Autism News

July 26, 2024

Top Headlines

Large Study Confirms: Siblings of Autistic Children Have 20% Chance of Autism

July 16, 2024 — A new, large study confirms earlier findings that children with an autistic sibling have a 20% chance of being autistic ...

How Our Brains Develop Facial Recognition Skills: New Face-Detecting Brain Circuit

July 2, 2024 — Scientists have uncovered a brain circuit in primates that rapidly detects faces. The findings help not only explain how primates sense and recognize faces, but could also have implications for ...

Finding the Sweet Spot in Brain Development

July 1, 2024 — Short-lived neural connections in the mouse brain help prime sensory circuits, forever affecting the mouse's sense of touch. Neuroscientists have discovered that a receptor protein named mGluR1 helps regulate the timing of these temporary ...

Researchers Develop RNA-Targeting Technology for Precisely Manipulating Parts of Human Genes

June 24, 2024 — Researchers have harnessed a bacterial immune defense system, known as CRISPR, to efficiently and precisely control the process of RNA splicing. The technology opens the door to new applications, ...

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ChatGPT Is Biased Against Resumes With Credentials That Imply a Disability -- But It Can Improve

June 21, 2024 — Researchers found that ChatGPT consistently ranked resumes with disability-related honors and credentials -- such as the 'Tom Wilson Disability ...

Wearable Brain Imaging Gives Clearest Ever Picture of Children's Developing Brain

June 4, 2024 — New research has given the clearest ever picture of young children's developing brains, using a wearable brain scanner to map electrical brain ...

From Ripples to Daydreams: The Brain Activity Behind Mind Wandering

May 22, 2024 — Researchers have found that a specific pattern of brain activity, known as 'sharp-wave ripples,' is associated with thoughts that wander from the present situation. This activity begins in the ...

Sequencing of the Developing Human Brain Uncovers Hundreds of Thousands of New Gene Transcripts

May 23, 2024 — Researchers uncovered 214,516 unique isoforms in the developing neocortex -- over 70% of which have not been previously ...

Groundbreaking Study Connects Genetic Risk for Autism to Changes Observed in the Brain

May 23, 2024 — A groundbreaking study has unveiled the most detailed view of the complex biological mechanisms underlying autism, showing the first link between ...

Brain Connectivity Patterns Differ in Infants at Familial Risk for Autism

May 22, 2024 — A study has found distinct brain connectivity patterns in six-week-old infants at risk for developing autism spectrum disorder ...

Key Differences in Brain Development Between Autistic Boys and Girls

May 23, 2024 — A new study finds key differences in the development of the cortex between autistic boys and girls ages 2-13. The study found sex-specific changes in the thickness of the outer layer of the brain, ...

Cortex's Self-Organizing Abilities in Neural Development

May 21, 2024 — Researchers have investigated how highly organized patterns of neural activity emerge during ...

Research Sheds Light on How Proteins Linked to Alzheimer's Disease Influence Neuronal Growth

May 15, 2024 — New research has shed light in the complex interplay between cell proteins, and how they impact on neurons in neurodevelopmental disorders and ...

Study Shows Heightened Sensitivity to PTSD in Autism

May 9, 2024 — A new study shows that a mild stress is enough to trigger post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in mouse models of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Researchers demonstrated that the two disorders ...

Why Are Board Games So Popular Among Many People With Autism? New Research Explains

July 12, 2024 — Board gaming is a growing industry, and anecdotally popular among people who display autistic traits. Now new research has highlighted the science supporting the anecdote -- and the important reasons ...

Family Psychiatric History: Effects on Siblings of Children With Autism

June 19, 2024 — Children who have an older sibling with autism spectrum disorder (autism) are at greater risk of developmental vulnerabilities if they also have other relatives with neurodevelopmental or psychiatric ...

Younger Children in School Year Are More Commonly Diagnosed With ADHD Than Their Older Classmates, Says New Study

June 6, 2024 — New research has found that teachers may be attributing signs of age-related immaturity in children, to conditions such as Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or Autism Spectrum Disorder ...

Eye-Tracking Techniques Could Help Primary Care Providers Diagnose Autism Sooner, More Accurately

May 31, 2024 — A new paper describes a research team's study of autism diagnosis using eye tracking biomarkers at primary care clinics across ...

Metabolism of Autism Reveals Developmental Origins

May 10, 2024 — Researchers have shed new light on the changes in metabolism that occur between birth and the presentation of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) later in childhood. The researchers discovered that a ...

Brain Mechanisms Underlying Sensory Hypersensitivity in a Mouse Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder

May 9, 2024 — A research team has identified the primary cause of sensory hypersensitivity in a mouse model of autism spectrum disorders ...

Research Breakthrough on Birth Defect Affecting Brain Size

May 1, 2024 — A team has identified a molecular cellular mechanism that is linked to microencephaly, a condition in which a baby's head is much smaller than ...

Study Identifies New Metric for Diagnosing Autism

Apr. 17, 2024 — Autism spectrum disorder has yet to be linked to a single cause, due to the wide range of its symptoms and severity. However, a recent study suggests a promising new approach to finding answers, one ...

Two Key Brain Systems Are Central to Psychosis

Apr. 11, 2024 — When the brain has trouble filtering incoming information and predicting what's likely to happen, psychosis can result, research ...

No Link Between Acetaminophen Use During Pregnancy and Children's Risk of Autism, ADHD, and Intellectual Disability, Says Large Sibling Study

Apr. 9, 2024 — In the largest study to date on the subject, researchers found no evidence to support a causal link between acetaminophen use during pregnancy and increased risk of autism, ADHD and intellectual ...

Synaptic Protein Change During Development Offers Clues on Evolution and Disease

Mar. 28, 2024 — An analysis of how synaptic proteins change during early development reveals differences between mice and marmosets but also what's different in individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The ...

Parental Avoidance of Toxic Exposures Could Help Prevent Autism, ADHD in Children, New Study Shows

Mar. 28, 2024 — Researchers have found that parents with chemical intolerance are more likely to report children with autism and ...

Study of Different Autism Types Finds Shared Mechanism That May Respond to Drugs

Mar. 27, 2024 — An analysis of how brains with different forms of autism develop has revealed common underlying mechanisms that may respond to existing ...

Large-Scale Animal Study Links Brain pH Changes to Wide-Ranging Cognitive Issues

Mar. 26, 2024 — The International Brain pH Project Consortium unveils groundbreaking findings in a large-scale animal model study, indicating altered brain pH and lactate levels as a transdiagnostic endophenotype in ...

Study Eases Concern at Antipsychotics Use in Pregnancy

Mar. 18, 2024 — The use of antipsychotics during pregnancy isn't linked to childhood neurodevelopmental disorders or learning difficulties, study suggests -- giving assurance to those concerned about continuing ...

Abnormal Brain Structure Identified in Children With Developmental Language Problems

Mar. 15, 2024 — A rigorous analysis of numerous studies concludes that a part of the brain traditionally associated with movement is abnormal in children with developmental language impairments. The discovery has ...

Shared Blueprint in Brain Development Across Different Functional Areas

Mar. 11, 2024 — Researchers have investigated brain development to understand how different areas of the brain become specialized in handling information such as vision, sound, touch and ...

COVID Vaccines Are Safe for Pregnant Women and Babies, Study Finds

Mar. 7, 2024 — The COVID vaccine is safe to administer during pregnancy, researchers report in an important finding on the safety of the vaccine in infants -- despite widespread fear and ...

Study Reveals Unexpected Literacy in Autistic People Who Cannot Speak

Mar. 6, 2024 — About one-third of autistic people are unable to communicate using speech, and most are never provided an effective alternative. However, a new study suggests that many of these individuals are ...

Smoking During Pregnancy May Increase the Risk of Behavioral Disorders in Newborns, Predicts AI

Mar. 5, 2024 — Although several studies have linked smoking during pregnancy with neurodevelopmental disorders, the results of behavioral experiments in mice prenatally exposed to nicotine have been inconsistent. ...