Intervention with a humanoid robot avatar for individuals with social anxiety disorders comorbid with autism spectrum disorders

For some individuals with social anxiety disorders (SAD) comorbid with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), it is difficult to speak in front of others. Herein, we report the case of a patient with SAD comorbid with ASD who could not speak in front of others until she used a humanoid robot as her avatar. During the intervention, her personality changed from shy to outgoing, which is explained by the Proteus effect. These case findings suggest that interventions with a robot avatar might improve the motivation for individuals with SAD comorbid with ASD who cannot speak in front of others to communicate

Differences in the Optimal Motion of Android Robots for the Ease of Communications Among Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Android robots are employed in various fields. Many individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have the motivation and aptitude for using such robots. Interactions with these robots are structured to resemble social situations in which certain social behaviors can occur and to simulate daily life. Considering that individuals with ASD have strong likes and dislikes, ensuring not only the optimal appearance but also the optimal motion of robots is important to achieve smooth interaction and to draw out the potential of robotic interventions. We investigated whether individuals with ASD found it easier to talk to an android robot with little motion (i.e., only opening and closing its mouth during speech) or an android robot with much motion (i.e., in addition to opening and closing its mouth during speech, moving its eyes from side to side and up and down, blinking, deeply breathing, and turning or moving its head or body at random). This was a crossover study in which a total of 25 participants with ASD experienced mock interviews conducted by an android robot with much spontaneous facial and bodily motion and an android robot with little motion. We compared demographic data between participants who answered that the android robot with much motion was easier to talk to than android robot with little motion and those who answered the opposite. In addition, we investigated how each type of demographic data was related to participants\u27 feeling of comfort in an interview setting with an android robot. Fourteen participants indicated that the android robot with little motion was easier to talk to than the robot with much motion, whereas 11 participants answered the opposite. There were significant differences between these two groups in the sensory sensitivity score, which reflects the tendency to show a low neurological threshold. In addition, we found correlations between the sensation seeking score, which reflects the tendency to show a high neurological threshold, and self-report ratings of comfort in each condition. These results provide preliminary support for the importance of setting the motion of an android robot considering the sensory traits of ASD

Role-Play-Based Guidance for Job Interviews Using an Android Robot for Individuals With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Interventions for job interviews targeting the impaired theory of mind observed in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are limited. We developed a role-play-based guidance system for job interviews using an android robot resembling a real person. Individuals with ASD worked in pairs and played dual roles in mock job interviews. Specifically, one participant acted as the interviewee, while the other participant operated the android robot and acted as the interviewer. Eight individuals with high-functioning ASD participated in this study. After the training sessions, participants learned to understand the point of view of the interviewer, which may contribute to increased recognition of the importance of gestures and the motivation to learn how to behave in a job interview. In addition, participants reported improved self-confidence. These results provide preliminary support for the efficacy of playing dual roles using android robots

Activation-Induced Cytidine Deaminase (AID) Deficiency Causes the Autosomal Recessive Form of the Hyper-IgM Syndrome (HIGM2)

AbstractThe activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID) gene, specifically expressed in germinal center B cells in mice, is a member of the cytidine deaminase family. We herein report mutations in the human counterpart of AID in patients with the autosomal recessive form of hyper-IgM syndrome (HIGM2). Three major abnormalities characterize AID deficiency: (1) the absence of immunoglobulin class switch recombination, (2) the lack of immunoglobulin somatic hypermutations, and (3) lymph node hyperplasia caused by the presence of giant germinal centers. The phenotype observed in HIGM2 patients (and in AID−/− mice) demonstrates the absolute requirement for AID in several crucial steps of B cell terminal differentiation necessary for efficient antibody responses

Magnetoencephalography Study of Right Parietal Lobe Dysfunction of the Evoked Mirror Neuron System in Antipsychotic-Free Schizophrenia

INTRODUCTION: Patients with schizophrenia commonly exhibit deficits of non-verbal communication in social contexts, which may be related to cognitive dysfunction that impairs recognition of biological motion. Although perception of biological motion is known to be mediated by the mirror neuron system, there have been few empirical studies of this system in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Using magnetoencephalography, we examined whether antipsychotic-free schizophrenia patients displayed mirror neuron system dysfunction during observation of biological motion (jaw movement of another individual). RESULTS: Compared with normal controls, the patients with schizophrenia had fewer components of both the waveform and equivalent current dipole, suggesting aberrant brain activity resulting from dysfunction of the right inferior parietal cortex. They also lacked the changes of alpha band and gamma band oscillation seen in normal controls, and had weaker phase-locking factors and gamma-synchronization predominantly in right parietal cortex. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings demonstrate that untreated patients with schizophrenia exhibit aberrant mirror neuron system function based on the right inferior parietal cortex, which is characterized by dysfunction of gamma-synchronization in the right parietal lobe during observation of biological motion