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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: environment

February 2014
Photo of a middle-aged Caucasian father holding a newborn baby.

Studies diverge on role of mother’s age in autism risk

by  /  6 February 2014

Two large Scandinavian studies confirm the long-standing theory that older men have a higher risk of fathering children with autism, but they disagree on how a mother’s age drives risk of the disorder.

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Gut bacteria’s influence on brain development

by ,  /  4 February 2014

Researchers should consider the influence of gut bacteria on brain function, especially when studying neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, say John Cryan and Roman Stilling.

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December 2013

Study challenges link between antidepressants, autism

by  /  16 December 2013

Taking antidepressants while pregnant doesn’t boost the risk of autism in the child, according to the largest study yet to search for a link, published 15 November in Clinical Epidemiology. However, the subgroup analyses that question the connection are based on numbers too small to draw a firm conclusion, experts say. 
 

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Analysis debunks link between autism, fertility treatments

by  /  10 December 2013

Studies with the best quality ratings and the largest sample sizes showed no increased risk of autism for children born from assisted reproductive technologies, reports a review published in the December issue of Human Reproduction.

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Anxiety, autism may share common basis

by  /  6 December 2013

Anxiety runs in families with a history of autism, hinting that the two conditions may share a common origin, suggests a twin study published in November.

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November 2013

Weighty issue

by  /  26 November 2013

Women who have children who are later diagnosed with autism tend to gain more weight during pregnancy than do mothers of typically developing children, reports a study in the November issue of Pediatrics.

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Chemical messenger may drive maternal infection’s effects

by  /  13 November 2013

A mother’s exposure to infection can exacerbate the effects of a genetic mutation and contribute to autism or schizophrenia in her pups, suggests an unpublished mouse study presented Wednesday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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Brain’s immune cells boost rapid transmission of signals

by  /  11 November 2013

Two new studies bolster the emerging idea that microglia, cells that were long dismissed as passive soldiers of the brain’s immune system, are in fact actively involved in shoring up connections between neurons. The unpublished work was presented Sunday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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Photograph of a tadpole swimming.

First tadpole model of autism surfaces at conference

by  /  11 November 2013

Researchers have recreated one of the most popular rodent models of autism in a decidedly slimier animal: the tadpole. The unpublished study was presented Sunday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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Photograph of a doctor performing a thyroid exam on a woman.

Clinical research: Low thyroid in pregnancy linked to autism

by  /  1 November 2013

Low levels of a thyroid hormone during pregnancy raise the risk of autism-like symptoms in the child by fourfold, according to a study published 13 August in Annals of Neurology.

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