Autism with intellectual disability linked to mother’s immune dysfunction during pregnancy

From Science Daily: Pregnant women with higher levels of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, proteins that control communication between cells of the immune system, may be at significantly greater risk of having a child with autism combined with intellectual disability, researchers have found. The research also suggests a potential immune profile for the differentiation of autism combined with intellectual disability, as distinct from either autism or developmental disability alone. “Inflammation during the second trimester in the mothers of children with autism who also have intellectual disability was significantly greater than in…

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Eye-gaze tracking may offer objective tool for detecting autism in children

Methods for detecting early signs of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are primarily observational, spanning from parent reports to clinical evaluation. But researchers at Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital have found remote eye-gaze tracking technology may be a more effective tool for spotting signs of ASD. In research published Friday in the Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, study authors observed the technology helped identify children with autism from children without autism but with other developmental issues like ADHD, anxiety and intellectual disabilities. “Abnormal eye gaze is a hallmark…

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MIT study uncovers possible genetic link for ADHD, autism

A blockbuster MIT study provides new evidence of a genetic link for both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and autism — a possible breakthrough researchers say could lead to the use of cutting-edge gene therapy treatments for behavioral and developmental syndromes in the future. “One of the long-term goals is gene therapy where we can actually introduce genetic material that might be missing from the human,” said Michael F. Wells, a 
post-doctoral associate at the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard University. “What’s exciting is that this is now a possibility,…

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Navy funds autism-screening app, hoping for help with PTSD

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Navy is paying for research into an app to screen for autism in the hopes that it could eventually be tweaked to look for signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. While developmental and trauma disorders might at first appear strange bedfellows, the researchers and a PTSD expert for the VA say it could be an exciting new direction. Facial expressions can indicate the presence of autism, PTSD and other disorders. The Autism & Beyond app uses a smartphone camera and an algorithm to read children’s facial expressions…

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Autism spectrum has no clear cut-off point, research suggests

New study published in Nature Genetics indicates that genes predisposing people to autism could influence social skills in the wider population. The same genes involved in predisposing people to autism appear to influence social skills in the wider population, suggesting that the autism spectrum has no clear cut-off point, scientists have discovered. Researchers have previously shown that autism is linked not just to one or two powerful genes, but to the combined effect of many small genetic changes. The latest findings, published in Nature Genetics, suggest that social charm, empathy…

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Alpha, Beta Brainwaves Differ in Those With Autism

A new study shows that brain waves in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) differ from those in people without ASD. The findings show that ASD individuals exhibit fewer beta and alpha waves in certain regions of the brain as well as irregular patterns in the frontal lobe. Beta brainwaves are higher frequency waves that dominate when we feel alert, attentive, and are intensely focused. Alpha waves are slower frequency waves that are predominant during a waking restful state. You can read the full story here…

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Stomach Troubles Not Linked to Autism, Study Finds

Gastrointestinal problems don’t cause the disorder, researcher says. Children with autismare not at higher risk for certain digestive system problems than those without the neurodevelopmental disorder, a small study suggests. The researchers focused on gastrointestinal disorders that previous studies suggested might be linked to autism. These include intestinal inflammation; deficiency of the digestive enzyme lactase, associated with lactose intolerance; and increased intestinal permeability, often called “leaky gut.” The results showed that the children with autism were no more likely to have these conditions than typically developing kids. Read the full story…

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Scientists Glean Insight On Rare Type Of Autism

Scientists at an independent Baltimore laboratory that studies the brain say they may have figured out how a rare form of autism called Pitt-Hopkins syndrome develops from a gene mutation, and they soon will begin testing a treatment. The scientists at the Johns Hopkins-affiliated Lieber Institute for Brain Development don’t expect a cure but believe children especially could have significant improvements in their intellectual, developmental and communication deficits. If the treatment – an existing drug intended to treat pain – is effective it could be tried on similar syndromes on…

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Meds and Pregnancy risks

Taking meds during pregnancy brings autism risk, benefits For a pregnant woman, the factors that can raise autism risk in her unborn child may seem to abound. Studies suggest that getting the flu, having a fever orgaining too much weight while pregnant can all boost the odds of having a child with autism. Certain medications may also raise the risk. For instance, pregnant women who take the epilepsy drug valproate are up to seven times more likely to have a child with autism than those who don’t. In the past…

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Child prodigies and Autism

Studying child prodigies could be the key to the autism breakthrough scientists have been waiting for Child prodigies have long been a riddle. Two academics, David Feldman and Martha Morelock, once complained—only somewhat facetiously—that “divine inspiration, reincarnation, or magical incantation” were the best explanations for child prodigies that science had to offer. But the psychologist Joanne Ruthsatz developed a startling hunch after a chance encounter with a music prodigy’s autistic cousin:  Could autism have something to do with prodigious talent? Full article can be found here at Business Insider  

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