Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Researchers explore stem cells for answers to how fragile X syndrome develops

The lab of Yongchao Ma, PhD, from Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, discovered how the genetic defect in fragile X syndrome – a type of autism – delays production of neurons (nerve cells) at a critical time in the embryo's brain development.

24 Jul 2019

Scholars comment on new paper that challenges widely held ideas about autism

A new paper that challenges widely held ideas about autism has attracted comments from more than 30 scholars across the disciplines of psychology, anthropology, education, and neuroscience.

24 Jul 2019

Brain protein mutation from an autistic person alters behavior in mice

A de novo gene mutation that encodes a brain protein in a child with autism has been placed into the brains of mice.

24 Jul 2019

Gene mutation in the brain of autism patients alters behaviors in mice

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has a wide range of possible causes, including genetics and environmental factors. Now, a new study suggests that a brain protein mutation may shed light on the mechanism of neurological and developmental illness.

23 Jul 2019

Exosomes can restore health to brain cells affected by developmental disease

Like overpacked suitcases unloaded from the underbelly of a jet, molecular satchels called exosomes are continuously deployed from all cells in the body—each one brimming with an assortment of contents that another cell may unpack and use.

23 Jul 2019

Study provides 'strongest evidence' yet for autism being a genetic condition

A new study has found that approximately 80 percent of a person’s risk of developing autism stems from inherited genetic factors.

22 Jul 2019

Study finds how best to grow gut microbes to improve human health

A young scientist at the University of Virginia School of Medicine has received a prestigious grant to determine how best to grow gut microbes to fight disease and improve human health.

22 Jul 2019

Transgender and non-binary individuals more likely to display autistic traits, study finds

New research indicates that transgender and non-binary individuals are significantly more likely to have autism or display autistic traits than the wider population - a finding that has important implications for gender confirmation treatments.

16 Jul 2019

Researchers develop new technique to accurately detect ASD in children

Researchers have developed a new technique to help doctors more quickly and accurately detect autism spectrum disorder in children.

9 Jul 2019

Study reveals first complete wiring diagram of an animal's nervous system

In a study published online today in Nature, researchers at Albert Einstein College of Medicine describe the first complete wiring diagram of the nervous system of an animal, the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans, used by scientists worldwide as a model organism.

4 Jul 2019

Problem behaviors may provide clues on gastrointestinal issues in children with autism

For years, researchers have documented both gastrointestinal issues and problematic behaviors, such as aggression, in many children with autism spectrum disorder.

28 Jun 2019

Uncovering how tics are suppressed may provide insight to help people at risk for tic disorders

At least 20 percent of elementary school-age children develop tics such as excessive blinking, throat clearing or sniffing, but for most of those kids, the tics don't become a long-term problem.

27 Jun 2019

Social robots can lead to more positive emotions in sick children, study shows

A new study demonstrates, for the first time, that "social robots" used in support sessions held in pediatric units at hospitals can lead to more positive emotions in sick children.

26 Jun 2019

New study may explain distinct speech processing functions of left and right brain

In the 1860s, French physician Paul Broca published his findings that the brain's speech production center was located in the left hemisphere

25 Jun 2019

Immature mood neurons develop during adolescence

Researchers have discovered a mysterious group of neurons in the amygdala -- a key center for emotional processing in the brain -- that stay in an immature, prenatal developmental state throughout childhood.

24 Jun 2019

Study proves that brains of pairs of animals synchronize during social situations

UCLA researchers have published a Cell study showing that the brains of pairs of animals synchronize during social situations.

24 Jun 2019

Study offers new clues to autism's underlying biology

Over the past decade, autism spectrum disorder has been linked to mutations in a variety of genes, explaining up to 30 percent of all cases to date.

21 Jun 2019

New swine model helps scientists to better understand human brain

For the first time, researchers in the University of Georgia's Regenerative Bioscience Center have used an imaging method normally reserved for humans to analyze brain activity in live agricultural swine models, and they have discovered that pig brains are even better platforms than previously thought for the study of human neurological conditions such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

21 Jun 2019

High levels of acid in processed foods could affect fetus' developing brain

With the number of children diagnosed with autism on the rise, the need to find what causes the disorder becomes more urgent every day. UCF researchers are now a step closer to showing the link between the food pregnant women consume and the effects on a fetus' developing brain.

20 Jun 2019

Eyes hold clues to effective treatment of severe autism, study shows

Vocabulary tests for individuals with the severest forms of autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, are notoriously inaccurate. They commonly ask the test-taker to point to an illustration after hearing a spoken word, measuring the ability to understand and perform a task as much as word knowledge.

20 Jun 2019