Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Anterior insular cortex associated with human empathy

An international team led by researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York has for the first time shown that one area of the brain, called the anterior insular cortex, is the activity center of human empathy, whereas other areas of the brain are not. The study is published in the September 2012 issue of the journal Brain.

25 Oct 2012

Link between autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia

Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), a category that includes autism, Asperger Syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder, are characterized by difficulty with social interaction and communication, or repetitive behaviors. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Management says that one in 88 children in the US is somewhere on the Autism spectrum - an alarming ten-fold increase in the last four decades.

24 Oct 2012

Roundup: Wis. judge keeps law barring most collective bargaining on shelf; Study: Medicaid expansion could be costly after 2016; Doc shortage presaged in Las Vegas

A Wisconsin judge refused Monday to put on hold his earlier decision repealing major parts of Gov. Scott Walker's law effectively ending collective bargaining for most public workers.

24 Oct 2012

Individualized education model optimizes chances of success for children with autism

Students with autism have the best chances of success in school through an individualized education model that involves teachers, service providers and parents, according to a new book co-authored by John McGrew, Ph.D., and a psychology professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis.

20 Oct 2012

Updated second edition of autism toolkit from AAP

To help pediatricians in diagnosing and managing autism spectrum disorders in children, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is offering an extensively revised and updated second edition of its autism toolkit, "Autism: Caring for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Resource Toolkit for Clinicians." The toolkit will be launched Oct. 20 at the AAP National Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans.

20 Oct 2012

New way to image how brain cells coordinate with each other to control specific behaviors

A team led by MIT neuroscientists has developed a way to monitor how brain cells coordinate with each other to control specific behaviors, such as initiating movement or detecting an odor.

19 Oct 2012

New insights into wiring and firing of the social brain

New insights into the wiring and firing of the "social brain" in humans and primates reveals the brain areas important in altruistic motives and behavior, and the brain regions that respond to the pain of discrimination.

19 Oct 2012

People in creative professions are treated more often for mental illness

People in creative professions are treated more often for mental illness than the general population, there being a particularly salient connection between writing and schizophrenia. This according to researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, whose large-scale registry study is the most comprehensive ever in its field.

17 Oct 2012

Accumulation of small genetic variations could increase risk of ASD

An increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) could result from an accumulation of many small, common genetic variations rather than large-effect, rare changes in the genetic code, according to a multicenter team led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

16 Oct 2012

Scientists reveal interaction between the auditory cortex and amygdala

In a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience and funded by the Wellcome Trust, Newcastle University scientists reveal the interaction between the region of the brain that processes sound, the auditory cortex, and the amygdala, which is active in the processing of negative emotions when we hear unpleasant sounds.

15 Oct 2012

Women's health, Medicare and the health law mark tight races in various states

Asked where he would cut the government, Mr. Brown cited President Obama's health care law, which, he said, was crushing Massachusetts businesses. He said the law would remove $700 billion from Medicare, an assertion that Mr. Romney made in last week's presidential debate. "That's the same playbook that Mitt Romney used a week ago tonight," Ms. Warren said. "It was wrong then, it's wrong tonight."

15 Oct 2012

Common genetic polymorphisms can increase risk of autism spectrum disorders

The causes of autism and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are complex, and contain elements of both nature (genes) and the environment. New research published in BioMed Central's open access journal Molecular Autism shows that common genetic polymorphisms (genetic variation) can add up to an increased risk of ASD.

15 Oct 2012

Grand Challenges Canada funds 15 new projects to improve mental health diagnosis and care

Grand Challenges Canada, which is funded by the Government of Canada, today announced a landmark $19.4 million in support of 15 innovative, pioneering projects designed to improve mental health diagnosis and care in developing countries, many of them nations ravaged by conflict and disaster as well as poverty.

11 Oct 2012

Motor and communication skills linked in infants at risk for autism

Study findings suggest that siblings of children with autistic spectrum disorders who exhibit early delay in motor skill development often experience communication difficulty in early childhood.

10 Oct 2012

Medicaid news: Florida program caught between feds and state efforts; Ark. begins new payment plans for doctors

The Department of Health and Human Services and Florida officials negotiate changes to the state's Medicaid plan. In the meantime, Arkansas doctors offer a cautious endorsement as the state tries "episodic" payments for some common conditions.

9 Oct 2012

Children with autism four times more likely to wander

A new study published today in the journal Pediatrics found that nearly half of children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are reported to wander or "bolt," and more than half of these children go missing.

8 Oct 2012

Cognitively-based compassion training can boost empathic accuracy

A compassion-based meditation program can significantly improve a person's ability to read the facial expressions of others, finds a study published by Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

5 Oct 2012

Ketamine can help improve brain function in Rett syndrome mice

A promising study out today in the prestigious Journal of Neurosciences showed that in a mouse model of Rett syndrome, researchers were able to reverse abnormalities in brain activity and improve neurological function by treating the animals with an FDA-approved anesthesia drug, ketamine.

4 Oct 2012

Study examines newly proposed DSM-5 criteria for autism spectrum disorder

Parents should not worry that proposed changes to the medical criteria redefining a diagnosis of autism will leave their children excluded and deemed ineligible for psychiatric and medical care, says a team of researchers led by psychologists at Weill Cornell Medical College.

3 Oct 2012

Babies' non-verbal communication skills can help predict autism symptoms in children

Approximately 19 percent of children with a sibling diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) will develop Autism due to shared genetic and environmental vulnerabilities, according to previous studies.

2 Oct 2012

Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Anterior insular cortex associated with human empathy

Link between autism spectrum disorders and schizophrenia

Roundup: Wis. judge keeps law barring most collective bargaining on shelf; Study: Medicaid expansion could be costly after 2016; Doc shortage presaged in Las Vegas

Individualized education model optimizes chances of success for children with autism

Updated second edition of autism toolkit from AAP

New way to image how brain cells coordinate with each other to control specific behaviors

New insights into wiring and firing of the social brain

People in creative professions are treated more often for mental illness

Accumulation of small genetic variations could increase risk of ASD

Scientists reveal interaction between the auditory cortex and amygdala

Women's health, Medicare and the health law mark tight races in various states

Common genetic polymorphisms can increase risk of autism spectrum disorders

Grand Challenges Canada funds 15 new projects to improve mental health diagnosis and care

Motor and communication skills linked in infants at risk for autism

Medicaid news: Florida program caught between feds and state efforts; Ark. begins new payment plans for doctors

Children with autism four times more likely to wander

Cognitively-based compassion training can boost empathic accuracy

Ketamine can help improve brain function in Rett syndrome mice

Study examines newly proposed DSM-5 criteria for autism spectrum disorder

Babies' non-verbal communication skills can help predict autism symptoms in children

The evolution of OCT for retinal imaging and disease intervention

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Prof. Dr. Kristina Kusche-Vihrog

Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

The evolution of OCT for retinal imaging and disease intervention

Supercharging Next-Gen Antibody Discovery with AI and High-Throughput Experimentation

Prof. Dr. Kristina Kusche-Vihrog

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