Using Worms to Treat Disease
A father’s determination to help his son resulted in an experimental treatment for autism that uses roundworms to modulate inflammatory immune responses. The worms might also be helpful for treating...
View ArticleAltered patterns of gene expression offer new clues in autism.
Dr. Dan Geschwind, director of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and his team recently measured levels of gene expression — which...
View ArticleA Dearth of New Medications for Neuropsychiatric Disease on the Horizon
Neuropsychiatric diseases like schizophrenia, depression, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and more cost billions per year and account for 13% of the global burden of disease (a measure of...
View ArticleNew Definition of Autism Will Exclude Many
By BENEDICT CAREY Proposed changes in the definition of autism would sharply reduce the skyrocketing rate at which the disorder is diagnosed and might make it harder for many people who would no...
View ArticleAutism may be linked to obesity during pregnancy
Obesity during pregnancy may increase chances for having a child with autism, provocative new research suggests. It’s among the first studies linking the two, and though it doesn’t prove obesity...
View ArticleFreezer malfunction at Harvard destroys crucial supply of brains being used...
A freezer malfunctioned at a Harvard-affiliated hospital that oversees the world’s largest collection of autistic brain samples, damaging a third of the scientifically precious specimens and casting...
View ArticleEffforts to Combat Diss Information
False information is pervasive and difficult to eradicate, but scientists are developing new strategies such as “de-biasing,” a method that focuses on facts, to help spread the truth. ByCarrie Arnold...
View ArticleEarly therapy can change brains of kids with autism
As the number of children with autism has risen dramatically over the past couple of decades, experts have learned that the earlier a child gets diagnosed, the earlier specialized therapy can...
View ArticleDiuretic Drug Offers Latest Hope for Autism Treatment
A drug used for decades to treat high blood pressure and other conditions has shown promise in a small clinical trial for autism. The drug, bumetanide, reduced the overall severity of behavioral...
View ArticleLargest psychiatric genetic study in history shows a common genetic basis...
Structure of the CACNA1C gene product, a calcium channel named Cav1.2, which is one of 4 genes that has now been found to be genetically held in common amongst schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, autism,...
View ArticleNew Study Ties Autism Risk to Creases in Placenta
After most pregnancies, the placenta is thrown out, having done its job of nourishing and supporting the developing baby. But a new study raises the possibility that analyzing the placenta after birth...
View ArticleNew theory on why some people may be better than others at getting inside...
Humans have an impressive ability to take on other viewpoints – it’s crucial for a social species like ours. So why are some of us better at it than others? Picture two friends, Sally and Anne, having...
View Article7.5% of American schoolchildren take prescription psychiatric medications
The National Center for Health Statistics has found that 7.5 percent of American schoolchildren between the ages of six and 17 had been prescribed and taking pills for emotional or behavioral...
View ArticleCentury-old drug reverses signs of autism in mice
By Elizabeth Norton A single dose of a century-old drug has eliminated autism symptoms in adult mice with an experimental form of the disorder. Originally developed to treat African sleeping sickness,...
View ArticleCan a smell test be used to diagnose early autism?
An image depicting the measurement of nasal airflow while a child is presented with pleasant and unpleasant odors. Throughout the 10-minute study the children were seated comfortably in front of a...
View ArticleNew research finds that evidence of autism shows up in the brain’s blood vessels
by BEC CREW Evidence of autism can be identified in the composition of blood vessels in the brain, and certain defects or malfunctions in these vessels could serve as a new basis for detection,...
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