Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: intellectual disability

March 2012

Swedish study dissects autism risk in immigrants

by  /  1 March 2012

Immigrating to another country during pregnancy appears to boost the risk of having a child who has low-functioning autism, according to a comprehensive, population-based study in Sweden. The research was published online 23 February in the British Journal of Psychiatry.

Comments
February 2012

Genetics: Different mutations lead to autism in same family

by  /  24 February 2012

Twin brothers who have autism carry a non-inherited duplication that overlaps with 16p11.2, a chromosomal region that has been associated with autism. Their brother, who also has autism, has a nearby deletion within 16p11.2, according to a study published 11 January in the European Journal of Human Genetics.

Comments

Genetics: Autism, Tourette syndrome genes overlap

by  /  15 February 2012

Genes implicated in Tourette syndrome overlap with those involved in autism, according to an analysis of rare DNA duplications and deletions in people with the syndrome, published in the March issue of Biological Psychiatry.

Comments

Molecular mechanisms: Excess MeCP2 leads to anxiety in mice

by  /  14 February 2012

Two genes may be responsible for autism symptoms in mice with extra copies of the Rett syndrome gene, according to a study published 8 January in Nature Genetics.

Comments

SHANK2 study bolsters ‘multi-hit’ gene model of autism

by  /  13 February 2012

By screening the genomes of hundreds of people with autism and analyzing the effects of newly identified mutations in cultured neurons, researchers have clarified the disorder’s link to the SHANK2 gene.

Comments

Clinical research: Mice model Rett syndrome’s heart symptoms

by  /  10 February 2012

Mice engineered to carry a Rett syndrome mutation only in neurons are prone to an irregular heartbeat that can lead to sudden death, according to a study published 14 December in Science Translational Medicine.

Comments

Genetics: X chromosome disorder linked to autism

by  /  7 February 2012

Duplication of a region on the X chromosome leads to a genetic disorder characterized by severe autism, according to a study published 25 November in Annals of Neurology.

Comments

Clinical research: Two compounds treat Rett syndrome in mice

by  /  1 February 2012

Two compounds that enhance the activity of BDNF, a protein needed for the growth of neurons, improve motor skills in mouse models of Rett syndrome and increase the mice’s lifespan.

Comments
January 2012

Tony Charman: Longitudinal studies for autism research

by  /  24 January 2012

Clinicians and autism researchers should learn the early signs of autism and take into account an individual’s developmental trajectory, says Tony Charman.

Comments

Autism’s cost

by  /  10 January 2012

New numbers are shedding light on just how much it costs to care for children with autism — and, importantly, what is driving those costs.

Comments