Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

With mom’s green card on the line, family forgoes autism services for citizen child

As U.S. immigration enforcement becomes stricter under the Trump administration, more immigrant families are cutting ties with health care services and other critical government programs, according to child advocates who work with such families.

1 Feb 2019

New understanding could help improve prediction and prevention of depression

In a new study, researchers from the Danish iPSYCH project demonstrate that people with the highest genetic propensity are over two and a half times as likely to be treated in a psychiatric hospital for depression compared to people with the lowest propensity.

31 Jan 2019

New link found between psychiatric disorders and events during the prenatal stage

Particular genetic variants in the human genome that are important for the development of the brain early in the life of the fetus are frequently found in psychiatric disorders. This is shown by a study carried out by iPSYCH.

31 Jan 2019

Medical cannabis relieves ASD symptoms in children

In a new study of patients with autism who are 18 years old and under, researchers from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and Soroka University Medical Center report that cannabis as a treatment for autism spectrum disorders appears to be a well-tolerated, safe and effective option to relieve symptoms including seizures, tics, depression, restlessness, and rage attacks.

31 Jan 2019

Scientists discover brain cells responsible for direction and memory

Research has revealed the cluster of neurons that helps the brain's internal GPS remember key landmarks.

31 Jan 2019

UAB researchers identify possible mechanism of cognition that underlies ASD

Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham have identified a possible mechanism of human cognition that underlies autism spectrum disorders, or ASD.

31 Jan 2019

Study reveals link between altered brain activity and social deficits in autism

One in 59 children are diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, a wide array of conditions affecting a child's social, emotional, and behavioral development.

31 Jan 2019

New autism mouse model shows how epigenetic regulation impacts downstream gene

The causes of autism spectrum disorder are diverse and to some extent, unknown. But without doubt, they are complex, layered and deeply nuanced.

31 Jan 2019

UCLA-led scientists discover new clues to what goes wrong in the brains of people with autism

A team of UCLA-led scientists has discovered important clues to what goes wrong in the brains of people with autism -- a developmental disorder with no cure and for which scientists have no deep understanding of what causes it.

31 Jan 2019

Women find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than men

Females find same-sex social interactions to be more rewarding than males, and females are more sensitive to the rewarding actions of oxytocin (OT) than males, according to a research study led by Georgia State University on the brain mechanisms that determine the rewarding properties of social interactions.

30 Jan 2019

Columbia neuroengineers create new system to translate thoughts into speech

In a scientific first, Columbia neuroengineers have created a system that translates thought into intelligible, recognizable speech. By monitoring someone's brain activity, the technology can reconstruct the words a person hears with unprecedented clarity.

29 Jan 2019

Researchers develop powerful new tool to create concrete cortical blueprint

With a bit of light, a few photo sensitive compounds and specialized paper, the blueprint was born. As the favored type of technical drawing for over a century, architects used this crucial tool for its fast reproducibility as well as its capacity for detailed documentation.

29 Jan 2019

Common test for mental health understanding is deeply flawed, study reveals

How do clinicians rate how well a patient understands what other people are thinking and feeling? That is to say--how does the patient assess another person's mental state?

29 Jan 2019

Examining components of theory of mind may help better understand autism

Theory of mind is complex and involves multiple neural processes. A team of researchers has now developed a new test to examine these components and has found that people with autism--a group known to have trouble understanding the thoughts, plans, and point of view of others--have disproportionate difficulties in one particular process.

28 Jan 2019

Genetic risk for developing psychiatric disorders or cognitive traits manifest in brain structure from childhood

There is only scant scientific evidence available on whether the genetic risk for developing specific psychiatric disorders or cognitive traits is manifest in brain structure from childhood and, to date, studies have focused primarily on adult populations. The question remains unanswered.

25 Jan 2019

Positive well-being associated with lower risk of depression in people with autism

In an Autism Research study of 36 newly employed adults with autism spectrum disorder who were participating in a supported employment program, positive well-being—or a sense of happiness and life satisfaction—was associated with a lower risk of developing depression over 12 months of follow-up.

24 Jan 2019

New sessions at Pittcon 2019

Pittcon 2019 will be held March 17-21, 2019 in Philadelphia PA at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. A number of new events and sessions will be held.

From Pittcon 23 Jan 2019

Experimental drug can positively modify key characteristic behavior in FXS patients

Researchers at MIND Institute at UC Davis and Rush University Medical Center have found that mavoglurant, an experimental drug known as a mGluR5 negative modulator, can positively modify a key characteristic behavior in individuals with fragile X syndrome.

22 Jan 2019

Mouse studies challenge 'inhibition' theory of autism

A detailed study of four mouse models of autism challenges the most common assumption about what goes wrong in brain circuits to cause disease symptoms.

21 Jan 2019

Unexpected connection found between feeding and memory centers of the brain

The search for a mechanism that could explain how the protein complex NCOR1/2 regulates memory has revealed an unexpected connection between the lateral hypothalamus and the hippocampus, the feeding and the memory centers of the brain, respectively.

21 Jan 2019