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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.

March 2013

Fixing motion

by  /  22 March 2013

New methods to deal with motion artifacts in brain imaging data are critically important, says Mike Tyszka.

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Graph theory

by  /  22 March 2013

Characterizing the brain’s network organization may help us understand autism, says Damien Fair.

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Six questions for connectivity theory research

by  /  22 March 2013

‘Underconnectivity’ is considered one of the best-supported theories for the neural basis of autism. But many questions remain unanswered, says Jon Brock.

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Can nutritional supplements help treat some cases of autism?

by  /  21 March 2013

A handful of studies point to dietary deficiencies as a contributing factor in some forms of autism, suggesting that supplements — such as carnitine or certain amino acids — may help treat and even prevent the disorder.

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Rural riddle

by  /  19 March 2013

A new study suggests that a questionnaire often used to screen for autism doesn’t work well in a rural, low-income group, highlighting the need for diverse screening tools.

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Jonathan Kipnis on microglia and therapeutic targets

 /  27 March 2013

Watch the complete replay of Jonathan Kipnis discussing his groundbreaking work connecting microglia and peripheral immunity to autism. Submit your own follow-up questions.

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Close-up photograph of a young child's hand as they play with a toy.

Triage may help speed up autism diagnosis, researchers say

by  /  18 March 2013

The search for rapid autism diagnosis has been elusive so far. Several researchers are instead looking for ways to prioritize the assessment of children at risk for the disorder, quickly establishing a diagnosis when it’s clear-cut and referring more complex cases for in-depth evaluation.

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Valuable videos

by  /  12 March 2013

Systematic analysis of video clips is better than questionnaires are at assessing repetitive movements in children with autism, says Sylvie Goldman.

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How do we confirm a grand signaling theory?

by  /  11 March 2013

An imbalance in the excitatory and inhibitory signaling between neurons seems to play a critical role in autism. What can we do with that information?

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Perfect match

by  /  5 March 2013

Researchers must use better measures to show that experimental and control groups are well matched, says Jon Brock.

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