BlinkLab to Participate in the Landmark Monash University Autism/ADHD

BlinkLab Limited (ASX:BB1) (“BlinkLab” or the “Company”), an innovative digital healthcare company developing smartphone-based AI powered diagnostic tests for neurological conditions, is pleased to announce their participation in the landmark MAGNET (Monash Autism & ADHD Genetics and Neurodevelopment) study conducted by Monash University’s School of Psychological Sciences.

Link: https://molecularautism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13229-021-00457-3.

Highlights

• The MAGNET project is an ongoing large cohort study aiming to enrol 1,000 families with children diagnosed with only autism, only ADHD, or with both autism and ADHD.
• MAGNET is utilising a novel family-based trial design where the parents, affected child and siblings (either affected or unaffected) are all enrolled in the same study.
• The aim of the study is to identify novel data-driven autism and ADHD subtypes using deep phenotyping data, including the BlinkLab Dx 1 biomarkers, that may outperform current categorical diagnoses with potential future implications for better and more personalised autism and ADHD diagnosis and treatment.

The project will help to unravel the complex symptoms of autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), and why they overlap in some children. The data generated by the study will address several limitations of categorical conceptualisations of these conditions. It is an important step towards a more dimensional understanding of their psychopathology, leading to better diagnostic models and more personalised support for children diagnosed with autism and/or ADHD. Using BlinkLab Dx 1, we aim to complete comprehensive deep sensory phenotyping of subjects with only autism, only ADHD, or with both autism and ADHD from the large MAGNET cohort.

Significance of the Study

Autism and ADHD are neurodevelopmental conditions affecting 1-4% and 5-7% of the population, respectively. Autism is characterised by deficits in social communication, restricted and repetitive patterns of behaviour and interests and altered sensory processing, whereas ADHD is defined by hyperactivity, impulsivity and inattention. In autism, 30-80% of cases exhibit ADHD symptomatology. In ADHD, 20-50% of cases exhibit autism symptoms.

The introduction of the DSM-5 has allowed, for the first time, the concurrent diagnosis of autism and ADHD and the two conditions are now recognized to co-occur in up to 50% of cases. This co-occurrence can be associated with a more severe ADHD phenotype and higher treatment needs overall. DSM-5 is a comprehensive classification system published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA). It serves as the authoritative guide used by healthcare professionals to diagnose mental disorders.

Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a key measure used in BlinkLab Dx 1 and is considered an effective proxy for sensorimotor gating – the brain’s ability to filter out irrelevant information and prioritise what is relevant. Deficits in PPI have been observed in…