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Spectrum: Autism Research News

News Archive

August 2008

New study casts doubt on autism mouse model

by  /  19 August 2008

Directly contradicting a report of a promising autism mouse model, mice carrying a mutation in the neuroligin-3 gene show no signs of the disorder, according to a study published in Autism Research.

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Grouping similar traits in autism uncovers new genetic culprits

by  /  11 August 2008

Sorting diverse autism cases into subgroups that share similar traits ― such as language delay or intelligence quotient (IQ) ― reveals two genomic regions associated with the disorder, researchers have found.

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Experts quibble over brain regions involved in emotion and empathy

by  /  6 August 2008

Emotional self-awareness and empathy, two related qualities that those with autism often lack, are associated with activity in the anterior insula, a region of the brain thought to regulate feelings, researchers have found.

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Pesticides and pet shampoos to blame for autism?

by  /  1 August 2008

In the past year, there have been numerous reports linking autism and exposure to, among other things, pesticides, power plants and pyrethrin-based pet shampoos.

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July 2008

Experts slam NIH study on chelation therapy

by  /  28 July 2008

Researchers and bioethicists are reacting with anger to reports of a US National Institutes of Health study, intended to investigate the controversial chelation treatment for children with autism.

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Ready or not, here come genetic tests for autism

by  /  23 July 2008

Late in June, an announcement appeared on the website of GeneDx, a genetic testing company based in Gaithersburg, Maryland. It was highlighted in red with a single word: “new”.

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Signs of autism-like traits seen in ‘aloof’ parents

by  /  17 July 2008

Parents of some children with autism rely on othersʼ mouths rather than eyes to read emotions, just as individuals with autism do, according to a study published today in Current Biology.

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Autism, some say, is all in the gut

by  /  15 July 2008

Many cases of autism originate not in the brain, but in the gut, according to a few controversial studies published in the past year.

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Middle Eastern families yield new genetic clues to autism

by  /  10 July 2008

Autism may interfere with the brainʼs ability to adapt to experience early in development, according to a study published today in Science that uncovers several new risk genes for the disorder.

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Face processing network weaker in autism, scientists say

by  /  7 July 2008

People with autism display atypical patterns of brain activity while viewing faces: thatʼs the conclusion from a study that used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to assess what happens in the brain when people see faces.

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