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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: simplex families

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.

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October 2014

Massive sequencing studies reveal key autism genes

by  /  29 October 2014

Analyzing the sequences of more than 20,000 people, researchers have unearthed the largest and most robust list of autism genes so far, they reported today in Nature.

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Studies question link between head circumference, autism

by  /  16 October 2014

Having an enlarged head in early childhood is not a reliable marker of autism, according to two new studies that tracked changes in head and body size in children over time.

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September 2014

New algorithm detects DNA insertions and deletions

by  /  10 September 2014

A new algorithm accurately detects large DNA insertions and deletions in the protein-coding regions of the genome.

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June 2014

Large study underscores role of gene copy number in autism

by  /  2 June 2014

People with autism tend to carry mutations that duplicate or delete several genes at once, according to a large study published 1 May in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

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April 2014

Genetics: New autism mutations affect DNA packaging

by  /  8 April 2014

Mutations in a gene associated with DNA packaging may lead to autism and intellectual disability, suggests a study published 16 February in Nature Genetics.

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March 2014

Girls protected from autism, study suggests

by  /  10 March 2014

It takes more mutations to trigger autism in women than in men, which may explain why men are four times more likely to have the disorder, according to a study published 26 February in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

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February 2014
Illustration of brain waves during an epileptic seizure.

Clinical research: Epilepsy and autism share familial risk

by  /  21 February 2014

In families with a history of autism, the affected children are seven times more likely to also have epilepsy than their unaffected siblings, according to a study published 1 December in Molecular Autism. The results suggest that epilepsy and autism share some risk factors.

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January 2014

Genetics: Language gene has limited role in autism

by  /  14 January 2014

Variants in a language gene linked to autism are only modestly associated with the disorder in a large sample, according to a study published 17 October in PLoS One.

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November 2013

New autism gene plays key role in cholesterol synthesis

by  /  8 November 2013

Mutations in a gene that plays a role in producing cholesterol in the body increase the risk for autism, suggesting therapies for some people with the disorder, according to research presented in a poster Tuesday at the Autism Consortium’s 2013 Research Symposium.

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