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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Environment

From parental age to infection during pregnancy, environmental elements can influence autism risk.

March 2021

Innate stress response may link maternal infection to autism

by  /  19 March 2021

A typically protective stress response could help to explain the connection between maternal illness and neurodevelopmental conditions.

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Operating room scene shows baby being guided out of belly of mother during a c-section.

Cesarean delivery unlikely to sway child’s likelihood of autism

by  /  17 March 2021

Autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions are more common among children born by C-section than those delivered vaginally, but the procedure itself does not underlie the association, according to a new study.

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October 2020
Collecting blood sample from bottom of newborn's foot for blood test.

Immune markers in newborns show complex relationship with autism odds

by  /  19 October 2020

Newborns with either above- or below-average levels of an immune-system marker, among other differences, have increased odds of being autistic.

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August 2020
Woman rolling a marijuana joint.

Researchers urge caution over study linking marijuana to autism

by  /  18 August 2020

Women who use marijuana while pregnant may be more likely to give birth to an autistic child. But investigators call for a cautious interpretation of the results.

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June 2020

Decade of data dents idea of a ‘female protective effect’

by  /  12 June 2020

Brothers and sisters of people with autism are both about two to three times more likely than the general population to have an autistic child themselves.

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May 2020

Environmental factors unlikely to account for rise in autism prevalence

by  /  18 May 2020

The relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to autism have held steady over multiple decades, according to a large twin study.

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Doctor checking pregnant woman's blood pressure.

Common pregnancy complication linked to increased autism odds

by  /  15 May 2020

High blood pressure during pregnancy may raise a woman’s chances of having an autistic child.

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Depressed teenage girl in her bedroom.

Autistic children’s emotional problems may persist into young adulthood

by  /  1 May 2020

A study that followed 126 autistic people in England from their preteen years to age 23 found little improvement in their behavioral and emotional problems.

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March 2020
Poster session at Society for Neuroscience meeting in large conference hall

Neuroscientists call for virtual meetings to combat climate change

by  /  5 March 2020

Society for Neuroscience members are demanding sharp cuts to the carbon footprint of its annual meeting.

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January 2020
stork flying with an alarm clock, dice and a crescent moon

The link between parental age and autism, explained

by  /  28 January 2020

Older men and women are more likely than young ones to have a child with autism, but this connection is not straightforward.

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