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ASD

·May 29, 2019·2 min read

Early statin treatment may help children with Fragile X

Lovastatin, a common statin usually prescribed to control cholesterol, corrected learning and memory deficits associated with Fragile X syndrome in rodent models.

This is a diagram of the experimental setup

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·May 28, 2019·5 min read

‘Mindreading’ neurons capable of having expectations about the behavior of the others

Simulation neurons found in the amygdala allow animals to reconstruct the mental state of social partners and predict intentions. Dysfunction in these newly identified neurons may be involved in disorders associated with social behavioral problems, such as autism and social anxiety.

This shows how the AI discovered the mutations

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 27, 2019·5 min read

New causes of autism found in ‘junk’ DNA

Using artificial intelligence, researchers discover mutations in noncoding regions of the human genome that may result in autism. The noncoding mutations are associated with altered gene regulation in children with ASD. Additionally, the mutations affect gene expression in the brain and genes already linked to autism, such as those responsible for neuron development and migration.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·May 25, 2019·4 min read

Infants with autism risk may be less likely to distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar speech patterns

Children at higher risk of ASD are less able to distinguish between differences in speech patterns. The findings suggest the biological mechanism of language development is less acquisitive in high-risk infants who are diagnosed with autism during toddlerhood.

This shows a child looking at a DNA double helix

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 24, 2019·4 min read

New approaches to study the genetics of autism may lead to new therapies

Researchers will present their latest findings regarding genes associated with autism spectrum disorder in an upcoming meeting.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·May 22, 2019·4 min read

Infants later diagnosed with autism seldom initiate joint attention

An eye-tracking study of 10-month-old infants reveals children later diagnosed on the autism spectrum seldom initiate joint attention. Findings suggest children with ASD already have reduced social motivation as infants.

Autism Featured Neuroscience Psychology

·May 21, 2019·3 min read

Children of both young and old parents share risk for certain neurodevelopment disorders

Children of younger parents are at increased risk of ADHD and Tourette syndrome, while children of older parents are at more risk of being diagnosed with OCD and autism.

This shows pictures and the words associated with them, such as house

Auditory Neuroscience Autism Featured Neuroscience

·May 21, 2019·4 min read

‘Implicit measures’ better assess vocabulary for those with autism than standard tests

Eye tracking and EEG may help to assess vocabulary knowledge in those on the autism spectrum.

The vmPFC is highlighted in these brain scans

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·May 20, 2019·4 min read

Scientists succeed in testing potential brain-based method to diagnose autism

Neuroimaging reveals a significantly diminished response in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex in children on the autism spectrum. The findings could be used as a biomarker for diagnosing ASD.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·May 16, 2019·6 min read

Brain changes in autism traced to specific cell types

Studying brain tissue samples from people with ASD revealed a common set of alterations in genes associated with synaptic communication between neurons. The changes were identified mainly in neurons in the uppermost layers of the neocortex.

Autism Featured Neurology Neuroscience

·May 8, 2019·4 min read

A step toward better understanding brain anatomy of autism spectrum disorder

Cortical anatomy is not represented by fixed differences between those with ASD and peers not on the autism spectrum. However, differences in symptom profiles and severity, age and cognitive ability are related to brain differences specific to ASD alone.

These are fmri scans of the female mice brains lacking shank3

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·May 7, 2019·2 min read

Autism gene linked to brain and behavior deficits in mice

A deficiency of the SHANK3 gene, a gene associated with ASD, results in structural and functional deficits in the prefrontal cortex. The functional and structural alterations in the PFC were linked to an impairment in social interaction in male mice.