Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Father's age can affect offspring lifespan, mice study shows

How does the father's age at conception affect his children? Researchers at the German Center for Neurodegenerative Disease and fellow scientists have studied this question in mice.

20 Feb 2018

Autism could be predicted from blood or urine tests soon

Thousands of children are being diagnosed with autism on the basis of tests that are mainly based on the behaviour of the child and his or her responses to the tests and behavioural assessments. In short, there are no blood tests or urine tests that can be used to diagnose autism.

19 Feb 2018

Study reveals functional dynamics of ion channels

Most ion channels are very selective about the ions, which may or may not pass through them. They may be conductive for potassium ions and non-conductive for sodium ions or vice versa.

19 Feb 2018

Father's stress affects the brain development of offspring, mice study shows

New research in mice has found that a father's stress affects the brain development of his offspring. This stress changes the father's sperm, which can then alter the brain development of the child. This new research provides a much better understanding of the key role that fathers play in the brain development of offspring.

19 Feb 2018

Lab-grown cerebellar cells may help explain how ASD develops at molecular level

Increasing evidence has linked autism spectrum disorder with dysfunction of the brain's cerebellum, but the details have been unclear. In a new study, researchers at Boston Children's Hospital used stem cell technology to create cerebellar cells known as Purkinje cells from patients with tuberous sclerosis complex, a genetic syndrome that often includes ASD-like features.

19 Feb 2018

High-tech brain scans can provide new way to define intelligence

High-tech scans of the resting human brain can provide a new way to define and interpret the brain's actual mental capacity, new research suggests.

14 Feb 2018

People who survive childhood heart defects may be at elevated risk of developing dementia

People born with heart defects who survive into adulthood may be at higher risk of developing dementia, particularly dementia that starts before 65 years of age, according to new research in the American Heart Association's journal Circulation.

12 Feb 2018

Findings reveal dramatic landscape of genetic changes in the brain in response to visual stimulation

"Nature and nurture is a convenient jingle of words, for it separates under two distinct heads the innumerable elements of which personality is composed.

9 Feb 2018

Research funded by NIH grant aims to discover crucial role of 'invisible' cells

Neurons are the star of the show in brain science, but they don't work alone to process information. In new research funded by a $1.9 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, a team at MIT's Picower Institute for Learning and Memory aims to discover the likely crucial role of the supporting cast member with a stellar-sounding name: the astrocyte.

9 Feb 2018

Study reveals the link between genetic variations and major psychiatric disorders

Psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia, autism, and bipolar disorder share common molecular characteristics, despite variations in gene expression.

9 Feb 2018

New research signals potential breakthrough for adults with ASD

New collaborative research out of the University of Pittsburgh School of Social Work and the Department of Psychiatry signals a potential breakthrough for adults with autism spectrum disorder.

8 Feb 2018

Study provides insight into mechanisms for increased male susceptibility to ASD

Exposure to androgens (male hormones) during brain development alters genes related to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a new study published in Biological Psychiatry.

7 Feb 2018

Study accurately estimates prevalence of FASD in the United States

Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine found a significant number of children across four regions in the United States were determined to have fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.

7 Feb 2018

Specialist residential service for adults with autism opens in Swansea

Ty Seren, a specialist residential service for adults with complex needs associated with autism has opened in Gowerton, Swansea. Ty Seren is the latest service from the Orbis Education and Care Group who provide specialist schools and residential services for children, young people and adults with complex needs associated with autism.

6 Feb 2018

Researchers use innovative method to screen kinases for cancer drug's effectiveness

In recent years, a powerful suite of drugs known as kinase inhibitors have been developed to treat cancer and other diseases. Primary targets of such drugs include a family of receptor tyrosine kinases (RTKs) which protrude from cell surfaces like antennae and can activate cancer-related pathways in virtually all types of cancer when signaling molecules bind with them.

5 Feb 2018

Study unravels developmental splicing program that promotes neuronal maturation

Neurons, or nerve cells, in the brain communicate with each other by transmitting electric signals, or firing action potentials, through long processes named axons (which send out signals) and dendrites (which receive signals).

1 Feb 2018

Harvard scientists identify molecular machinery responsible for dopamine release in the brain

Studied for decades for its critical role in movement control and reward-seeking behaviors, the neurotransmitter dopamine has been the focus of numerous efforts to understand its activity, particularly when it goes awry in disorders such as Parkinson's and addiction.

1 Feb 2018