Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Measles vaccination rates are a 'public health time bomb'

The number of measles cases is on the rise globally, with many countries seeing rates that surpass annual rates for the past century. Public health officials are calling it a 'time bomb'.

25 Apr 2019

Myelination deficits cause abnormal hypersocial behavior associated with Williams syndrome

A new Tel Aviv University study finds that gene deletion or deficiency in neurons is responsible for the abnormal hypersocial behavior associated with Williams syndrome, a rare disorder affecting 1 in 10,000 people around the world.

24 Apr 2019

Neuroscientists propose new theory about amyloid precursor protein connection in Alzheimer's

Worldwide, 50 million people are living with Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. According to the Alzheimer's Association, every 65 seconds someone in the United States develops this disease, which causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior.

23 Apr 2019

Scientists identify 104 high-risk genes for schizophrenia

Using a unique computational "framework" they developed, a team of scientist cyber-sleuths in the Vanderbilt University Department of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics and the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute has identified 104 high-risk genes for schizophrenia.

23 Apr 2019

MIT scientists reverse some behavioral symptoms of rare neurodevelopmental disorder

Williams Syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental disorder that affects about one in 10,000 babies born in the United States, produces a range of symptoms including cognitive impairments, cardiovascular problems, and extreme friendliness, or hypersociability.

22 Apr 2019

Disruptive behaviors in autistic children linked to reduced brain connectivity

More than a quarter of children with autism spectrum disorder are also diagnosed with disruptive behavior disorders.

19 Apr 2019

Study: Measles outbreaks may become more frequent if vaccination rates continue to decline

In 2000, measles was declared to be eliminated in the United States, when no sustained transmission of the virus was seen in this country for more than 12 months.

19 Apr 2019

Gut bacteria and pregnancy

Researchers from Bar-Ilan University have found that with pregnancy there is a change in the composition of gut bacteria in women. This could be associated with the changing hormonal status they speculate. The results of their study titled, “Progesterone Increases Bifidobacterium Relative Abundance during Late Pregnancy,” were published in the latest issue of the journal Cell Reports.

17 Apr 2019

Keto diet - for the military, aging and epilepsy

Ketogenic diet or keto diet has been in the news as a trending diet option for weight watchers and those who wish to lose those extra pounds.

17 Apr 2019

Study resolves sex differences in psychiatric illness risk

Male and female rats whose mother experienced a simulated viral infection during pregnancy display autism- and schizophrenia-like behaviors, according to a new follow-up study published in eNeuro.

From Society for Neuroscience 16 Apr 2019

Why have autism rates 'exploded' in New Jersey?

Researchers at Rutgers University have revealed that pre-schoolers in New Jersey have the highest rates of autism ever recorded in the US.

15 Apr 2019

Rare gut condition is more predictable from individual's genetic makeup, study finds

Hirschsprung disease - a rare condition where the failure of gut nerves to develop before birth leads to impaired bowel contractions that prevent infants from passing stool - is more predictable from an individual's genetic makeup than previously envisioned.

11 Apr 2019