News
Study links dietary supplement to brain development
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For some pregnant women, taking the supplement carnitine may lower the risk of having a child with autism.
TOPIC
Environment
From parental age to infection during pregnancy, environmental elements can influence autism risk.
March 2016
February 2016
News
Obesity, diabetes in mother up autism risk for child
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The combination of obesity and diabetes in a pregnant woman substantially increases the likelihood that her child will have autism.
1 Comment
Opinion / Q&A
Questions for Moeller, Ochman: Going ape over the microbiome
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Social interactions shape the bustling communities of gut bacteria in chimpanzees.
1 Comment
December 2015
Features / Special Reports / 2015 Year in review
Notable papers of 2015
Our top 10 papers for this year, based on input from autism researchers, capture the full spectrum of findings — from molecular biology to large-scale epidemiology.
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November 2015
Features / Deep Dive
Gut feeling: How microbes shape autism
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An unusual mix of bacteria may be to blame for the frequent gut problems in people with autism. New findings suggest they may also alter the mind.
6 Comments
Features / Deep Dive
Why don’t we know what environmental factors cause autism?
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Scientists can rattle off lists of dozens of genes linked to autism, but there’s much less agreement about which elements of the environment contribute to the condition — and by how much.
24 Comments
October 2015
News
Male mice more vulnerable to tilt of gut-brain axis
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Early disruption of the microbes that inhabit the gut can alter a mouse’s sociability long term.
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News
Environmental double hit may induce seizures, autism behaviors
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The combination of prenatal stress and a preterm labor drug may elicit seizures and autism-like behaviors in rat pups.
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News
Prairie vole study digs up link between Prozac, oxytocin
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Prairie vole pups exposed to the antidepressant fluoxetine in the womb show autism-like behaviors and lose some receptors for oxytocin and vasopressin.
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News
Brain circuit signs flag preterm babies’ risk for autism
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Infants born prematurely show alterations in the structure and function of their brain circuits — findings that may help explain their increased risk for autism.