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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Opinion /

Viewpoint

Expert opinions on trends and controversies in autism research.

Previous articles
March 2013

Test case

by ,  /  1 March 2013

A single case study suggests that deep brain stimulation may improve symptoms associated with autism, say Casey Halpern and Gregory Heuer.

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February 2013

Risk factors

by ,  /  26 February 2013

To focus the search for environmental risk factors in autism, we should look for chemicals that influence the molecular pathways associated with candidate risk genes, say Pamela Lein and Marianna Stamou.

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The 2003 paper proposing signaling imbalance in autism

by ,  /  26 February 2013

In 2003, John Rubenstein and Michael Merzenich first described the theory, now popular in autism, that the disorder reflects an imbalance between excitation and inhibition in the brain. Takao K. Hensch and Parizad M. Bilimoria review the paper and its impact on the field.

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Optimal outcome

by  /  15 February 2013

Some children classified as having autism outgrow their diagnosis, but it’s not yet clear why this group does better, says Cathy Lord.

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Flexible brain

by  /  8 February 2013

Transcranial magnetic stimulation may provide a noninvasive approach to studying how connections in the human brain change in response to new information, and how that process is altered in autism, says Lindsay Oberman.

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Adult onset

by  /  5 February 2013

A growing number of reports of adult-onset symptoms in Phelan-McDermid syndrome underline the need to follow people with the disorder throughout their lives, says Katy Phelan.

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Students in classroom in China.

China’s growing awareness of treatments for autism

by  /  5 February 2013

Helen McCabe’s analysis of autism interventions in China underscores the need to provide information on evidence-based treatments to parents and teachers.

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January 2013
A child plays hopscotch on a playground blacktop.

New normal

by  /  29 January 2013

New Jersey’s autism rates, which are consistently higher than those of other U.S. states, add weight to the possibility of a true increase in autism prevalence, says Walter Zahorodny.

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Why crowdsourcing is not just for Wikipedia

by ,  /  22 January 2013

Crowdsourcing allows volunteers to become citizen scientists, archivists and journalists. Ventures such as the Interactive Autism Network can harness their power to advance autism research, say Paul Law and Cheryl Cohen.

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Exploring enigmatic links between mitochondria and autism

by  /  8 January 2013

Mitochondrial deficits may account for the range of symptoms and neurological deficits seen in autism and explain why it preferentially affects boys, says Douglas Wallace.

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