Alinda Gillott

Bio: Alinda Gillott is an academic researcher from National Health Service. The author has contributed to research in topics: Autism & Anxiety disorder. The author has an hindex of 1, co-authored 1 publications receiving 285 citations.

Levels of anxiety and sources of stress in adults with autism.

Abstract: Clinical reports suggest that anxiety is a pertinent issue for adults with autism. We compared 34 adults with autism with 20 adults with intellectual disabilities, utilizing informant-based measures of anxiety and stress. Groups were matched by age, gender and intellectual ability. Adults with autism were almost three times more anxious than the comparison group and gained significantly higher scores on the anxiety subscales of panic and agoraphobia, separation anxiety, obsessive-compulsive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. In terms of sources of stress, significant differences between the two groups were also found, and stress was found to correlate with high anxiety levels for the autism group, particularly the ability to cope with change, anticipation, sensory stimuli and unpleasant events. That is, the more anxious the individual with autism, the less likely they were able to cope with these demands. This has important implications for clinicians in terms of both assessment and treatment.

Sex-specific programming of offspring emotionality after stress early in pregnancy.

Abstract: Prenatal stress is associated with an increased vulnerability to neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism and schizophrenia. To determine the critical time window when fetal antecedents may induce a disease predisposition, we examined behavioral responses in offspring exposed to stress during early, mid, and late gestation. We found that male offspring exposed to stress early in gestation displayed maladaptive behavioral stress responsivity, anhedonia, and an increased sensitivity to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor treatment. Long-term alterations in central corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) and glucocorticoid receptor (GR) expression, as well as increased hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis responsivity, were present in these mice and likely contributed to an elevated stress sensitivity. Changes in CRF and GR gene methylation correlated with altered gene expression, providing important evidence of epigenetic programming during early prenatal stress. In addition, we found the core mechanism underlying male vulnerability may involve sex-specific placenta responsivity, where stress early in pregnancy significantly increased expression of PPARα (peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor α), IGFBP-1 (insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1), HIF3α (hypoxia-inducible factor 3a), and GLUT4 (glucose transporter 4) in male placentas but not females. Examination of placental epigenetic machinery revealed basal sex differences, providing further evidence that sex-specific programming begins very early in pregnancy, and may contribute to the timing and vulnerability of the developing fetus to maternal perturbations. Overall, these results indicate that stress experience early in pregnancy may contribute to male neurodevelopmental disorders through impacts on placental function and fetal development.

The health status of adults on the autism spectrum

Abstract: Compared to the general pediatric population, children with autism have higher rates of co-occurring medical and psychiatric illnesses, yet very little is known about the general health status of adults with autism. The objective of this study was to describe the frequency of psychiatric and medical conditions among a large, diverse, insured population of adults with autism in the United States. Participants were adult members of Kaiser Permanente Northern California enrolled from 2008 to 2012. Autism spectrum disorder cases (N = 1507) were adults with autism spectrum disorder diagnoses (International Classification of Diseases-9-Clinical Modification codes 299.0, 299.8, 299.9) recorded in medical records on at least two separate occasions. Controls (N = 15,070) were adults without any autism spectrum disorder diagnoses sampled at a 10:1 ratio and frequency matched to cases on sex and age. Adults with autism had significantly increased rates of all major psychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety...

Anxiety in high functioning children with autism

Abstract: High-functioning children with autism were compared with two control groups on measures of anxiety and social worries. Comparison control groups consisted of children with specific language impairment (SLI) and normally developing children. Each group consisted of 15 children between the ages of 8 and 12 years and were matched for age and gender. Children with autism were found to be most anxious on both measures. High anxiety subscale scores for the autism group were separation anxiety and obsessive-compulsive disorder. These findings are discussed within the context of theories of autism and anxiety in the general population of children. Suggestions for future research are made.

Exploring the Nature and Function of Anxiety in Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract: [Clin Psychol Sci Prac 17: 281–292, 2010] This article considers the nosology and pathogenesis of anxiety disorders in youth with autism. The comparability of anxiety in the autism spectrum disorder (ASD) population in relation to the typically developing population has been suggested by some recent findings, but conceptual and empirical ambiguities remain. It is suggested that anxiety may play at least three roles: (a) a downstream consequence of ASD symptoms (e.g., via stress generation through social rejection); (b) a moderator of ASD symptom severity, such that certain core autism symptoms like social skill deficits and repetitive behaviors may be exacerbated by anxiety; and (c) as a proxy of core ASD symptoms. Suggestions for clarifying the nature and function of anxiety in autism are made.