Autism
Further Evidence For Genetic Contribution To Autism Discovered By Caltech And UNC Research - Some parents of children with autism evaluate facial expressions differently than the rest of us--and in a way that is strikingly similar to autistic patients themselves, according to new research by neuroscientist Ralph Adolphs of the California Institute of Technology and psychiatrist Joe Piven at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Common Mechanisms May Underlie Autism’s Seemingly Diverse Mutations - Many of the seemingly disparate mutations recently discovered in autism may share common underlying mechanisms, say researchers supported in part by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The mutations may disrupt specific genes that are vital to the developing brain, and which are turned on and off by experience-triggered neuronal activity. A research team led by Christopher Walsh, M.D., Ph.D., and Eric Morrow, M.D., Ph.
Middle Eastern Families Help Scientists Pinpoint Autism Genes - The hunt for gene mutations that contribute to autism has proceeded slowly, largely because autism encompasses a spectrum of diseases. Just as its symptoms vary widely among individuals, so do the genetic mutations that cause them.
Middle Eastern Families Yield Intriguing Clues To Autism - Research involving large Middle Eastern families, sophisticated genetic analysis and groundbreaking neuroscience has implicated a half-dozen new genes in autism. More importantly, it strongly supports the emerging idea that autism stems from disruptions in the brain’s ability to form new connections in response to experience consistent with autism’s onset during the first year of life, when many of these connections are normally made.
Autism Could Be Caused By Failure To Trigger Genes In Early Brain Development - An international team of scientists studying genetic causes of autism spectrum disorders by focusing on families where both parents shared a recent ancestor, found that seemingly diverse genes linked to autism had something in common in that many were triggered by by brain development that is regulated by early childhood experience.
National Autistic Society Response To The Bercow Review On Children, Young People And Speech, Language And Communication, UK - The Bercow review has confirmed what many parents of children with autism have been telling us: provision for children with speech, language and communication needs is inadequate and must improve. We strongly welcome Bercow’s crucial emphasis on early identification and intervention and support his call for an assessment process and better speech and language services.
The First Autism Disease Genes - The autistic disorder, a neurodevelopmental disease first described in 1943, represents a challenge for treatment and a puzzle for research. Alongside Asperger syndrome, a milder form of the disorder, autism is classified in the continuum of various Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), all of which are characterized by deficits in language, social interaction, and a strangely restricted and repetitive behaviour (stereotypy). Disease onset occurs during the first three years of life.
Autism And Lyme Disease Are Connected, Lyme-Induced Autism Study Finds - Lyme disease may play a role in causing autism according to a recent study published in Medical Hypothesis, a peer-reviewed scientific journal. A team of five physicians led by Robert Bransfield, M.D., analyzed the two diseases and discovered a connection based on epidemiological findings, symptom similarities, case reports, and laboratory test results. The Lyme-Induced Autism (LIA) Foundation has paved the way for studies such as this one.
Researchers Link Early Stem Cell Mutation To Autism - In a breakthrough scientific study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, scientists at the Burnham Institute for Medical Research have shown that neural stem cell development may be linked to Autism. The study demonstrated that mice lacking the myocyte enhancer factor 2C (MEF2C) protein in neural stem cells had smaller brains, fewer nerve cells and showed behaviors similar to those seen in humans with a form of autism known as Rett Syndrome.
NIMH Funds Pitt Researchers To Find Best Treatments For Children With Autism And ADHD Symptoms - Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC have received $3 million from the National Institute of Mental Health to conduct a national study of the treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children with autism spectrum disorders.
Autistic Man, Who Is Also Kidney Transplant Recipient, Found In Woods - Keith Kennedy, 25, was found by a firefighter “conscious and alert” about one mile a camp he wandered away from one week ago. Keith is not only autistic, he is also a kidney transplant recipient and is on medication to make sure his kidney is not rejected by his body. Keith’s family were concerned he might not be able to cope without his anti-rejection medication which he has had to take since 1995.
UCLA Mouse Study Offers Hope For Correcting How Autism Disrupts Brain - UCLA researchers discovered that an FDA-approved drug reverses the brain dysfunction inflicted by a genetic disease called tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). Because half of TSC patients also suffer from autism, the findings offer new hope for addressing learning disorders due to autism. Nature Medicine publishes the findings in its online June 22 edition.
Market America Announces Plans To Launch Vitamins For Children With Autism - Market America announced that it is in the development and testing stages of a new line of nutraceutical products that will support the health of children with autism and related neurodevelopmental challenges. Specialized laboratory testing often demonstrates sub-optimal levels of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids in people with autism, which can be addressed with nutritional supplements.
Concept Media Releases AD/HD, Autism, And Mental Retardation Programs - Concept Media, a leading producer and distributor of healthcare education media, has just released ADHD: Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Mental Retardation in DVD and CD-ROM formats. These new scenario-based series have a multidisciplinary focus that features medicine, nursing, education, and human development.
‘Faulty’ Brain Connections May Be Responsible For Social Impairments In Autism - New evidence shows that the brains of adults with autism are “wired” differently from people without the disorder, and this abnormal pattern of connectivity may be responsible for the social impairments that are characteristic of autism.
Response To The Carers Strategy By The National Autistic Society, UK - Whilst The National Autistic Society (NAS) welcomes increased funding for vital support services, such as shortbreak schemes, much more needs to be done to tackle the financial hardship faced by thousands of carers. Autism is a serious and lifelong condition and caring for someone with the disability is often a full time job. Carer’s Allowance is currently woefully inadequate at £50.55 for a 35 hour week - that’s £1.
Speaking Up For Others - A New Initiative For People With Profound And Multiple Learning Disabilities, UK - National charity for people with learning disabilities, HFT, has teamed up with charity and voluntary agency, Onside Independent Advocacy, to launch a new initiative which will enhance support for people with profound and multiple learning disabilities.
Mechanism May Explain Aspects Of Brain Impairment Seen In Fragile X Syndrome - Scientists report that a protein associated with a common form of mental retardation plays an important role in intracellular trafficking within neurons. The research, published by Cell Press in the June issue of the journal Developmental Cell, reveals new information about how neuronal communication and plasticity are affected in Fragile X Syndrome (FXS). FXS is a highly prevalent form of inherited mental impairment that also contributes to autism spectrum disorders.
Missing Protein In Fragile X Syndrome Is Key To Transporting Signals Within Neurons - Fragile X syndrome (FXS) robs the brain of a protein that plays a major role in the way neurons communicate and that is essential for brain development, learning and memory. A team of scientists has discovered new information about how FXS interferes with signaling between the nucleus of neurons and the synapse, the outer reaches of the neuron where two neurons communicate via chemical and electrical signals.
Autism - The Past, The Present And The Future, Conference, UK - A major conference on the advances in autism research and practice is to be held on June 12th at Prior’s Court, one of the country’s leading autistic specialist schools near Newbury. This year more children will be diagnosed with autism this year than diabetes, cancer, & AIDS combined.
Autism Risk Higher For Preterm And Low Birthweight Girls - Research from the US suggests that compared to other developmental disabilities, low birthweight and premature birth was linked to a higher risk of autism, especially for girls.
Nutricia Partners With Autism Speaks - Nutricia North America announced its support of Autism Speaks, the nation’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to autism awareness. “Autism Speaks is grateful for the support of Nutricia,” said Scott Leibowitz, national director of corporate relations for Autism Speaks. “The support of organizations like Nutricia is critical to raising funds for important research into the causes, prevention, treatments and cure for autism.
CMS Approves Pennsylvania Medicaid Waiver Program To Help Residents With Autism - Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell (D) on Thursday announced that CMS earlier this month granted approval of a waiver program that allows the state to allocate part of its federal Medicaid funds toward services for adult residents with autism, the
‘Trust Machinery’ Identified In The Brain - The brain centers triggered by a betrayal of trust have been identified by researchers, who found they could suppress such triggering and maintain trust by administering the brain chemical oxytocin. The researchers said their findings not only offer basic insights into the neural machinery underlying trust; the results may also help in understanding the neural basis of social disorders such as phobias and autism.
Autism Detected At 9 Months Of Age Using Research Tool - The ability to detect autism in children as young as nine months of age is on the horizon, according to researchers at McMaster University. The Early Autism Study, led by Mel Rutherford, associate professor of psychology in the Faculty of Science, has been using eye tracker technology that measures eye direction while the babies look at faces, eyes, and bouncing balls on a computer screen.
