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Spectrum: Autism Research News

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Treatments

Efforts to ease the symptoms of autism are beginning to ramp up, with promising candidates in various stages of testing.

August 2013

Cognition and behavior: Oxytocin linked to brain connections

by  /  2 August 2013

An autism-linked variant in the receptor for oxytocin may alter connections in the brain, according to a study published 17 May in Neuroimage.

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July 2013

Where will the immunity-brain connection lead us?

by  /  29 July 2013

New findings identifying the targets of antibodies found in mothers of children with autism add to mounting evidence that the prenatal immune environment can alter fetal brain development, and perhaps lead to autism. Now what?

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School’s in

by  /  23 July 2013

School-based interventions are arguably the best way to reach the truly underserved, under-represented and under-resourced children with autism, says Connie Kasari.

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How do we help adults who have a ‘childhood’ disorder?

by  /  22 July 2013

Numerous studies detail the complex challenges and the dearth of treatments that people with autism face as they mature into adulthood. Why are there so few solutions?
 

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Photograph of a young child lying face-down on pavement in apparent frustration.

Ritalin probe

by  /  16 July 2013

Ritalin lowers impulsivity, oppositional behavior and attention deficit in children with autism and has mild side effects, reports a study published 19 June in the Journal of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

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Cognition and behavior: Bacteria make germ-free mice social

by  /  12 July 2013

Introducing gut bacteria to mice that lack them increases their sociability, but mainly with familiar mice, reports a study published 21 May in Molecular Psychiatry.

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Visualization of a DNA sequence.

Study catalogs features of Phelan-McDermid syndrome

by  /  11 July 2013

The majority of people lacking a functional copy of the SHANK3 gene have both autism and severe intellectual disability, according to a study published 11 June in Molecular Autism.

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Genetics algorithm reveals mosaic mutations

by  /  10 July 2013

A new software tool detects chromosomal alterations present in only a subset of cells in the body. This method, described 31 May in BMC Genomics, may help reveal mosaicism’s contribution to neurological disorders.

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Researchers hone efficiency of making neurons from blood

by  /  3 July 2013

A new technique to transform human stem cells into neurons is faster, more efficient and more reliable than existing methods, according to a study published 5 June in Neuron.

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June 2013

Medication nation

by  /  28 June 2013

U.K. doctors prescribe fewer medications for autism than doctors in the U.S., perhaps due to tighter drug laws and a more conservative medical culture, suggests a new study, published 17 May in Psychopharmacology.

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