ORCID Profile
0000-0002-9593-5508
Current Organisations
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health
,
National Taiwan University Hospital
,
National Taiwan University
,
University of Toronto
,
University of Cambridge
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Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 02-2019
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 12-04-2023
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PONE.0282114
Abstract: Severe behavioral problems (SBPs) are common contributors to morbidity and reduced quality of life for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families. Current medications for SBPs show equivocal effectiveness and are associated with a high risk of side effects. New and safe treatments are urgently needed. While preliminary studies suggest that medical cannabinoids, particularly the synthetic cannabinoid nabilone, are plausible treatment options for SBPs in adults with IDD, data on the tolerability, safety and efficacy of nabilone in this population has never been investigated. Thus, we propose this first-ever Phase I pre-pilot open-label clinical trial to obtain preliminary data on the adherence, tolerability and safety profiles of nabilone in adults with IDD, and explore changes in SBPs pre- to post-treatment. We hypothesize that nabilone has favorable tolerability and safety profile for adults with IDD. The preliminary results will inform the next-stage pilot randomized controlled trials, followed by fully powered clinical trials eventually. This research helps fill the evidence gap in the use of cannabinoids in in iduals with IDD to meet the needs of patients, families, and service providers.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 28-01-2015
DOI: 10.1002/AUR.1457
Abstract: The posterior right temporo-parietal junction (pRTPJ) is a key brain region representing other's mental status. Despite reports of atypical activation at pRTPJ during mentalizing in in iduals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) of the pRTPJ remains under-investigated. We examined whether boys with ASD show altered resting-state iFC of the pRTPJ, and whether atypical iFC of the pRTPJ is associated with social deficits in ASD in a s le of 40 boys with high-functioning ASD (aged 9-17 years, mean age, 12.38 ± 2.17 mean IQ, 105.60 ± 16.06) and 42 typically developing (TD) boys (aged 9-17 years, mean age, 11.64 ± 2.71 mean IQ, 111.29 ± 13.45). Both groups received resting-state fMRI assessment after imaging data quality control for in-scanner head motion and spatial coverage. Seed-based approach was used to investigate iFC of the pRTPJ. TD and ASD boys demonstrated a resting-state pRTPJ iFC pattern comparable to the known spatial involvement of the default-mode network. Boys with ASD showed pRTPJ hyperconnectivity relative to TD boys in the right ventral occipito-temporal cortex. This atypically increased iFC in the ASD group was positively correlated with social deficits assessed by the Chinese version of the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised and the Social Responsive Scale. Our findings provide empirical support for functional "dysconnectivity," that is, atypical functional integration among brain regions, as an integral component of the atypical neurobiology of ASD.
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 03-06-2020
DOI: 10.1002/AUR.2316
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 09-11-2016
DOI: 10.1017/S0033291716002695
Abstract: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder, yet the search for definite genetic etiologies remains elusive. Delineating ASD endophenotypes can boost the statistical power to identify the genetic etiologies and pathophysiology of ASD. We aimed to test for endophenotypes of neuroanatomy and associated intrinsic functional connectivity (iFC) via contrasting male youth with ASD, their unaffected brothers and typically developing (TD) males. The 94 participants (aged 9–19 years) – 20 male youth with ASD, 20 unaffected brothers and 54 TD males – received clinical assessments, and undertook structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. Voxel-based morphometry was performed to obtain regional gray and white matter volumes. A seed-based approach, with seeds defined by the regions demonstrating atypical neuroanatomy shared by youth with ASD and unaffected brothers, was implemented to derive iFC. General linear models were used to compare brain structures and iFC among the three groups. Assessment of familiality was investigated by permutation tests for variance of the within-family pair difference. We found that atypical gray matter volume in the mid-cingulate cortex was shared between male youth with ASD and their unaffected brothers as compared with TD males. Moreover, reduced iFC between the mid-cingulate cortex and the right inferior frontal gyrus, and increased iFC between the mid-cingulate cortex and bilateral middle occipital gyrus were the shared features of male ASD youth and unaffected brothers. Atypical neuroanatomy and iFC surrounding the mid-cingulate cortex may be a potential endophenotypic marker for ASD in males.
Publisher: Cambridge University Press (CUP)
Date: 04-2015
DOI: 10.1017/S135561771500020X
Abstract: The frontoparietal control network, anatomically and functionally interposed between the dorsal attention network and default mode network, underpins executive control functions. In iduals with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) commonly exhibit deficits in executive functions, which are mainly mediated by the frontoparietal control network. Involvement of the frontoparietal control network based on the anterior prefrontal cortex in neurobiological mechanisms of ADHD has yet to be tested. We used resting-state functional MRI and seed-based correlation analyses to investigate functional connectivity of the frontoparietal control network in a s le of 25 children with ADHD (7–14 years mean 9.94±1.77 years 20 males), and 25 age-, sex-, and performance IQ-matched typically developing (TD) children. All participants had limited in-scanner head motion. Spearman’s rank correlations were used to test the associations between altered patterns of functional connectivity with clinical symptoms and executive functions, measured by the Conners’ Continuous Performance Test and Spatial Span in the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery. Compared with TD children, children with ADHD demonstrated weaker connectivity between the right anterior prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the right ventrolateral PFC, and between the left anterior PFC and the right inferior parietal lobule. Furthermore, this aberrant connectivity of the frontoparietal control network in ADHD was associated with symptoms of impulsivity and opposition-defiance, as well as impaired response inhibition and attentional control. The findings support potential integration of the disconnection model and the executive dysfunction model for ADHD. Atypical frontoparietal control network may play a pivotal role in the pathophysiology of ADHD. ( JINS , 2015, 21 , 271–284)
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 21-05-2015
Location: Taiwan, Province of China
Location: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
No related grants have been discovered for Meng-Chuan Lai.