Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

topic /

Science & Society

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

April 2013

Can you Google your way to a hypothesis?

by  /  1 April 2013

In his Directors’ Column, Alan Packer points out how a number of autism risk genes act on a common cellular pathway regulated by a single protein. What other similar convergent paths might be hiding in the literature? Let’s go on a treasure hunt.

Comments
March 2013
Photo of a group of adults sitting and talking.

Adult advancement

by  /  29 March 2013

Adults with autism fare better now than they did in the 1960s, when scientists first began tracking outcomes, reports a perspective published in February’s World Psychiatry.

Comments

Online tool sketches, traces and analyzes neurons

by  /  27 March 2013

Show an image of a neuron to NEMO, a new free software tool, and it will trace the neuron’s shape and detail the length, breadth and number of its branches, scientists who designed the software reported 14 February in Frontiers in Neuroinformatics.

Comments

Fixing motion

by  /  22 March 2013

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

Comments

Graph theory

by  /  22 March 2013

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

Comments

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.

Comments

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.

Comments

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.

Comments

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.

Comments
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.

Comments