Autism News and Research

Latest Autism News and Research

Researchers discover shared genetic basis for psychiatric disorders

A new study conducted by Spanish researchers has shown that psychiatric disorders, but not non-psychiatric neurological disorders have a shared genetic basis.

22 Jun 2018

Researchers outline a connection between subplate neurons and brain disorders

The disappearance of an entire brain region should be cause for concern. Yet, for decades scientists have calmly maintained that one brain area, the subplate, simply vanishes during the course of human development.

22 Jun 2018

Massive analysis of genomes reveals insights into genetic overlap among psychiatric diseases

A massive undertaking by the Brainstorm Consortium to analyze the genomes of nearly 900,000 people has revealed important insights into the genetic overlap among some psychiatric diseases, as well as among personality traits.

21 Jun 2018

Multidisciplinary Human-Focused Research

The work that we're doing in particular involves the development of better models of the human body. To do that, we need to put together cells, tissues, culture them in an artificial environment so that they feel as if they're inside the human body.

From Logos Biosystems 20 Jun 2018

Autistic teens who are bullied have higher rates of depression

Teenagers with difficulties in social communication, including autism have higher rates of depressive symptoms, especially if they are being bullied.

19 Jun 2018

Follow-up study confirms success of physiological test for autism

One year after researchers published their work on a physiological test for autism, a follow-up study confirms its exceptional success in assessing whether a child is on the autism spectrum.

19 Jun 2018

Researchers understand the role of brain's ‘reward circuit’ in autism spectrum disorder

A pair of recent studies performed by researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania represents a significant step forward in understanding the role of the brain's "reward circuit" and certain hallmarks of autism spectrum disorder, namely difficulty interpreting or engaging in typical social behavior and restricted or repetitive interests or behaviors.

19 Jun 2018

Study finds more information about how gene linked to ASD affects the brain

New preclinical research shows a gene already linked to a subset of people with autism spectrum disorder is critical to healthy neuronal connections in the developing brain, and its loss can harm those connections to help fuel the complex developmental condition.

18 Jun 2018

Zika Virus: What Does the Future Hold?

Following the Zika virus epidemic that swept across Brazil between 2015-2016, Dr. Julia Clarke and her team begun working to establish the long-term effects of Zika, and recently discovered that TNF-a inhibitors can be used to prevent microencephaly.

18 Jun 2018

Study: Antipsychotic treatment increases body fat and decreases insulin sensitivity in youth

The prevalence of childhood obesity has more than tripled from 1971 to 2011 and is now at epidemic proportions, contributing to rising rates of type 2 diabetes in youths.

14 Jun 2018

Study provides evidence of link between autism and homelessness

The first peer-reviewed study into autism and homelessness has been published, in the journal Autism.

13 Jun 2018

Special issue focuses on how endocrine-disrupting chemicals influence behavior

Rutgers School of Public Health Professor Dr. Emily Barrett, PhD, and North Carolina State University Professor Dr. Heather Patisaul, PhD, have guest edited a special issue of the journal Hormones and Behavior.

13 Jun 2018

Unlicensed young adults with ASD may have more difficulty in developing basic driving skills

When first learning to drive, young adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have more difficulty with basic driving skills compared to those with typical development (TD), reports a study in the Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

12 Jun 2018

Our brains perceive wrinkles around the eyes as more sincere emotions, shows research

Researchers at Western University have shown that our brains are pre-wired to perceive wrinkles around the eyes as conveying more intense and more sincere emotions.

12 Jun 2018

New autism screening app appears to be caregiver-friendly and reliable

A study of an iPhone app used to screen young children for signs of autism shows that the app is a novel, easy to use, and scalable method for collecting high-quality and scientifically valid data, according to a new study published June 1 in the journal npj Digital Medicine.

1 Jun 2018

Researchers discover three genes that may have contributed to evolution of large human brain

Three genes involved in nerve cell generation in the brain emerged roughly 3.5 million years ago and may have contributed to the rapid evolution of the large human brain, Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Investigator David Haussler and colleagues report on May 31, 2018, in the journal Cell.

1 Jun 2018

Zinc and copper metabolism in baby teeth may help predict ASD risk

Using evidence found in baby teeth, researchers from the Department of Environmental Medicine and Public Health at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai report that cycles involved in zinc and copper metabolism are dysregulated in autism spectrum disorder, and can be used to predict who will later develop the disease.

30 May 2018

Early-life seizures prematurely switch on key brain synapses related to autism

Early-life seizures prematurely switch on key synapses in the brain that may contribute to further neurodevelopmental delay in children with autism and other intellectual disabilities, suggests a new study from researchers at Penn Medicine published online in Cell Reports.

29 May 2018

Research shines spotlight on placenta's critical role in genetic risk for schizophrenia

Hiding in plain sight, new research shines a spotlight on the placenta's critical role in nature versus nurture debate and how it confers risk for schizophrenia and likely other neurodevelopmental disorders including ADHD, autism, and Tourette syndrome.

28 May 2018

Researchers call for new genetic tests for congenital diseases

Researchers have discovered that genetic mutations called epivariations are the cause of certain neurodevelopmental disorders and congenital diseases.

25 May 2018