Published in Nature, research from the UNC School of Medicine and UCSF revealed the first-ever crystal structure of the dopamine 2 receptor bound to an antipsychotic drug – a much-needed discovery in the quest to create effective drugs with fewer side effects.
A new study led by researchers at Indiana University and Rutgers University provides the strongest evidence yet that nearly imperceptible changes in how people move can be used to diagnose neurodevelopmental disorders, including autism.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins Medicine report they have identified rare genetic variations in a protein called Thorase, which is responsible for breaking down receptors at the connections between neurons in the brain.
Scientists are examining the feasibility of treating autistic children with neuromodulation after a new study showed social impairments can be corrected by brain stimulation.
One hypothesis for how autism develops is excessive neuron production in the prenatal period, leading to a transient but significant increase in brain size in the first few years of life in about one-quarter of children with the disease. But the precise timing and cause of this overgrowth is poorly understood.
Seeking to help solve this mystery, Tony Wynshaw-Boris, MD, PhD, has received two five-year grants totaling more than $5 million from the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health to uncover links between abnormal embryonic brain development and autism.
A new study is the first to identify a mechanism that could explain an early link between sound input and cognitive function, often called the “Mozart effect.”
Racial differences in parents’ reports of concerns about their child’s development to healthcare providers may contribute to delayed diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in black children, according to a study led by Georgia State University.
The Weizmann Institute's Prof. Noam Sobel has found that persons with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and neurotypical persons reacted differently to the "smell of fear" and "calm sweat" - in fact, they reacted in opposite ways.
Playing a video game that rewards participants for holding various “ninja” poses could help children and youth with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) improve their balance, according to a recent study in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders led by researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
A research team has identified the pathological mechanism for a certain type of autism and intellectual disability by creating a genetically modified mouse. They are hopeful it could eventually lead to a therapeutic fix.
Rural counties continue to rank lowest among counties across the U.S., in terms of health outcomes. A group of national organizations including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National 4-H Council are leading the way to close the rural health gap.
Mutations in a gene linked to autism in people causes neurons to form too many connections in rodents, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The findings suggest that malfunctions in communication between brain cells could be at the root of autism.
Scientists have identified a pair of treatments that may restore brain function to autism patients who lack a gene critical to maintaining connections between neurons, according to a study from the Peter O’Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical Center.
Using data from blood and brain tissue, a team led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health found that they could gain insights into mechanisms that might help explain autism by analyzing the interplay between genes and chemical tags that control whether genes are used to make a protein, called epigenetic marks.
Modeling the interplay between neurons and astrocytes derived from children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, with colleagues in Brazil, say innate inflammation in the latter appears to contribute to neuronal dysfunction in at least some forms of the disease.
Wichita State student Amy Lightfoot has authored a children's book titled "My Cousin Lili." The book is the real-life story about Lightfoot and how her cousin Lilian, who has autism spectrum disorder, inspired her to understand and love people with disabilities.
Creating a model pipeline that will assist adults on the autism spectrum find meaningful and gainful employment while enhancing local business innovation. That is the purpose of Vanderbilt University’s Center for Autism & Innovation (VCAI). The new center brings together academic researchers, educators, employers, philanthropists and community organizers to address one of the biggest problems that individuals with ASD and their families face as they reach adulthood: How can they achieve financial independence and become contributing members of society? “Autism now represents one-and-a-half percent of the population,” said center director Keivan Stassun, Stevenson Professor of Physics and Astronomy.
An analysis of the complete genomes of 2,064 people reveals that multiple genetic variations could contribute to autism. The work suggests that scanning whole genomes may one day be useful for clinical diagnostics.
Children living in neighborhoods where incomes are low and fewer adults have bachelor’s degrees are less likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder compared to kids from more affluent neighborhoods.
A new study led by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health has found that the enactment of state laws mandating coverage of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) was followed by sizeable increases in insurer-covered ASD care and associated spending.
For the first time, scientists have directly linked deletions in two genes in zebrafish and traits, such as seizures, hyperactivity, large head size, and increased fat content. Both genes are in a genome region linked to autism spectrum disorder, developmental delays, seizures, and obesity in humans
Researchers at Penn State College of Medicine and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory have reported the first-ever quantitative whole-brain map of inhibitory neurons in the mouse brain.
Tulane University’s Laura Schrader, a cell and molecular biology professor and Brain Institute member, received a two-year grant from the National Institute of Health to study the role of a Shox2, a protein in the brain important for development and function of the thalamus. Schrader is exploring Shox2’s potential link to epilepsy, autism and schizophrenia.
Eva Anton’s lab at UNC has shown how the deletion of the protein APC in progenitor cells – which give rise to neurons – disrupts the Wnt protein pathway, which previously was linked to genes associated with autism.
Alterations in a naturally occurring chemical in the brain called serotonin have been linked to a number of neuropsychiatric disorders including depression, anxiety and autism. Researchers are revealing critical insights into the mechanisms that can drive diminished serotonin signaling during development and in adulthood to provide new ways of treating several widespread neuropsychiatric disorders associated with perturbed serotonin signaling.
Study will define motor deficits in autism spectrum disorders from childhood through adulthood. The long-term goal to learn about the causes of both motor and related behavioral issues to develop more objective, biologically based targets for treatment.
Susan E. Levy, MD, MPH, director of the Regional Autism Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, is this year’s recipient of the Arnold J. Capute Award, given by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The award was presented to her today at the AAP conference in Chicago. The Arnold J. Capute Award is presented each year to an AAP member for outstanding contributions in the field of children with disabilities.
The simple new technique could offer vastly superior predictions of disease severity in a huge range of conditions with a genetic component, including Alzheimer’s, autism, cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, schizophrenia and depression.
Researchers at UC Davis and other institutions have shown that mothers who take recommended amounts of folic acid around conception might reduce their children’s pesticide-related autism risk.
The UC Davis MND Institute has been awarded a 5-year, $12 million Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) grant, one of five in the nation, to create a “Center for the Development of Phenotype-based Treatments of Autism Spectrum Disorder.”
Vanderbilt Assistant Professor of Computer Science Maithilee Kunda figured out how to write code that emulates the kind of image-based thinking many people with autism report. The result is a form of artificial intelligence that allows researchers to study a model of human cognition.
Scientists have long deemed the ability to recognize faces innate for people and other primates. However, the findings of a new Harvard Medical School study cast doubt on this longstanding view. The study may shed light on autism spectrum disorders.
New insights into the long-lasting effects of Fragile X syndrome on connections in the brain during early development highlight the importance of early detection and treatment.
Mitochondria, the tiny structures inside our cells that generate energy, may play a key role in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). A provocative new study by Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s pioneering mitochondrial medicine team suggests that variations in mitochondrial DNA originating during ancient human migrations may play an important role in predisposition to ASD.
People with strong signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) show neural signs of anxiety when they see social touch and report unpleasant feelings about social touch by comparison to people with weak signs of ASD. This finding has emerged from a new study undertaken at the University of Haifa. “Until now, it was clear that many people with ASD dislike touch. This study enables us to understand that they actual experience touch in a similar way to anxiety,” explains Leehe Peled-Avron, a doctorate student in the Department of Psychology, who undertook the study.
Theo Courtesy: Thomas & Friends Thomas & Friends is set to introduce a new line of "experimental engines," including Theo, who is described as genuinely kind and caring, but with an awkward habit of blunt speaking. He also has a geared drive system that often does not run smoothly, making sudden jolts when his cogs jam.
Students will soon make the often-tricky transition to a new school year, and among these students are those identified with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or other developmental/behavioral differences.
A recent study by Penn Medicine researchers published online ahead of print in the Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry found that the costs associated with the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM), one evidence-based treatment for young children with autism, were fully offset after only two years following intervention due to reductions in children’s use of other services.
UAB School of Education experts provide some tips to parents on how to ease the back-to-school transition for children with special needs and emotional and behavioral disorders.
An antenna-like structure on cells, once considered a useless vestige, can cause defects in the brain’s wiring similar to what’s seen in autism, schizophrenia, and other disorders. In the lab, UNC scientists prevented defects by restoring signaling though these structures called primary cilia.