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Autism spectrum disorders news

Autism spectrum disorders

Scientists grow mini brains to uncover cells behind autism-related brain overgrowth

A new study in the lab of Jason Stein, Ph.D., modeled brain development in a dish to identify cells and genes that influence infant brain growth, a trait associated with autism.

Neuroscience

Molecular difference in autistic brains may explain signaling imbalance

Yale School of Medicine (YSM) scientists have discovered a molecular difference in the brains of autistic people compared to their neurotypical counterparts.

Autism spectrum disorders

AI-assisted device may improve autism care access

Access to autism evaluations through specialty health care is notorious for long wait times across the United States. In Missouri, many families wait nearly a year for a diagnostic appointment. AI might be a solution to cutting ...

Neuroscience

Protein abnormality illuminates communication struggles in autism

A DGIST research team identified that the mutation of the collybistin protein found in autistic patients weakens the brain's inhibitory synaptic function and leads to communication deficiencies. The results of this research ...

Neuroscience

Study maps brain wiring differences in youth with autism

Researchers at the Mark and Mary Stevens Neuroimaging and Informatics Institute (Stevens INI) at the Keck School of Medicine of USC have uncovered new insights into how brain wiring differs in children and young adults with ...

Autism spectrum disorders

What to know about the CDC's baseless new guidance on autism

The rewriting of a page on the CDC's website to assert the false claim that vaccines may cause autism sparked a torrent of anger and anguish from doctors, scientists, and parents who say Health and Human Services Secretary ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Vaccines 'don't cause autism': How scientists figured that out

In the late 1990s, a theory gripped parents around the world: What if childhood vaccines—particularly the combined measles-mumps-rubella vaccine—cause autism? Nearly three decades later, the debunked theory has gained ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Discussing autism diagnosis with kids

With better awareness and acceptance, approximately one out of every 50 children is receiving an autism diagnosis. More and more families are deciding when to share this information with their child. Some parents worry that ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Dodginess detection and crime in adults with autism

Difficulty in recognizing dodgy behavior or not being able to predict someone has bad intentions has often been argued as the reason people with autism can become unwittingly ensnared in crimes.

Medical research

Neonicotinoid causes ASD-like symptoms in chicks, finds study

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of disabilities due to atypical brain development. Individuals with ASD have difficulties in social communication and interaction. Diverse causes of ASD are hypothesized, but ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Elon Musk: How being autistic may make him think differently

The business magnate and new owner of Twitter Elon Musk revealed a while ago that he is autistic. Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, is autistic. Musk, a fellow of the prestigious Royal Society and Time's 2021 Person ...

Neuroscience

The hunt for disrupted brain signals behind autism

Part of understanding the underlying causes of autism spectrum disorder relies on figuring out which cells' signaling patterns in the brain are disrupted, and when during nervous system development the disruption occurs.

Autism spectrum disorders

Why eye contact is rare among people with autism

A hallmark of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, is the reluctance to make eye contact with others in natural conditions. Although eye contact is a critically important part of everyday interactions, scientists have been limited ...

Neuroscience

Genetic variation and the diverse range of behaviors in autism

Research in humans and animal models points to potential biological and genetic mechanisms contributing to the diversity of behaviors seen in autism. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2022, the annual meeting of ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Autistic women have increased risk of mental illness, study shows

Autistic young men and women are more affected by psychiatric conditions and have an increased risk of hospitalization as a result of their mental illness compared with non-autistic people. Autistic women are particularly ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Yes, people with autism have empathy

A research group led by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has proposed a new concept for predicting autism and autistic traits. "Empathic disequilibrium" combines two types of empathy into a single scale for the first time.