Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: sex

November 2022
Light micrograph of microglia cells stained with Rio Hortega’s silver carbonate method.

Autism’s sex bias tied to glial, immune cell gene expression

by  /  22 November 2022

The function of microglia and astrocytes in the brain may mediate the intersection of sex-differential biology and autism biology.

Comments
October 2022
Woman sits on a hospital bed and looks out of a window.

Psychiatric conditions hospitalize almost one in three autistic women by age 25

by  /  31 October 2022

The findings, based on Swedish national registry data, suggest a critical need to expand mental health services for autistic people.

Comments
Illustration of an X chromosome against a black background.

X-chromosome variants help explain autism’s sex bias

by  /  24 October 2022

The rare variants are also linked to ADHD and Tourette syndrome, two other conditions that disproportionately affect boys and men.

Comments
June 2022
Illustration of two figures in a field of black circles representing genetic risks. The circles surround the figure on the left and stay farther away from the figure on the right.

Common inherited variants tied to autism show sex bias in families

by  /  23 June 2022

Siblings of autistic females are more likely to have autism than siblings of autistic males are, and mothers of autistic children carry more common, autism-linked variants than fathers do.

Comments
two toddlers, a boy and a girl, draw animals on a glass window in thin lines of blue, green and magenta.

Autism’s sex bias disappears after tracking trajectories

by  /  22 June 2022

The male sex bias in autism may in large part be a product of how common diagnostic tools measure traits in boys versus girls at a single point in time, according to a new study.

Comments

Mice without DDX3X are slow to grow neurons

by  /  17 June 2022

The gene helps neurons exit the cell-maturation cycle during fetal brain development, a new study shows. But male and female mice respond differently to DDX3X loss.

Comments
A street crowded with pedestrian traffic

Spectrum of variants contribute differently to autism traits

by  /  3 June 2022

Different combinations of common, rare, inherited and spontaneous mutations may explain why traits vary so widely among autistic people.

Comments
May 2022
Young woman sitting alone at window in the shadows.

Autistic LGBTQ+ people report frequent mental health problems

by  /  16 May 2022

The co-occurring conditions may stem from the heightened stress people in minority communities experience.

Comments
Neuron with dendrites, showing white on solid black.

DDX3X loss affects male, female mouse neurons differently

by  /  12 May 2022

The sex-specific effects may help elucidate why the small number of boys with DDX3X syndrome are born to unaffected mothers.

Comments
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results.

Null and Noteworthy: Sex bias and gender blend

by  /  9 May 2022

In this edition, a diagnostic measure shows no significant differences between sexes, and a survey confirms increased gender diversity among children with autism.

Comments