Measuring alexithymia in autistic people
Despite the growing interest in alexithymia in autism research, the tools commonly used to measure this trait may not work reliably in autistic populations. A new scoring method fills that gap.
Autism’s core symptoms accompany a constellation of subtle signs that scientists are just beginning to unmask.
Despite the growing interest in alexithymia in autism research, the tools commonly used to measure this trait may not work reliably in autistic populations. A new scoring method fills that gap.
Mounting evidence suggests that autism often involves upsets in homeostatic plasticity, a set of processes neurons use to stabilize their activity. These disruptions result from a range of autism-linked mutations and may help to explain the condition’s famed heterogeneity.
Premature birth is tied to an increased chance of having autism, according to the largest study yet looking for a potential connection.
Integrating genetic analyses into studies of babies’ brain development could help us understand how autism-related genes contribute to autism traits.
The same genetic factors may underlie both autism and autistic people’s tendency to have sleep problems, such as insomnia.
The double empathy theory challenges the idea that social difficulties are specific to autism and suggests that problems arise from a mismatch in perspective between autistic and non-autistic people.
A mutation in the autism-linked gene SHANK3 changes how neurons encode information about social agency in mice.
Researchers can roughly project what autistic children’s lives will look like years down the road. But how good is their crystal ball — and what are its benefits?
How autistic people look at a face may be linked more to alexithymia, a condition marked by difficulties recognizing one’s own emotions, than to autism.
After a study revised a popular measure for alexithymia, it was pulled for copyright infringement because the authors did not pay a $40 fee or obtain permission to use the measure.