLUSION: This new translation of the Strange Stories test is a reliable and valid instrument to evaluate higher level theory of mind abilities in community samples of Farsi speaking children. Autism Res 2017, 10: 1960-1967. © 2017 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc. LAY SUMMARY: "Mentalizing" or "theory of mind," the ability to recognize others' mental states, is a key aspect of social understanding. Mentalizing problems are characteristic of some clinical conditions such as autism. The Strange Stories is a test evaluating mentalizing in every day social situations. It was translated into Farsi language and administered to a group of Iranian school-aged children. The instrument was useful in assessing children's mind reading. Older children and girls were better in mentalizing ability.

Understanding intentionality in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

One of the main aspects of theory of mind is intentionality which refers to recognizing other people's intentions in their behaviors. The aim of this study was to investigate intentionality in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Thirty children with ADHD were compared to thirty age- and IQ-matched normal children. All participants were assessed using the moving shapes paradigm task which contains one large red and one small blue triangle moving around a black screen. They were asked to describe what the movements mean and how the triangles interact with each other. The answers were rated based on the accuracy, type of descriptions applied, mental states, and length of phrases. With regard to intentionality score, children with ADHD performed significantly worse than normal children (P < .05). Based on appropriateness score, the accuracy of patients' answers was lower in comparison with the control group. Children with ADHD used longer phrases as compared to controls. Children with ADHD can have problems with comprehending others' intentionality. This leads to impairment in social relationship.

4,4'-Bipyridinium bis-(µ-4-oxo-1,4-dihydropyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl-ato)bis-[aqua-hydroxido-anti-monate(III)] dihydrate.

The title compound, (C(10)H(10)N(2))[Sb(2)(C(7)H(2)NO(5))(2)(OH)(2)(H(2)O)(2)]·2H(2)O, consists of a binuclear anion, a diprotonated 4,4'-bipyridinium cation and two uncoordinated water mol-ecules. Each Sb(III) atom is six-coordinated by one chelating 4-oxidopyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl-ate ligand, one water mol-ecule, one OH group and one bridging O atom from a neighboring carboxyl-ate group in a distorted penta-gonal-pyramidal geometry, with the OH group at the apical position. The two pyridine rings in the bipyridinium cation are twisted with respect to each other, making a dihedral angle of 22.7 (1)°. The cations are connected to the anions by N-H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming a chain. The coordinated water mol-ecules form hydrogen bonds with the oxido O atoms of the anion, building a two-dimensional sheet, which is further connected into a three-dimensional structure by O-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds and C=O⋯π inter-actions [O⋯centroid distances = 3.1785 (17), 3.4737 (19) and 3.5685 (19) Å].

Bis(4,4'-bipyridinium) di-µ-hydroxido-bis-[dihydroxido(pyridine-2,6-dicarboxyl-ato)anti-monate(III,V)] octa-hydrate.

The reaction of anti-mony(III) chloride, 4,4'-bipyridine (4,4'-bipy) and pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylic acid (pydcH(2)), in a 1:2:2 molar ratio in an aqueous solution, resulted in the formation of the title centrosymmetric disordered mixed-valence Sb(III)/Sb(V) compound, (C(10)H(9)N(2))(2)[Sb(2)(C(7)H(3)NO(4))(2)(OH)(6)]·8H(2)O or (4,4'-bipyH)(2)[Sb(pydc)(OH)(2)(µ-OH)](2)·8H(2)O. The seven donor atoms of the (pydc)(2-) groups and the hydroxido ligands form a distorted penta-gonal-bipyramidal arrangement around the Sb(III)/Sb(V) centers. C-H⋯π stacking inter-actions between CH groups of the complex dianion and the aromatic rings of the (4,4'-bipyH)(+) cations, with a distance of 2.89 Å, are observed. In the crystal structure, a wide range of noncovalent inter-actions, consisting of O-H⋯O, N-H⋯O and C-H⋯O hydrogen bonds [D⋯A ranging from 2.722 (2) to 3.137 (3) Å], ion pairing, π-π stacking [centroid-centroid distance of 3.4363 (13) Å] and C-H⋯π inter-actions, connect the various components into a supra-molecular structure.