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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.

December 2011

New scheme ramps up efforts to aggregate autism data

by  /  19 December 2011

The nation’s largest database of autism research is about to get even bigger, thanks to a partnership between the National Database for Autism Research, a repository of data from 25,000 participants, and the Autism Genetic Research Exchange, a database of 2,500 families.

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Eye-tracking device travels with toddlers

by  /  14 December 2011

Researchers have designed a light, mobile and wireless device that allows them to track infants’ gaze as they explore their environment, according to a study published in November in Child Development.

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Genomic liability

by  /  9 December 2011

The rise of whole-genome sequencing is likely to result in a deluge of lawsuits against doctors for misinterpreting disease risks, two lawyers caution in an essay in Slate.

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Study charts epigenetic landscape of autism brains

by  /  5 December 2011

In the brains of some individuals with autism, chemical changes to histones, proteins entwined with DNA, tend to show up near genes linked to the disorder, according to a study published 7 November in the Archives of General Psychiatry.

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Beyond stigma

by  /  2 December 2011

In China, some parents of children with developmental disorders seek help — sometimes hundreds of miles from home — but have trouble getting it because of poor healthcare infrastructure, high costs, long lines and doctors’ lack of awareness.

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November 2011

Fishy findings

by  /  29 November 2011

Supplements of omega-3 fatty acids, prime ingredients of fish oils, don’t improve symptoms in children with autism, according to a new review.

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Genetics: Loss of autism-linked region leads to obesity

by  /  25 November 2011

More than 70 percent of individuals lacking the autism-associated 16p11.2 chromosomal region are overweight or obese, according to a study published 20 September in the Journal of Genetics and Genomics.

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Imaging finds cerebellar changes in autism, other disorders

by  /  17 November 2011

People with autism have structural changes in parts of the cerebellum that are distinct from those seen in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or dyslexia, according to an unpublished meta-analysis presented at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Researchers map microRNAs in autism brains

by  /  17 November 2011

Researchers have charted the expression of tiny pieces of RNA in postmortem brain tissue from people with autism, according to unpublished research presented Tuesday at the 2011 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

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Normocentric world

by  /  15 November 2011

In a Nature commentary, Laurent Mottron, professor of psychiatry at the University of Montreal, argues that autism is not a defect that needs fixing.

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