Types Of Stereotypies Research Articles

Comparison of the presence and absence of an intervention to reduce hand stereotypies in individuals with Rett syndrome.

We investigated how many individuals with Rett syndrome were undergoing interventions to reduce stereotypic hand movements and the factors determining the presence or absence of an intervention. A questionnaire was sent to 194 families. Each survey item was compared between the intervention and non-intervention groups according to the presence or absence of interventions to reduce hand stereotypies. Information was acquired from 72 cases; 72.1% of individuals had received an intervention to reduce stereotypies at some point in their lives. An upper limb splint was the most common intervention. Age, locomotor and reaching function, diagnostic age, frequency and type of stereotypy, joint contractures and stereotypy-associated problems separated the presence or absence of a current or past intervention. Interventions for stereotypy-associated problems are important and there are several variables related to whether an intervention is received.

TAAR1-dependent effects of apomorphine in mice.

G protein-coupled trace amine-associated receptor 1 (TAAR1) is expressed in several brain regions and modulates dopaminergic activity partially by affecting D2 dopamine receptor function. In vitro, the nonselective dopamine agonist apomorphine can activate mouse and rat TAAR1. The aim of the present study was to evaluate whether apomorphine activity at the rodent TAAR1 observed in in vitro studies contributes to its behavioral manifestation in mice. For this purpose, we compared the behavioral effects of a wide range of apomorphine doses in wild type (WT) and TAAR1 knockout (TAAR1-KO) mice. Apomorphine-induced locomotor responses (0.01-4.0mg/kg) were tested in locomotor activity boxes, and stereotypic behavior at 5mg/kg was tested by ethological methods. A gnawing test was used to analyze the effects of the highest dose of apomorphine (10mg/kg). No statistically significant differences were observed between TAAR1-KO and WT mice following inhibitory pre-synaptic low doses of apomorphine. At higher doses (2.0-5.0mg/kg), apomorphine-induced climbing behavior was significantly reduced in TAAR1 mutants relative to WT controls. Moreover, the lack of TAAR1 receptors decreased certain types of stereotypies (as reflected in by measures of the global stereotypy score, licking but not sniffing or gnawing) that were induced by high doses of apomorphine. These data indicate that apomorphine activity at TAAR1 contributes to some behavioral manifestations, particularly climbing, in rodents following high doses of this drug. The contribution of TAAR1 to apomorphine-induced climbing in rodents should be considered when apomorphine is used as a screening tool in the search for potential antipsychotics.

Self-injury in autism as an alternate sign of catatonia: Implications for electroconvulsive therapy

Multiple reports show the efficacious usage of ECT for catatonia in individuals with autism. There are also a few reports showing that ECT improves self-injury in people with and without autism. In this hypothesis, self-injury in autism and other developmental disorders may be an alternate sign of catatonia, and as such an indication for electroconvulsive therapy. The issue is important because self-injury occurs at an increased rate in autistic and intellectually disabled individuals, but is poorly understood and often difficult to treat with psychological and pharmacological means. Self-injury may be considered a type of stereotypy, a classic symptom of catatonia that is exquisitely responsive to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Historical and modern reports further support the association of self-injury, tics and catatonia. Central gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) dysfunction may provide an important explanatory link between autism, catatonia and self-injury. Therefore, people with autism and other developmental disorders who develop severe self-injury (with or without concomitant tics) should be assessed for catatonia, and ECT should be considered as a treatment option. Further studies of the utility of ECT as an accepted treatment for catatonia are warranted in the study of self-injury in autism.

Development of stereotypies and polydipsia in wild caught bank voles ( Clethrionomys glareolus) and their laboratory-bred offspring. : Is polydipsia a symptom of diabetes mellitus?

The development of stereotypies and polydipsia was studied in wild caught bank voles (P: n=92) and their laboratory-bred offspring (F1: n=248). All animals were kept isolated in barren cages in the laboratory. In the P generation, no individuals developed stereotypies, but 22% developed polydipsia (>21 ml/day water intake against normally 10 ml/day). Polydipsia was more frequent among males (34%) than females (13%). In F1, 30% developed locomotor stereotypies alone, 21% showed polydipsia alone, and, additionally, 7% developed both stereotypies and polydipsia. Fewer males than females developed stereotypies (23% vs. 38%), whereas polydipsia was more frequent in males than in females (30% vs. 11%). The occurrence and distribution of polydipsia among sexes were the same in F1 and P. The distribution of different types of stereotypies in stereotyping voles were backward somersaulting (BS, 80%), high-speed jumping (JUMP, 29%), pacing following a fixed route (PF, 12%) and windscreen wiper movement (WIN, 5%). Some individuals (10%) showed two or more different types of stereotypies. The average age for developing stereotypies was 96 days while polydipsia was registered at the age of 63 days in both sexes. Voles showing both polydipsia and stereotypies developed polydipsia later (79 days) than polydipsic voles not showing stereotypies. This difference was especially pronounced in stereotyping females in which the occurrence of polydipsia was postponed to the age of 114 days. Polydipsic voles were tested positive for glucosuria indicating that polydipsia could be a symptom of diabetes mellitus. It is suggested that the development of stereotypies and polydipsia among bank voles in the laboratory are the results of frustration and prolonged stress. Stereotypies seem to depend on frustrative experiences early in life, while polydipsia may be related to diabetes mellitus caused by the experience of prolonged stress. Moreover, circumstances related to the development of stereotypies may be adaptive by reducing the risks of prolonged stress, including the development of fatal polydipsia.

Melancholia: A Defense Mechanism Test Study

The defensive organization of Melancholia was explored with a tachistoscopic percept-genetic technique, the Defense Mechanism Test. A sample of 20 women inpatients with a DSM-III-R diagnosis of Major Depressive Episode or Major Depression, Melancholic Type was contrasted with a matched group of depressed outpatients and a matched group of nonclinical subjects. Signs of introaggression on the hero, statue-repression, and stereotypy significantly characterized melancholic patients. The latter were discriminated from depressed outpatients as showing more signs of stereotypy and of discontinuity. Mask-disguise defenses were typically endorsed by Bipolar melancholic patients and significantly differentiated them from Unipolar melancholic patients. One type of stereotypy (regarding wrong age attributes of the central figure) successfully predicted a poor response to antidepressive therapy. Relevant modifications of the current Defense Mechanism Test coding criteria for stereotypy are proposed.