FeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·April 29, 2020·5 min readHow could Covid-19 and the body’s immune response affect the brain?Mounting evidence suggests coronavirus affects the brain, in addition to the lungs. Researchers are examining the threat COVID-19 posses to long term brain health. They speculate maternal inflammation could lead to an increased risk of autism-like behaviors and neurodevelopment deficits in children born to mothers diagnosed with coronavirus. Other studies are exploring how the virus may spread in the nervous system via synaptic transmission.Read More
AutismFeaturedNeuroscience·April 27, 2020·5 min readVasopressin levels could be a potential biomarker for autism in babiesLower levels of vasopressin were present in the cerebrospinal fluid of infants who later went on to be diagnosed with autism.Read More
AutismFeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 27, 2020·5 min readLithium may treat behavior linked to autism geneFindings support the idea that lithium, a drug more commonly associated with the treatment of bipolar disorder, may help treat those with SHANK3 related autism.Read More
AutismFeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience Articles·April 15, 2020·5 min readAutism in males linked to defect in brain immune cells and microgliaAn over-production of eIF4E impairs microglial cells, hampering their ability to effectively prune synapses and leading to autism-like behaviors in male mouse models of ASD.Read More
AutismFeaturedGeneticsNeuroscienceOpen Neuroscience ArticlesPsychology·April 8, 2020·3 min readGenes sow seeds of neuropsychiatric diseases before birth and in early childhoodResearchers identify genetic variations in the prefrontal cortex during different stages of development to assess how psychiatric conditions, such as autism and schizophrenia, may arise in individuals.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·April 8, 2020·4 min readBrain discovery suggests source of lifelong behavioral issuesStudy identifies AIM1 inflammasomes as crucial players in the development of a properly formed central nervous system by removing genetically compromised cells. The findings shed light on neurodevelopmental dysfunctions which occur and give rise to behavioral related disorders.Read More
AutismFeaturedNeuroscience·April 6, 2020·3 min readChanges in brain attention may underlie autismThose on the autism spectrum had atypically smaller pupil dilation compared to the control group during distracting conditions while taking a push-button test. The findings suggest those with ASD may have dysregulation in locus coeruleus activity. The dysregulation of the LC may explain the exaggerated responses to environmental stimuli and fixated behaviors many with ASD experience.Read More
AutismFeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·April 2, 2020·3 min readSingle mutation leads to big effects in autism-related geneNew findings about NLGN4 genes reveals why males are more susceptible to developing autism than females.Read More
AutismFeaturedNeuroscience·March 26, 2020·4 min readUS autism rates up 10 percent in new CDC reportThe prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in eleven surveillance sites is 1 in 54 among children aged eight. This is a 10% increase from 2014 when it was 1 in 59. Since 2000, prevalence rates of ASD have almost tripled, from 0.67% to 1.85%.Read More
FeaturedNeuroscience·March 16, 2020·4 min readNew research on brain structure highlights cells linked to Alzheimer’s and autismAstrocytes are not uniform, as previously believed, but take distinct molecular forms depending on their location in the cerebral cortex. Astrocytes also organize in layers in similar ways to neurons.Read More
AutismFeaturedNeurosciencePsychology·March 13, 2020·6 min readEarly behavioral marker for autism identified15-month-old infants with an older sibling on the autism spectrum, and who experience social difficulties, such as insecure-resistant parental attachment, are more than nine times more likely to be diagnosed with ASD.Read More
FeaturedGeneticsNeuroscience·March 12, 2020·4 min readSpecific gene can impact neurodevelopment, leading to autism and macrocephalyMutations of the RAB39b gene lead to macrocephaly and autism-like behaviors in mouse brain organoid models, and enlargements and impairments in human organoids.Read More
