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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: biomarkers

July 2013
A close-up photograph of an infant’s right ear.

Controversial study uncovers hearing glitch in autism

by  /  29 July 2013

An ear muscle is more sensitive to loud sounds in children with autism than in controls, according to a study published 3 July in Autism Research. The researchers say this measure could serve as a clinical biomarker of the disorder, but others fiercely disagree.

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Excess brain fluid in infants may be early sign of autism

by  /  18 July 2013

Infants who go on to develop autism have excess fluid between the top of the brain and the skull that persists from about 6 months to 2 years of age, according to a study published 9 July in Brain.

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Is it time to rethink head size?

by  /  1 July 2013

A new analysis challenges the long-reported correlation between autism and abnormally large head circumference, begging the question: Should head size matter?

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June 2013

Study questions large head size in autism

by  /  20 June 2013

Two new studies raise questions about one of the most frequently reported biological signatures of autism: a larger-than-normal head.

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Registered reports

by  /  14 June 2013

The more researchers poke around, the more likely they are to find a significant effect — and the more likely that the effect they end up reporting is just a fluke. A new kind of journal article, the ‘registered report,’ may address this problem, says Jon Brock.

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Cognition and behavior: Autism traits predict connectivity

by  /  14 June 2013

People who show strong autism traits tend to have weak connections between an area of the brain involved in introspection and social memories and other brain regions, according to a study published 5 April in PLoS One.

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Illustration of a fetus in utero.

Clinical research: Placenta’s structure signals autism risk

by  /  7 June 2013

Abnormal cells in the placenta, usually discarded at birth, may be early indicators of autism, suggests a study published 22 April in Biological Psychiatry.

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May 2013

Fast-fail pipeline

by  /  24 May 2013

A $9 million grant to the University of California, Los Angeles aims to drive clinical trials for autism that would quickly rule out ineffective compounds.

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Immature blood vessels may confound baby brain images

by  /  23 May 2013

A new rat study suggests that baby brain scans should be interpreted with caution. Unlike scans of adult brains, the study says, baby brain scans may show changes in blood flow that do not necessarily reflect the activity of neurons in the region.

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Blood test for autism?

by  /  10 May 2013

In April, Massachusetts-based diagnostics company SynapDx launched a large-scale study of its blood test for autism, which analyzes expression of a panel of genes.

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