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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Science & Society

From funding decisions to scientific fraud, a wide range of societal factors shape autism research.

September 2013

What does the existence of long genes tell us?

by  /  23 September 2013

Long genes, and their relationship to a class of enzymes that regulate gene expression, raise intriguing questions about the risk for neuropsychiatric disorders.
 

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World of drugs

by  /  20 September 2013

The most popular drugs prescribed for autism in some countries often have serious side effects or have not been vetted in robust clinical trials, finds a study published 5 September in Psychopharmacology.

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Clinical research: Autism, bipolar disorder may often overlap

by  /  20 September 2013

As much as 30 percent of children diagnosed with bipolar disorder may also have autism, suggests a study published in the June issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry.

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Brain activity of microRNAs gives clues about autism

by  /  19 September 2013

Small regulatory RNA molecules are most active between infancy and early childhood in a region of the brain known for complex thinking and behavior, reports a new study published 6 August in Molecular Psychiatry. The finding, based on an analysis of postmortem brains, may provide insight into what goes wrong in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism.

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Fragile facts

by  /  13 September 2013

Fragile X syndrome is the leading cause of inherited intellectual disability and often autism, but most people who work with special-needs children lack basic knowledge about the syndrome, according to a new study.

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Benjamin Philpot explains Angelman drug prospects

 /  25 September 2013

Watch the complete replay of Benjamin Philpot discussing the possibility of pharmacologically turning on a silent gene to treat Angelman syndrome. Submit follow-up questions.

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Career assistance

by  /  6 September 2013

Like any high school or college student, those with autism who do internships and receive career advice also improve their chances of landing a job, reports a study published 27 July in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

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Rats armed to catch up to mice as top mammalian model

by  /  4 September 2013

Researchers have developed a method to engineer rats so that they lack a certain gene in only select regions of the brain, they report in the July issue of Nature Methods.

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How does the body dictate speech?

by  /  2 September 2013

A shifting understanding of the role of motor control in people with autism who also have speech deficits raises important questions about language development in the disorder.

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August 2013

In autism, head and body size varies with gender

by  /  29 August 2013

Girls with autism tend to have smaller heads and bodies than their typically developing peers, whereas boys with the disorder tend to have average-sized heads and slightly larger bodies, report two studies published in July.

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