Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Researchers uncover novel pathogenic mechanism in Huntington’s disease

Researchers from the Institute of Neurosciences of the University of Barcelona and the August Pi i Sunyer Biomedical Research Institute described a mechanism, the increase of proteinaceous synthesis, which takes part in the degeneration of the type of neurons that are affected in Huntington's disease, a genetic neurodegenerative disease.

20 Nov 2019

Six ways physicians can help optimize reproductive health in women with epilepsy

Worldwide, more than 15 million women of childbearing age have epilepsy. Each year about 600,000 of them become pregnant.

20 Nov 2019

Study finds major gaps in services and continued care for children with autism

New research at Case Western Reserve University found big gaps in services and continued care for children with autism - and their families - as they transition from adolescence to adulthood.

20 Nov 2019

New brain research by UTHealth student was showcased at Neuroscience 2019

Brain research by a student in a laboratory at McGovern Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) was singled out for special attention at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) annual meeting in Chicago Oct. 19-23.

20 Nov 2019

Oral vaccination with cholera toxin helps counteract age-associated obesity

Here the research team tested a safe and well-established microbe-based immune adjuvant to restore immune homeostasis and counteract inflammation-associated obesity in animal models.

19 Nov 2019

MU researchers describe Down syndrome-associated catatonia

Down syndrome, due to an extra chromosome 21, occurs in 250,000 children and adults in the United States, making it the country's most common chromosomal disorder. Inherited heart defects, thyroid cancer, celiac disease and developmental disabilities are common Down syndrome complications.

19 Nov 2019

Study of 'face blindness' provides clues to what goes wrong in the brain

People with prosopagnosia, or "face blindness," have trouble recognizing faces -- even those of close friends and family members.

19 Nov 2019

New INSAR grant aims to improve interactions between autistic individuals and justice system

Although the last two decades have seen an increase in awareness and the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder, policy and practice to meet the needs of this group have not consistently kept pace. To combat part of this problem, the International Society for Autism Research has awarded a competitive grant to local leaders who are working to improve interactions between autistic individuals and the justice system.

14 Nov 2019

The arts could benefit health finds landmark WHO report

The World Health Organization (WHO) has published a Health Evidence Synthesis report this week that has gathered evidence from a wide range of studies showing arts being beneficial to health. The WHO report suggests that all forms of art including visual arts, performing arts, literature etc. could be helpful in providing support in treatment and prevention of non-communicable diseases, neurological conditions and mental illnesses.

13 Nov 2019

Early screen exposure associated with elevated sleep disruption, EBD in children with NDDs

Digital media have become an integral part of lifestyles in recent years, and the ubiquity of digital devices coupled with poor screen use habits can have a detrimental effect on the developmental and psychosocial well-being of children.

13 Nov 2019

Resistant schizophrenia associated with low IQ and family history

According to a new study published on November 12, 2019, in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, individuals with schizophrenia resistant to treatment are more likely to have a family history and a lower IQ compared to other schizophrenic patients. This finding could help design more effective therapies for this subgroup of patients, as for instance, drugs that improve mental processes.

12 Nov 2019

Findings could lead to potential new therapies for tumor-causing disorder

University of Cincinnati researchers have found additional ways to target the molecular processes involved in activating a certain protein complex to potentially develop new therapies for a tumor-causing disorder.

11 Nov 2019

Researchers determine ways to assess social communication difficulties in children with TBI

Kessler Foundation researchers conducted a pilot study to determine ways to assess social communication difficulties in children with impaired social functioning caused by moderate-to-severe traumatic brain injury.

8 Nov 2019

Early sound exposure can help treat hypersensitivity to noise associated with FXS

A research team at the University of California, Riverside, has found exposure to sound -- not sound reduction -- during early development of mice engineered to have Fragile X Syndrome, or FXS, restores molecular, cellular, and functional properties in the auditory cortex, the area of the brain that processes sounds.

6 Nov 2019

Health impact of Daylight Saving Time

Every year people make a change in their daily timetables to make use of what is called “Daylight Saving Time” (DST), and then transition back again to their earlier time clocks. However, new research published in JAMA Neurology shows that this yearly change about may affect health over the long term. The researchers strongly call for stopping this practice, which has no economic benefit, and may have severe and chronic negative health impacts.

5 Nov 2019

IBR receives $1.95 million NIH grant for research on rare diseases

The New York State Office for People With Developmental Disabilities' Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities has received a $1.95 million grant, for a five-year period, from the National Institute of Health's National Institute of General Medical Sciences to support IBR physician-scientist Gholson Lyon, MD, PhD, in his research on rare diseases.

5 Nov 2019

Ocean Medical Center receives major grant to support children with multiple health issues

Hackensack Meridian Health Ocean Medical Center Foundation has been awarded a Major Grant in the amount of $10,000 from The Provident Bank Foundation to help improve the care and support provided to children and young adults with autism.

5 Nov 2019

Genes linked to autism spectrum disorder may play role in eye movements

Researchers studying zebrafish have found that genes linked to autism spectrum disorder and other developmental brain abnormalities may be playing a role in people who cannot control their eye movements.

4 Nov 2019

Study shows how stories in memory perpetuate the continued influence of misinformation

In today's fast-paced digital age, information can become outdated rapidly and people must constantly update their memories. But changing our previous understanding of the news we hear or the products we use isn't always easy, even when holding onto falsities can have serious consequences.

4 Nov 2019

Study uncovers cause for spatial-memory deficits in people with Down syndrome

Professor Juan Lerma's group, from the UMH-CSIC Institute of Neurosciences, in Alicante, has identified the gene called GRIK1, fundamental in the balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain, as one of the causes for people with Down syndrome having spatial orientation problems.

1 Nov 2019