Does attentional switching form a genetic link between attention problems and autistic traits in adults?
Our findings suggest that the co-occurrence of ADHD traits and autistic traits in adults is not determined by problems with hyperactivity, social skills, imagination or routine preferences. Instead, the association between those traits is due primarily to shared attention-related problems (inattention and attentional switching capacity). As the etiology of this association is purely genetic, biological pathways involving attentional control could be a promising focus of future studies aimed at unraveling the genetic causes of these disorders.
Our results indicate that flow cytometry is a rapid and culture-independent method for differentiating between attached and unattached micro-organisms.