title: Association of Rigid-Compulsive Behavior with Functional Constipation in Autism Spectrum Disorder.
abstract: Based upon checklist data from the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network, we hypothesized that functional constipation (FC) would be associated with rigid-compulsive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We used the Questionnaire on Pediatric Gastrointestinal Symptoms-Rome III to assess FC symptoms in 108 children with ASD. As hypothesized, FC was associated with parent ratings on the Repetitive Behavior Scales-Revised (RBS-R) Compulsive, Ritualistic, and Sameness subscales in the overall population. Of note, FC was less common in children who were not taking medications that target behavior or treat FC. In the medication-free children, rigid-compulsive behavior was not significantly associated with FC. More research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying these associations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Sarah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Marler
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: Bradley J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Ferguson
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pediatrics, Psychology, and Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Evon Batey
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA.
authors.forename: Brittany
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Peters
authors.affiliation: Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Kent C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Williams
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: McDonnell
authors.affiliation: Biostatistics Center, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA.
authors.forename: Eric A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Macklin
authors.affiliation: Institute for the Developing Mind's Developmental Neurogenetics, Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.|Departments of Neurogenetics, Pediatrics, Neuroscience, Pharmacy, Psychiatry, Pathology and Psychology, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Pat
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Levitt
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Kara Gross
authors.initials: KG
authors.lastname: Margolis
authors.affiliation: Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program, The Thompson Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders, Departments of Radiology, Neurology, and Psychological Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA.
authors.forename: David Q
authors.initials: DQ
authors.lastname: Beversdorf
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Sackler Institute for Developmental Psychobiology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA. veenstr@nyspi.columbia.edu.|New York State Psychiatric Institute, New York, NY, USA. veenstr@nyspi.columbia.edu.|New York Presbyterian Hospital, Center for Autism and the Developing Brain, 1051 Riverside Drive, Mail Unit 78, New York, NY, USA. veenstr@nyspi.columbia.edu.
authors.forename: Jeremy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Veenstra-VanderWeele
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D057189:Checklist; D002648:Child; D003192:Compulsive Behavior / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D003248:Constipation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Developmental; Enteric; Gut; Medical comorbidity; Microbiome; Obsessive compulsive disorder; Serotonin