Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Blood pressure drug helps delay ischemic brain damage in stroke patients

A drug used to lower blood pressure can help stop or delay the progress of further ischemic brain lesions in stroke patients according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 56th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., April 24 – May 1, 2004.

27 Apr 2004

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease

One variant of the apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene may increase the risk of Parkinson’s disease, according to an analysis of research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 56th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., April 24 – May 1, 2004.

27 Apr 2004

Improvement of Parkinson’s disease symptoms when neurorestorative molecule pumped to the center of the brain

A recent study has shown clinical improvement of Parkinson’s disease symptoms after long-term infusion of a neurorestorative molecule, pumped directly to the center of the brain. The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 56th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., April 24 – May 1, 2004.

27 Apr 2004

Researchers show that language “center” of brain shifts with age

Along with left- or right-handedness, the hemisphere of the brain where language capacity resides is likely predetermined. Researchers have now shown that with age, language capacity in the brain becomes more evenly distributed between hemispheres.

27 Apr 2004

The muscle supplement creatine is safe, but not effective, in pediatric neuromuscular disease

The muscle supplement creatine can be safely taken by children with neuromuscular diseases, but does not improve strength or muscle mass, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 56th Annual Meeting in San Francisco, Calif., April 24 – May 1, 2004.

27 Apr 2004

Women who have migraines with aura have a more than 50 percent increased risk of total stroke and 70 percent increase of ischemic stroke

Women who have migraines with aura have a more than 50 percent increased risk of total stroke and 70 percent increase of ischemic stroke compared to those without migraines, according to research that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology 56th Annual Meeting

27 Apr 2004

Parkinson’s disease drug Pergolide effective in treating restless legs syndrome

Pergolide, a drug commonly used to treat Parkinson’s disease symptoms, has recently been shown to be effective in treating restless legs syndrome. Researchers from seven countries collaborated on the study, published in the April 27 issue of Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

26 Apr 2004

Alzheimer’s drug has been shown to improve memory and cognition in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients

A drug widely used for treating dementia in Alzheimer’s patients has been shown to improve memory and cognition in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients who are mild to moderately cognitively impaired.

26 Apr 2004

Autism Associations shows CDC and FDA to be negligent

National Autism Association announced Tuesday that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and some pharmaceutical companies have become a target for investigation.

14 Apr 2004

Autism gene discovered

Researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine are first to strongly link a specific gene with autism. While earlier studies have found rare genetic mutations in single families, a study published in the April issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry is the first to identify a gene that increases susceptibility to autism in a broad population.

14 Apr 2004

MIT scientists are reporting new insights into how the human brain recognizes objects

MIT scientists are reporting new insights into how the human brain recognizes objects, especially faces, in work that could lead to improved machine vision systems, diagnostics for certain neurological conditions and more.

4 Apr 2004

Scientists find parallels between human speech and bird song which gives clues to human speech disorders.

The research by a team led by Stephanie White, UCLA assistant professor of physiological science, supports the theory that two genes shared by humans and songbirds, FoxP1 and FoxP2, may play a critical role in human speech, and speech disorders. The study is published March 31 in the Journal of Neuroscience.

30 Mar 2004

New Australian Research into Autism and Asperger's Disorder

Researchers at Sydney University are recruiting volunteers for an investigation that will help improve our understanding of young people with High Functioning Autism and Asperger's Disorder.

23 Mar 2004