Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Autism symptoms treatment using antidepressant SSRIs may not be effective: Review

According to a new review of published and unpublished research, the belief that certain antidepressants can help to treat repetitive behaviors in kids with autism may be based on incomplete information.

24 Apr 2012

Nano-devices cross blood-brain barrier to deliver drug to treat cerebral palsy

A team of scientists from Johns Hopkins and elsewhere have developed nano-devices that successfully cross the brain-blood barrier and deliver a drug that tames brain-damaging inflammation in rabbits with cerebral palsy.

23 Apr 2012

Researchers uncover 22 new genes linked with autism, other neurodevelopmental disorders

When chromosomes replicate, sometimes there is an exchange of genetic material within a chromosome or between two or more chromosomes without a significant loss of genetic material. This exchange, known as a balanced chromosomal abnormality (BCA), can cause rearrangements in the genetic code.

21 Apr 2012

JSUMC launches Soiree at the Shore event

This year the Jersey Shore University Medical Center Foundation is proud to announce the launch of Soiree at the Shore, a new and exciting event taking the calendar date of the successful Runway on the River.

20 Apr 2012

UCSF scientists solve mystery of how selective hearing works

The longstanding mystery of how selective hearing works - how people can tune in to a single speaker while tuning out their crowded, noisy environs - is solved this week in the journal Nature by two scientists from the University of California, San Francisco.

19 Apr 2012

North American scientists to explore genetic markers for autism

A medical researcher at the University of Alberta is working with scientists from across North America to find out if there are genetic markers for autism. More than 15 scientists will examine DNA samples from children with autism and their infant siblings to see if the siblings are at high risk.

19 Apr 2012

Brain size and IQ secret may lie in genes: Study

The study, conducted by a team of more than 200 scientists from 100 institutions worldwide, measured the size of the brain and its memory centers in thousands of MRI images from 21,151 healthy people while simultaneously screening their DNA. According to the researchers, a variant in a gene called HMGA2 affected the brain size, as well as a person's intelligence.

18 Apr 2012

Conventional testing underestimates Rett Syndrome patients' cognitive abilities

Researchers at Montefiore Medical Center have identified, in a pilot study published in the April edition of Pediatric Neurology, that children with Rett Syndrome, who cannot speak or use their hands to communicate and therefore were thought to be unable to understand and process information, do in fact exhibit meaningful visual search whereby they can process and prioritize information.

18 Apr 2012

Genetic reach of autism may extend to half siblings

When a child has autism, siblings are also at risk for the disorder. New research from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis shows that the genetic reach of the disorder often extends to half siblings as well.

18 Apr 2012

New text on nursing of autism spectrum disorder

The growing number of children and adults on the autism spectrum represent a growing need for quality health care that is sensitive to the issues they face. This is the premise and challenge behind a new text, Nursing of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Evidence-based Integrated Care across the Lifespan (Springer, April 2012), edited by Dr. Ellen Giarelli, an associate professor in Drexel's College of Nursing and Health Professions, with Dr. Marcia Gardner.

18 Apr 2012

Study finds lower cytokine levels in the plasma of children with autism

A University of Kansas Medical Center study found significantly lower levels of several cytokines, the immune system's messengers and regulators, in the plasma of children with autism disorder (AD) compared to that of unrelated healthy siblings from other families who had members with autism spectrum disorders.

17 Apr 2012

Gestational diabetes on the rise

Although the disease usually goes away after delivery, it can have permanent consequences. Not only can the mother be prone to develop diabetes later in life, but their babies are also at greater risk for chronic health problems.

16 Apr 2012

Genes linked to major brain functions and disorders

An international team of researchers have found the genes that increase or reduce the risk of certain mental illnesses and Alzheimer's disease. They claim that some genes that may explain individual differences in brain size and intelligence as well. The team of more than 200 scientists at 100 institutions said this was the largest-ever brain study to date.

16 Apr 2012

New genes may explain individual differences in brain size and intelligence

In the world's largest brain study to date, a team of more than 200 scientists from 100 institutions worldwide collaborated to map the human genes that boost or sabotage the brain's resistance to a variety of mental illnesses and Alzheimer's disease.

16 Apr 2012

Longer looks: Diagnosing autism in minutes; Finding new uses for old drugs; Cancer war victories

Autism is an extremely complex diagnosis. Parental insight, physician observations and hours of data can factor into determining whether a child actually has the condition or is just a little on the quirky side. Now a Harvard researcher, Dennis P. Wall, has published research about a Web-based tool he developed that promises to diagnose autism in minutes, not hours -

12 Apr 2012

New compound reverses major symptoms associated with FXS

A recent study finds that a new compound reverses many of the major symptoms associated with Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common form of inherited intellectual disability and a leading cause of autism. The paper, published by Cell Press in the April 12 issue of the journal Neuron, describes the exciting observation that the FXS correction can occur in adult mice, after the symptoms of the condition have already been established.

12 Apr 2012

Online tool can accurately diagnose autism within minutes

Researchers at Harvard Medical School have significantly reduced from hours to minutes the time it takes to accurately detect autism in young children.

12 Apr 2012

State roundup: Calif. essential benefits bill passes committee; Ariz. legislature OKs late-term abortion ban; States with longest doc waits

California Assemblyman Bill Monning, chair of the Assembly Committee on Health introduced AB 1453, which laid out a plan for what essential benefits will be covered in California under the Affordable Care Act. The proposed set of benefits is modeled on the Kaiser small group HMO plan

12 Apr 2012

The urgency of autism: Progress in combating it, even as diagnoses increase

News outlets examine progress being made in diagnosing autism and understanding its possible causes.

12 Apr 2012

Oxytocin may offer hope for male sexual dysfunction

The hormone oxytocin that is also called the “love hormone” since it plays a role in the bond between a mother and baby may also improve sexual function - at least in men with Asperger’s syndrome - according to a published case report.

10 Apr 2012