News Archive
Mice reveal how top autism gene may disrupt brain structure
Mutations in an autism gene called ANK2 may alter brain wiring by causing the growth of excess neuronal connections.
Studies of autism treatments lack standard yardsticks
Clinical trials of autism treatments rarely use a consistent set of tools to measure efficacy, a new study suggests1.
Analysis finds no evidence for popular autism communication method
A comprehensive review has found no scientific basis for a controversial technique that supposedly helps autistic people communicate.
Sensory overload in autism may stem from hypervigilant brain
The brains of some autistic children do not adapt to repeated touch or sound, even after several minutes, according to a new study.
Majority of autism risk resides in genes, multinational study suggests
About 81 percent of autism risk comes from inherited genetic factors, according to an analysis of more than 2 million children from five countries, published today in JAMA Psychiatry.
Medical conditions may mark distinct autism subtypes
Young autistic children fall into three groups based on the number and type of co-occurring conditions they have, according to a study of more than 3,000 autistic children.
Autism mutation may disrupt brain structure by disabling mitochondria
Mice that lack a segment of chromosome 22 — a mutation associated with autism — have unusually sparse connections between brain regions, according to a new study.
Monkeys with autism mutation show condition’s key traits
Researchers have engineered two generations of monkeys with mutations in SHANK3, a top autism gene.
Communication in brain shows sex difference in autism
Autistic women show unusually strong connections, and autistic men unusually weak ones, between two specific brain regions, according to a new study.
Classification system based on co-occurring conditions may provide insight into autism
Creating a classification system for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) based on co-occurring conditions could provide useful insights into the underlying mechanics of ASD and these conditions.
Research confirms gut-brain connection in autism
Up to 90 percent of people with autism suffer from gut problems, but nobody has known why.
Nerves that control heart rate may be offbeat in autistic adults
Adults with autism have a resting heartbeat that rarely varies in frequency, a tendency that may explain some aspects of the condition, a new study suggests.
Autism diagnosis may be possible as early as age 14 months
Clinicians can reliably diagnose autism in some toddlers roughly two years earlier than the typical age of diagnosis, a new study suggests.
Sex bias in autism virtually absent among those with epilepsy
There are roughly as many autistic boys who have epilepsy as there are girls, according to a new meta-analysis.
Inflammation may wield sex-specific effects on developing brain
Exposure to inflammation in the womb affects the brain and behavior of males and females differently, two new studies suggest.