Children on the autism spectrum have, on average, 25% shallower brain waves than typically developing children, indicating a reason why they may have trouble entering deep sleep states.
Key biomarkers for predicting autism in newborns have been identified.
Study reveals a link between certain diets and their impact on mental health. Poor diets, researchers say, play a role in worsening mood disorders, such as anxiety and depression. However, diets rich in vegetables and olive oil, such as the Mediterranean diet, can improve symptoms of depression and anxiety.
Immune molecules produced during infection influence the social behaviors of mouse models of autism spectrum disorder. The findings may shed light on why some children on the autism spectrum experience a temporary reduction in behavioral symptoms when they have a fever.
Data analysis from previous studies reveals if one twin is on the autism spectrum, there is a 96% chance the other twin will also be diagnosed with ASD. However, symptom severity varies greatly between the twins. Researchers estimate genetic factors contribute to only 9% of the cause of trait variation.
Spontaneous mutations in a father's sperm may be linked to autism spectrum disorder in their offspring. UCSD researchers have developed a new method of quantifying the mutations and assessing the likelihood that the mutations will contribute to ASD.
Genetic mutations in Usp9X results in the brain growing fewer synapses during development. The mutation also causes hyperactivity and an increased risk of anxiety. The findings shed new light on the cause of autism and other intellectual disabilities.
Genomic autism-related ADNP mutations were found in postmortem olfactory bulbs and hippocampi of Alzheimer's patients.
Prosopagnosia, or "face-blindness", involves an entire network, not just one area of the brain. The findings may shed light on poor facial processing abilities associated with autism.
Many people on the autism spectrum who were not diagnosed until later in life grew up believing they were "bad people."
The left and right brain areas are more similar in those with ASD. Reduced asymmetry was identified in cortical thickness across various brain regions in those on the autism spectrum.
Previous studies have documented how infection during pregnancy can increase the risk of ASD and a range of psychiatric disorders in the offspring. A new study reveals how maternal infections can affect neural development and how the timing of infection plays a critical role in elevating the risks of mental health conditions.
