Spectrum: Autism Research News

Research roundup

• Prenatal folic acid supplements may lower autism risk, according to a recent review. Acta Pediatrica
• Obesity in pregnant mice is tied to immune activation in the fetal brain, especially in male fetuses. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience
• Stimulating a brain region above the eyes with electrodes appears to ease depression. Current Biology
• Although 4-year-old children with autism have lower receptive vocabulary scores than their typical peers, these scores improve as fast as those of typical children over the next several years. Autism
• Women with depression have an increased risk of having a child with autism, regardless of whether they take antidepressants during pregnancy, a new study suggests. Clinical Epidemiology
• Smoking during pregnancy does not appear to cause autism. Translational Psychiatry
• Autistic children are particularly vulnerable to being bullied in school, according to a French study. Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Mental Health
• Autistic children often face barriers to accessing healthcare. Autism
• Girls with autism have a narrower range of restricted interests than autistic boys do, and their interests have a more socially oriented focus — such as people or animals. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders
• Adults on the spectrum, who are at a higher-than-average risk of mental-health problems and self-injury, need more treatment and support that is tailored to their needs. Autism

Science and society

• Harvard University scientists are planning to start gene-editing sperm for in vitro fertilization amid controversy over claims of CRISPR babies born in China. MIT Technology Review
• A new tool kit may help crisis-center workers better communicate with autistic people who call or text a helpline for support. American Association of Suicidology
• Advance directives allow people with mental-health issues to legally specify the kind of treatment they want before they become too sick to voice their preferences. The New York Times
• Techniques that make opaque tissues crystal-clear are enabling scientists to study intact samples and better understand cellular connections, gene expression and protein functions. Nature
• A number of airlines are refusing to transport laboratory animals, according to a complaint filed by the National Association for Biomedical Research. Bloomberg
• Scientists and various other ‘thinkers’ name climate change and artificial intelligence as among their top fears for the future. Motherboard
• For the first time, a baby has been born to a woman who received a uterus transplanted from a deceased woman, demonstrating that the procedure is a viable option. The New York Times
• Two brothers on the spectrum run a comic-book shop in England that includes spaces free of sensory stimulation and offers employment opportunities for people with autism. BBC
• Data from a landmark study on adolescent brain development, tracking nearly 12,000 children aged 9 to 10, will be made available to researchers for further analysis. National Institutes of Health

Publishing

• A ‘transparent’ peer-review process does not harm manuscript turnaround times or affect the chances that a peer-reviewed study is published. Genome Biology