Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

New research reveals genetic link that connects family members with autism

Lorenzo Miodus-Santini an 11-year-old sixth-grader from Princeton, who was classified as autistic at only 13 months old, was never a big talker. As an infant he didn't babble or coo. When he was a toddler beginning to speak, he would learn one word but forget another.

30 Oct 2013

Subtle warning signs of autism may warrant referral to developmental specialist before age 18 months

How early can you diagnose autism? The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends screening children beginning at 18 months, but research suggests subtle warning signs may be apparent even earlier, according to Patricia Manning-Courtney, MD, FAAP, who delivered a plenary address at 11:10 a.m. ET Tuesday, Oct. 29, at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition in Orlando.

29 Oct 2013

Study identifies link between autism spectrum disorder risk and prenatal weight gain

New research from the University of Utah shows the answer to that question may be yes in some situations. Researchers have uncovered an association between autism spectrum disorders and a small increase in the amount of weight a mother gains during pregnancy. The results of the new study, "Maternal Prenatal Weight Gain and Autism Spectrum Disorders," are published in November edition of the journal Pediatrics.

28 Oct 2013

Children born to mothers with lupus have twice the risk of autism spectrum disorders

According to research presented this week at the American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting in San Diego, children born to mothers with lupus may be at twice the risk of autism spectrum disorders than those born to mothers without the disease.

28 Oct 2013

Research unlocks secrets of mouse behavior to help identify promising psychiatric drugs

Developing psychiatric medications is a long and complex process. Candidate drugs are evaluated and assessed based on their effects on the behavior of animals, usually rats or mice. Each class of drugs, from antidepressants to antipsychotics, is tested differently - often in a labor-intensive process that leaves plenty of room for human error. And there is a growing consensus that current procedures fail to effectively produce new medications.

25 Oct 2013

Researchers develop new interactive software game to help children with peanut allergies

Elizabeth McQuaid, Ph.D., a staff psychologist from the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center, is leading a research team testing a new interactive software game developed to help children with peanut allergies better manage allergy symptoms, social situations and proper food avoidance.

24 Oct 2013

Researchers describe why current medications only moderately reduce Fragile X symptoms

When you experience something, neurons in the brain send chemical signals called neurotransmitters across synapses to receptors on other neurons. How well that process unfolds determines how you comprehend the experience and what behaviors might follow. In people with Fragile X syndrome, a third of whom are eventually diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, that process is severely hindered, leading to intellectual impairments and abnormal behaviors.

24 Oct 2013

Study identifies new genes involved in autism

A scientific study published on the journal Molecular Psychiatry identifies new genes involved in autism, a polygenic disorder that is difficult to diagnose and treat. Autism spectrum disorders represent a group of neurodevelopmental disorders which affect one out of 80-100 children.

23 Oct 2013

Researchers find relationship between solar intensity and ADHD prevalence

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, is the most common childhood psychiatric disorder. Scientists do not know what causes it, but genetics play a clear role. Other risk factors have also been identified, including premature birth, low birth weight, a mother's use of alcohol or tobacco during pregnancy, and environmental exposures to toxins like lead.

23 Oct 2013

SENSE Theatre program improves social deficits in adolescents with autism

A novel autism intervention program using theatre to teach reciprocal communication skills is improving social deficits in adolescents with the disorder that now affects an estimated one in 88 children, Vanderbilt University researchers released today in the journal Autism Research.

23 Oct 2013

FDA seeks permanent injunction against dietary supplement manufacturer James G. Cole

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, in a complaint filed by the U.S. Department of Justice, is seeking a permanent injunction against the dietary supplement manufacturer James G. Cole, Inc., its president, James G. Cole, and its general manager, Julie D. Graves, following the company's repeated distribution of unapproved drugs and adulterated dietary supplements in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.

23 Oct 2013

Study highlights new treatment options for neurodevelopmental disorders like TSC

Clemson University scientists are working to determine how neurons are generated, which is vital to providing treatment for neurological disorders like Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC).

23 Oct 2013

Genetic mutation found to restore translational balance in mice

In a biological quirk that promises to provide researchers with a new approach for studying and potentially treating Fragile X syndrome, scientists at the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) have shown that knocking out a gene important for messenger RNA (mRNA) translation in neurons restores memory deficits and reduces behavioral symptoms in a mouse model of a prevalent human neurological disease.

21 Oct 2013

Scientists examine different animal species to solve some of the riddles of human diseases

What do pigs, jellyfish and zebrafish have in common? It might be hard to discern the connection, but the different species are all pieces in a puzzle. A puzzle which is itself part of a larger picture of solving the riddles of diseases in humans.

18 Oct 2013

Study shows how two miRNAs regulate FOXP2 gene implicated in speech, language impairments

A study led by Xiaoching Li, PhD, at the LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans Neuroscience Center of Excellence, has shown for the first time how two tiny molecules regulate a gene implicated in speech and language impairments as well as autism disorders, and that social context of vocal behavior governs their function.

18 Oct 2013

Scientists uncover faulty brain mechanism that may underlie schizophrenia in humans

Working with mice genetically engineered to display symptoms of schizophrenia, neuroscientists at the RIKEN-MIT Center for Neural Circuit Genetics at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT have uncovered a faulty brain mechanism that may underlie schizophrenia and other psychiatric disorders in humans.

17 Oct 2013

Discovery of neural firing-rate set point opens door to possible treatment for devastating disorders

As we learn and develop, our neurons change. They make new pathways and connections as our brain processes new information. In order to do this, individual neurons use an internal gauge to maintain a delicate balance that keeps our brains from becoming too excitable.

17 Oct 2013

State highlights: Calif. gov. OK's extension of autism treatment coverage; Kansas tries to improve billing, Medicaid flap in N.C.

Gov. Jerry Brown has approved a 2 1/2-year extension of a program that requires insurance coverage for early autism treatment. Since its creation in 2011, the program has helped more than 12,500 Californians, according to Senate leader Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento), the author of the bills creating and extending the program (McGreevy, 10/10).

12 Oct 2013

First Edition: October 11, 2013

Today's headlines include news about what experts are diagnosing as the trouble spots in the federal online health insurance exchange and how to fix them.

11 Oct 2013

Researchers identify gene that orchestrates important branching of nerve fibers

Our ability to detect heat, touch, tickling and other sensations depends on our sensory nerves. Now, for the first time, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University have identified a gene that orchestrates the crucially important branching of nerve fibers that occurs during development. The findings were published online today in the journal Cell.

11 Oct 2013

Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

New research reveals genetic link that connects family members with autism

Subtle warning signs of autism may warrant referral to developmental specialist before age 18 months

Study identifies link between autism spectrum disorder risk and prenatal weight gain

Children born to mothers with lupus have twice the risk of autism spectrum disorders

Research unlocks secrets of mouse behavior to help identify promising psychiatric drugs

Researchers develop new interactive software game to help children with peanut allergies

Researchers describe why current medications only moderately reduce Fragile X symptoms

Study identifies new genes involved in autism

Researchers find relationship between solar intensity and ADHD prevalence

SENSE Theatre program improves social deficits in adolescents with autism

FDA seeks permanent injunction against dietary supplement manufacturer James G. Cole

Study highlights new treatment options for neurodevelopmental disorders like TSC

Genetic mutation found to restore translational balance in mice

Scientists examine different animal species to solve some of the riddles of human diseases

Study shows how two miRNAs regulate FOXP2 gene implicated in speech, language impairments

Scientists uncover faulty brain mechanism that may underlie schizophrenia in humans

Discovery of neural firing-rate set point opens door to possible treatment for devastating disorders

State highlights: Calif. gov. OK's extension of autism treatment coverage; Kansas tries to improve billing, Medicaid flap in N.C.

First Edition: October 11, 2013

Researchers identify gene that orchestrates important branching of nerve fibers

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Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Pharmaceutical Manufacturing - Industry Focus eBook eBook

How microRNA is transforming science: From discovery to diagnostics

Advancing benzodiazepine detection

The Surgeon-Scientist Pioneering Regenerative Engineering

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