Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

New research sheds light on what makes the human brain unique

Research from scientists at University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shed new light on an age-old question: what makes the human brain unique?

13 Aug 2025

Love hormone oxytocin found to be critical for the formation of friendships

A new UC Berkeley study shows that the so-called love hormone, oxytocin, is also critical for the formation of friendships.

12 Aug 2025

Autistic college students face higher rates of anxiety and depression

As autism diagnoses continue to grow and remain a topic of nationwide debate, new research reveals that autistic individuals are facing mental health challenges at a major turning point in their lives – when they go to college.

12 Aug 2025

Study explores how oxytocin influences brain activity to shape social behavior

Oxytocin promotes social behaviors and helps maintain relationships. But clinical trials in patients with autism show variability in how consistently oxytocin improves these behaviors.

12 Aug 2025

Parents’ workplace chemical exposure may be linked to behavioral challenges in children with autism

A new study in the International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health finds parents' workplace chemical exposure may be linked to a range of behavioral challenges and developmental delays in their children with autism.

8 Aug 2025

Gut bacteria may connect pregnancy diet to childhood autism

Unhealthy maternal diets may alter gut microbes, impacting brain development and increasing autism risk in offspring. Study the microbiome's influence.

8 Aug 2025

Scientists reveal how rare gene mutations drive schizophrenia risk

Researchers analyzed the largest exome-sequencing dataset to date and identified new rare coding variants and genes linked to schizophrenia risk. The study highlights converging genetic pathways, implicating chromatin organization and GABAergic signaling in schizophrenia neurobiology.

4 Aug 2025

$5.5 million federal grant funds research to improve measurement of FXTAS treatments

UC Davis Health Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences David Hessl will help lead a major research project to develop better ways to measure treatments for fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS).

31 Jul 2025

Chronically ill? In Kennedy’s view, it might be your own fault

On a recent weekday evening, Ashly Richards helped her 13-year-old son, Case, with homework. He did math problems and some reading, underscoring how much he's accomplished at his school for children with autism.

31 Jul 2025

Thalamic feedback pathway found to tune sensory perception

The cerebral cortex processes sensory information via a complex network of neural connections. How are these signals modulated to refine perception? A team from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) has identified a mechanism by which certain thalamic projections target neurons and modify their excitability.

30 Jul 2025

Innovative technologies push pediatric MRI beyond diagnostics

From fetal stages through adolescence, the b;rain undergoes rapid, layered development—from basic motor skills to complex emotional regulation.

30 Jul 2025

Immigrant kids detained in ‘unsafe and unsanitary’ sites as Trump team seeks to end protections

A child developed a rash after he was prevented from changing his underwear for four days. A little boy, bored and overcome with despair, began hitting himself in the head.

30 Jul 2025

Largest genetic study confirms biological basis of stuttering

The largest genetic analysis of stuttering has demonstrated a clear genetic basis for the speech disorder, highlighting neurological pathways of risk.

28 Jul 2025

Fearing Medicaid coverage loss, some parents rush to vaccinate their kids

For two decades, Washington, D.C., pediatrician Lanre Falusi has counseled parents about vaccine safety, side effects, and timing. But this year, she said, the conversations have changed.

28 Jul 2025

Uncovering origins of autism, depression, Parkinson's in fetal brain

The origin of some neuropsychiatric diseases, such as autism, bipolar disorder, or depression, and certain neurodegenerative diseases, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, can be found in very early stages of brain formation in the fetus. That is, earlier than previously recognized, according to a study by the Hospital del Mar Research Institute and Yale University, published in Nature Communications.

26 Jul 2025