A treatment that targets the genetic defect in tuberous sclerosis prevents autism-like symptoms in mice at 6 weeks of age — the mouse equivalent of adolescence. Researchers presented the unpublished results yesterday at the 2014 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Three distinct behavioral profiles in siblings of children with autism at 18 months predict autism diagnosis at age 3. The findings, published 2 October, point to multiple developmental pathways to the disorder.
Hundreds of genes are linked to autism, but most have not been clearly characterized. ADNP is one of a small group of genes that, when mutated, seem to lead to autism in a substantial proportion of cases.
A new interaction-based therapy delivered by parents may improve behavior and language skills in infants with autism symptoms, suggests a small pilot study.
Neurologist Lawrence Reiter is growing neurons from the discarded teeth of children with neurological syndromes. Here he describes how dental pulp may help researchers find the genes and pathways that underlie autism symptoms.
Rett syndrome, a neurological disorder that shares some features with autism, can be severe and debilitating. But some people with the disorder can regain social skills years after diagnosis.
Drugs designed to treat Angelman syndrome may alleviate symptoms only if given during a ‘critical period’ early in development. That’s the upshot from unpublished results presented yesterday at a conference in Boston.
The language abilities of children with autism vary widely in early childhood, but become more predictable after age 6, reports a 17-year study.
Children who have both the rare genetic disorder tuberous sclerosis complex and autism show a gradual drop in nonverbal intelligence between 1 and 3 years of age, according to research published 11 June in Neurology.
CHD8, a gene that regulates the structure of DNA, is the closest thing so far to an ‘autism gene,’ suggests a study published today in Cell. People with mutations in this gene all have the same cluster of symptoms, including autism.