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ASD

This MRI highlights the thalamus in the brain.

·June 25, 2013·2 min read

A Deep Brain Disorder

Researchers identify that the connectivity between the thalamus and cerebral cortex is impaired in children with autism.

The image shows a child holding a sign with the word autism written on it.

Autism Featured Open Neuroscience Articles

·June 11, 2013·3 min read

Researchers Provide the First Comprehensive and Prospective Characterization of a Genetic Subtype of Autism

Researchers provide new evidence for the severity of motor, intellectual and speech impairments in Phelan-McDermid Syndrome, a sub-type of autism characterized by a mutation of the SHANK3 gene.

Autism Featured Genetics

·June 7, 2013·4 min read

Over Produced Autism Gene Alters Synapses, Affects Learning and Behavior in Mice

When manipulated in two lines of transgenic mice, neuroligin 1, a gene linked to ASD, produced mature adults with irreversible defects which affected either learning or social interaction. The findings could have implications for potential gene therapies for autism.

The image shows the autism jigsaw ribbon.

Autism Featured

·May 17, 2013·3 min read

New Research Suggests Possible Direction for Treatment of Autism

Researchers note marked improvements in young autistic boys when using a treatment known as sensory-motor or environmental enrichment.

The image shows a person using a Wii game controller.

Autism Featured

·April 17, 2013·2 min read

Children and Teens with Autism More Likely to Become Preoccupied with Video Games

New research suggests children with ASD spend more time playing video games and watching TV than participating in social media and pre-social activities compared to their typically developing peers.

Autism Featured

·March 20, 2013·6 min read

Humanoid Robot Helps Train Children with Autism

Vanderbilt researchers develop a humanoid robotic system to help teach autistic children to coordinate their attention with objects and other people in their environment.

A brain scan is shown with a highlighted area

Autism Featured

·March 20, 2013·3 min read

Atypical Brain Circuits May Cause Slower Gaze Shifting in Infants Who Later Develop Autism

Infants at 7 months of age who go on to develop autism are slower to reorient their gaze and attention from one object to another when compared to 7-month-olds who do not develop autism, and this behavioral pattern is in part explained by atypical brain circuits.

The brain diagram shown highlights the fusiform gyrus (Brodmann area 37), which is associated with FFA.

Autism Featured

·March 18, 2013·4 min read

Difficulty in Recognizing Faces in Autism Linked to Performance in a Group of Neurons

Neurons in the specific brain area responsible for processing faces are too broadly "tuned" in some patients with autism, leading to difficulties in discriminating between the facial features of different individuals, a new study suggests.

The image shows a child with ASD identifying words from a flash card.

Autism Featured

·March 4, 2013·3 min read

Speech Emerges in Children with Autism and Severe Language Delay at Greater Rate Than Previously Thought

A new study reveals 70 percent of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, and who have a history of severe language delay, achieved fluent speech by the age of eight.

The image shows diagrams of the brain connectivity in children with autism and children without. The caption best describes the image.

Autism Featured Neurology

·February 27, 2013·4 min read

Network Analysis of the Brain may Explain Features of Autism

Researchers find that, compared with neurotypical children, those with autism have multiple redundant connections between neighboring brain areas at the expense of long-distance links.

The image shows the chemical structure of bisphenol A.

Featured Neurology Open Neuroscience Articles

·February 25, 2013·3 min read

BPA May Affect the Developing Brain by Disrupting Gene Regulation

New research suggests environmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical commonly found in plastics and resins, could suppress a gene critical to nerve cell function and the development of the central nervous system. Exposure to BPA could predispose humans to a number of neurodevelopmental and other health disorders.