Autism News and Research

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Autism (sometimes called “classical autism”) is the most common condition in a group of developmental disorders known as the autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests. Other ASDs include Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, and pervasive developmental disorder not otherwise specified (usually referred to as PDD-NOS). Experts estimate that three to six children out of every 1,000 will have autism. Males are four times more likely to have autism than females.

Broccoli contains an ingredient that could target the "Achilles’ heel" of cancers

A new study from the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has come up with a new study that reveals that broccoli, Brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, cabbage and collard greens contain a substance that could inactivate a vital gene that plays a role in cancers.

19 May 2019

Experts Suggest Compulsory Measles Vaccination in Children Could Prevent Epidemic

Experts have suggested that compulsory measles vaccines before children start attending school may be necessary to prevent increasing disease incidence rates worldwide.

17 May 2019

Long-term antibiotic treatment slows growth of amyloid plaques in male mice but not in females

Researchers at The University of Chicago have demonstrated that the type of bacteria living in the gut can influence the development of Alzheimer's disease symptoms in mice.

17 May 2019

Ethical and social implications of embodied AI in mental health care

Interactions with artificial intelligence will become an increasingly common aspect of our lives. A team at the Technical University of Munich has now completed the first study of how "embodied AI" can help treat mental illness.

15 May 2019

Autism may be accurately diagnosed as early as 14 months of age

A new study suggests that autism spectrum disorder may be accurately diagnosed from 14 months of age, almost 3 years less than current diagnoses.

15 May 2019

Nanoparticles present in many food items affect gut microbiota, study shows

University of Sydney research provides new evidence that nanoparticles, which are present in many food items, may have a substantial and harmful influence on human health.

13 May 2019

Research on repetitive worm behavior may shed light on repetition in humans

Repetition can be useful if you're trying to memorize a poem, master a guitar riff, or just cultivate good habits.

13 May 2019

Men who delay fatherhood put health of partners, unborn children at risk

Men who delay starting a family have a ticking "biological clock" -- just like women -- that may affect the health of their partners and children, according to Rutgers researchers.

13 May 2019

Study: Under-connectivity is the underlying cause of brain disorders

Under-connectivity, or too few connections in the brain, is the underlying cause of brain disorders like autism and schizophrenia, according to a recent study from investigators at the George Washington University Institute for Neuroscience.

10 May 2019

State bans pesticide linked to developmental problems

California will ban the use of a widely used pesticide in the face of "mounting evidence" that it causes developmental problems in children, state officials announced Wednesday.

10 May 2019

Researchers seek to settle some discrepancies related to brain anatomy and ASD

Individuals with autism spectrum disorder are often lumped into a single catch-all group, despite significant differences in symptom profile and severity.

8 May 2019

Autism estimates for the USA are wildly inaccurate, say experts at INSAR 2019

Research presented at INSAR 2019 suggests that autism estimates are wildly inaccurate as they do not involve sufficient data on families from ethnic minority backgrounds.

7 May 2019

Lack of autism risk gene disrupts prefrontal cortex connectivity in mice

Adult male mice lacking the gene Shank3 display structural and functional deficits in the prefrontal cortex, finds a study published in JNeurosci.

From Society for Neuroscience 7 May 2019

UK Government to 'consider all options' to control measles outbreak

Like many other countries, the UK health secretary, Matt Hancock, has said that the government is being forced to “consider all options” to control the spread of measles after a rise in cases.

6 May 2019

The sense of touch is defined and fully functional before birth

All the surface of the human body is represented in the cerebral cortex in a transversal band localized at the external part of the cerebral hemispheres: the somatosensory cortex.

3 May 2019

Novel chemical probe enables live imaging of brain immune cells

Researchers in South Korea and Singapore have, for the first time, developed a chemical probe that enables live-imaging of a type of immune cells in the brain, known as microglia, in a live animal brain.

3 May 2019

Targeting antidiuretic hormone vasopressin shows promise for autism

Autism is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder with no known drug treatment up until now. Researchers have finally found tweaking certain hormones could help patients with autism. There were two independent clinical trials including children and adults with autism that altered the effects of the hormone vasopressin and to assess the effects on social functioning.

2 May 2019

Viral infection in utero associated with behavioral abnormalities in offspring

Male and female rats whose mother experienced a simulated viral infection during pregnancy behave abnormally, consistent with behavioural alterations in autism or schizophrenia, research by the University of Saskatchewan shows.

2 May 2019

Mount Sinai study identifies 20 new genetic associations with bipolar disorder

In the largest study of its kind, involving more than 50,000 subjects in 14 countries, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai and more than 200 collaborating institutions have identified 20 new genetic associations with one of the most prevalent and elusive mental illnesses of our time--bipolar disorder.

1 May 2019

Globally measles at an all time high

In the United States, the number of cases of vaccine-preventable viral disease measles is on a 25-year record high. According to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the main reason behind this is inadequate vaccination of the general population. Spread of misinformation regarding vaccine safety is to be blamed for inadequate vaccination of the population says the agency.

30 Apr 2019