Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

News Archive

October 2012

Autism Speaks launches scheme to develop drugs, devices

by  /  25 October 2012

The research and advocacy organization Autism Speaks plans to launch a nonprofit arm that will fund companies to develop treatments for the disorder, Robert Ring, head of translational research for the organization, announced yesterday at the Autism Consortium Research Symposium in Boston.

Comments

New rules allow joint diagnosis of autism, attention deficit

by  /  25 October 2012

About 30 percent of children with autism have symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, but under current diagnostic guidelines they can only be diagnosed with one or the other. That’s about to change.

Comments

Clinical research: Temperament marks infants with autism

by  /  24 October 2012

Babies later diagnosed with autism tend to have a heightened response to sights and sounds in their first year of life, and smile and cuddle less as toddlers than controls do, according to a paper published 24 August in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

Comments

Molecular mechanisms: Immune molecule boosts brain size

by  /  23 October 2012

Mice with elevated levels of the immune molecule interleukin-6 have abnormally large brains, according to a study published 23 August in the International Journal of Neuroscience.

Comments

Newborn blood may reveal early immune signs of autism

by  /  22 October 2012

Children diagnosed with autism tend to have low blood levels of several immune molecules at birth, according to an epidemiological study published in August in the Journal of Immunology.

Comments

Robotic tool profiles patterns of neurons

by  /  19 October 2012

Researchers have launched a $4.3 million five-year collaborative effort to profile thousands of types of neurons in the brain, detailing their shape, signaling patterns and gene expression. The project was presented in a poster session Tuesday at the 2012 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

Comments

Movement patterns may distinguish autism subgroups

by  /  19 October 2012

Analysis of the movement patterns of people with autism suggests a new approach to classifying the disorder, as well as opportunities for individualized treatment, according to research presented at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

Comments

Fragile X syndrome can be treated in adulthood

by  /  19 October 2012

Activating the expression of FMR1, the gene mutated in fragile X syndrome, in adult mice reverses symptoms of the syndrome, according to a poster presented Monday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

Comments

Cognition and behavior: Mind blindness in autism syndromes

by  /  19 October 2012

Trouble with theory of mind, or the ability to infer what other people think or believe, is one of the most well-known deficits in autism. Two new studies show that theory of mind is also lacking in people with autism-related syndromes.

Comments

Cognitive test highlights flexibility deficits in autism

by  /  19 October 2012

A new cognitive test demonstrates the difficulties people with autism have with flexible thinking, according to a poster presented Wednesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in New Orleans.

Comments