Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Omeros identifies orphan GPCR compounds associated to pancreatic cancer, cognitive disorders

Omeros Corporation today announced that it has identified compounds that interact selectively with two orphan G protein-coupled receptors linked to pancreatic cancer and cognitive disorders.

3 Mar 2011

Children with ASD can benefit from interactive computer program

Children with autism spectrum disorders are better able to recognize faces, facial expressions and emotions with the help of an interactive computer program called FaceSay, according to newly published research from psychologists at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

3 Mar 2011

BigThink.com launches breakthroughs: Discussion highlighting cutting-edge cancer research

Everyone knows someone that has been touched by cancer. Over one and a half million Americans will be diagnosed with some form of cancer in 2011, and more than 560,000 will die from the disease, accounting for 1 out of every 5 deaths.

2 Mar 2011

New study reviews latest scientific developments in autism

First consultant of child psychiatry in the UK reviews state of knowledge on autism. Despite substantial gains in knowledge and understanding of autism over the last three years, we are still no closer to either prevention or cure, according to Sir Michael Rutter, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London.

2 Mar 2011

New research finds link between genomic variants in neurological processes and autism

New research on the genomics of autism confirms that the genetic roots of the disorder are highly complicated, but that common biological themes underlie this complexity. In the current study, researchers have implicated several new candidate genes and genomic variants as contributors to autism, and conclude that many more remain to be discovered.

2 Mar 2011

Leisure activities during free time can improve communication, social skills in autistic adults

Free time is not always a fun time for people with autism. Giving them the power to choose their own leisure activities during free time, however, can boost their enjoyment, as well as improve communication and social skills, according to an international team of researchers.

1 Mar 2011

New study: Immune molecules can regulate synaptic connections in brain

The number of connections between nerve cells in the brain can be regulated by an immune system molecule, according to a new study from UC Davis. The research, published Feb. 27 in the journal Nature Neuroscience, reveals a potential link between immunity, infectious disease and conditions such as schizophrenia or autism.

27 Feb 2011

Vaccine lawsuit rejected by Supreme Court

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday against the parents of Hannah Bruesewitz, 18, who suffered seizures and permanent brain damage after receiving a diptheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) vaccine in 1993. The Bruesewitz family had sued Wyeth who was then the parent company of the maker of the DTP vaccine that Hannah received as an infant.

27 Feb 2011

Role of serotonin in autism spectrum disorders

Mouse models are yielding important clues about the nature of autism spectrum disorders, which impact an estimated one in 110 children in the U.S. In labs at the UT Health Science Center San Antonio, researchers are studying strains of mice that inherently mimic the repetitive and socially impaired behaviors present in these disorders.

25 Feb 2011

Brain reward center responds to good and bad experiences

The so-called reward center of the brain may need a new name, say scientists who have shown it responds to good and bad experiences. The finding, published in PLoS One, may help explain the "thrill" of thrill-seeking behavior or maybe just the thrill of surviving it, according to scientists at Georgia Health Sciences University and East China Normal University.

23 Feb 2011

CVS condemns Supreme Court's decision to preempt all vaccine design defect lawsuits

The Coalition for Vaccine Safety condemns the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Bruesewitz v. Wyeth to preempt all vaccine design defect lawsuits in state and federal civil court. Quoting Justice Sotomayor's dissent, the majority "imposes its own bare policy preference over the considered judgment of Congress."

23 Feb 2011

Nationwide Children's Hospital joins Autism Speaks ATN to offer patient care

Nationwide Children's Hospital has been selected to join the Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network, connecting Columbus with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center and the University of Missouri as the nation's only ATN institutions in the Midwest region.

23 Feb 2011

Autism could be detected earlier and easier: Study

Scientists at Boston may have found the beginnings of a non-invasive diagnostic test that can detect abnormal brain waves that suggest increased risk for autism – a debilitating neurological disorder in babies. This test would be safe, inexpensive, and easy to perform and could make it possible for at-risk kids to get help right away rather than having to wait until months or years later, which is now the case with the behavioral tests believe experts.

22 Feb 2011

Noninvasive test to evaluate risk of ASD in infants

A computational physicist and a cognitive neuroscientist at Children's Hospital Boston have come up with the beginnings of a noninvasive test to evaluate an infant's autism risk.

22 Feb 2011

Scientists discover axons can send signals to cell body

Neurons are complicated, but the basic functional concept is that synapses transmit electrical signals to the dendrites and cell body, and axons carry signals away.

18 Feb 2011

Researchers receive two grants to create diagnostic tool for early detection of childhood mental disorders

A University of Minnesota research team was recently awarded two grants totaling more than $3 million from the National Science Foundation's Cyber-Enabled Discovery and MRI Programs to create robotic devices and computer vision algorithms that will assist with the early diagnosis of children at risk of developing disorders such as autism, attention deficit disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder.

17 Feb 2011

New study: Latino siblings of children with disability may face risk of negative outcomes

Latino siblings of children developmental disabilities such as Down syndrome and autism may face their own challenges, including anxiety and lower school performance, according to a new study led by researchers with the Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center.

17 Feb 2011

Molecular explanation to higher tendency for autism among males

George Washington University researcher, Dr. Valerie Hu, Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, and her team at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, have found that male and female sex hormones regulate expression of an important gene in neuronal cell culture through a mechanism that could explain not only higher levels of testosterone observed in some individuals with autism, but also why males have a higher incidence of autism than females.

17 Feb 2011

Rare heart defect reproduced in petri dish, hope for cure

U.S. researchers have created beating heart cells in the lab with the same heart defect using skin cells taken from children with a rare heart defect. This means they can now test new drugs in human cells instead of mice.

13 Feb 2011

Virtual desktop technology integrated into autism programs

“We were fortunate to have the team at Touchstone's Family-Centered Autism Program evaluate Andrew, identify where he was on the autism spectrum, and reach him by building trust and providing a safe place to learn social skills.”

11 Feb 2011