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autism spectrum disorder

·January 7, 2020·3 min read

Sleep difficulties in children with Autism caused by shallower brain waves

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.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·January 4, 2020·3 min read

One Step Closer to Newborn Screening for Autism

Key biomarkers for predicting autism in newborns have been identified.

This shows an inprint of a folk and soon in sugar

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·January 3, 2020·5 min read

How diet affects mental health

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.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·January 1, 2020·7 min read

Study may explain how infections reduce autism symptoms

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.

This shows a little boy playing with blocks

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·December 28, 2019·2 min read

Severity of autism symptoms varies greatly among identical twins

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.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·December 26, 2019·5 min read

Measuring mutations in sperm may reveal risk for autism in future children

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.

Autism Featured Genetics Neuroscience

·December 6, 2019·3 min read

How gene mutation causes autism and intellectual disability

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.

Autism Featured Genetics Neurology Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·November 26, 2019·4 min read

Autism-related genetic mutations occur in aging brains of Alzheimer’s patients

Genomic autism-related ADNP mutations were found in postmortem olfactory bulbs and hippocampi of Alzheimer's patients.

Autism Featured Neuroscience

·November 19, 2019·7 min read

‘Face blindness’ may involve a failed brain network, and could shed light on autism

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.

This shows an older man holding his head

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·November 7, 2019·2 min read

Autistic adults thought they were ‘bad people’

Many people on the autism spectrum who were not diagnosed until later in life grew up believing they were "bad people."

This shows the brain symmetry via brain scans

Autism Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles

·November 1, 2019·3 min read

People with autism have a more symmetrical brain

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.

Featured Neuroscience Open Neuroscience Articles Psychology

·October 30, 2019·3 min read

How are psychiatric disorders linked to infections during pregnancy?

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.