Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: IQ

November 2014

Rare mutations linked to severity of autism symptoms

by  /  3 November 2014

Boys with autism who carry rare, spontaneous mutations have lower intelligence quotients and more severe symptoms than do those who may have inherited the disorder. The finding, published 21 October in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, hints at two classes of autism risk with varying severity.

Comments
October 2014

Tracking neurons’ long projections to unravel autism

by ,  /  21 October 2014

Many brain imaging studies of autism focus on neurons’ connections or activity, but examining neuronal tracts across the brain is equally informative, say Julia Owen and Pratik Mukherjee. 

Comments

Game tests theory of mind in autism, intellectual disability

by  /  7 October 2014

A simple game that requires few language skills may help researchers assess theory of mind in children who have autism and intellectual disability, a new study finds.

Comments

Brain development gene emerges as strong autism candidate

by  /  2 October 2014

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.
 

Comments
September 2014

Analysis predicts odds of mutations’ link to autism

by  /  11 September 2014

A new method of statistical analysis can predict whether a rare mutation identified in someone with autism has a meaningful association with the disorder or was found only by chance, researchers reported in the September issue of Nature Genetics.

Comments
August 2014

Large genetic deletion leads to autism, but not always

by  /  21 August 2014

To characterize people who carry deletions in 16p11.2 and 15q13.3, genetic regions linked to autism, two studies published this summer looked in detail at dozens of people with either deletion. The studies found that deletions in these regions lead to diverse symptoms that only sometimes include autism. 

Comments
July 2014

Why inferring autism’s causes from epidemiology is dangerous

by  /  29 July 2014

Epidemiological ‘just-so’ stories, which infer causes of autism from general trends in prevalence, are in danger of repeating the mistakes of social Darwinism, says Mayada Elsabbagh.

Comments

Schizophrenia milestone holds lessons for autism

by  /  21 July 2014

A long-awaited report, published today in Nature, confirms that with access to tens of thousands of genomes, researchers can identify common genetic risk factors for a complex neuropsychiatric disorder.

Comments

Language grows in diverse ways in children with autism

by  /  11 July 2014

The language abilities of children with autism vary widely in early childhood, but become more predictable after age 6, reports a 17-year study.

Comments

Distinct features signal autism risk in tuberous sclerosis

by  /  7 July 2014

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.

Comments