http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. As the human body fine-tunes its neurological wiring, nerve cells often must fix a faulty connection by amputating an axon—the "business end" of the neuron that sends electrical impulses to tissues or other neurons. It is a dance with death, however, because the molecular poison the neuron deploys to sever an axon could, if uncontained, kill the entire cell. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-secret-deaths-neurons.html Neuroscience Thu, 23 May 2013 11:50:43 EST news288528637 Medical researchers have manipulated human stem cells into producing types of brain cells known to play important roles in neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, schizophrenia and autism. The new model cell system allows neuroscientists to investigate normal brain development, as well as to identify specific disruptions in biological signals that may contribute to neuropsychiatric diseases. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-05-human-stem-cells-brain-neural.html Medical research Thu, 02 May 2013 13:37:10 EST news286720594 Researchers have designed a method that can universally test for evolutionary adaption, or positive (Darwinian) selection, in any chosen set of genes, using re-sequencing data such as that generated by the 1000 Genomes Project. The method identifies gene sets that show evidence for positive selection in comparison with matched controls, and thus highlights genes for further functional studies. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-evolving-genes.html Genetics Thu, 18 Apr 2013 12:20:01 EST news285506387 People with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have trouble communicating and interacting with others because they process language, facial expressions and social cues differently. Previously, researchers found that propranolol, a drug commonly used to treat high blood pressure, anxiety and panic, could improve the language abilities and social functioning of people with an ASD. Now, University of Missouri investigators say the prescription drug also could help improve the working memory abilities of individuals with autism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-drug-memory-people-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 15 Apr 2013 16:26:16 EST news285261970 (HealthDay)—When the latest version of what is considered the "bible" of psychiatry is unveiled in May, experts believe several changes in it will broaden both the definition and diagnosis of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder—or ADHD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-psychiatry-bible-widen-definition-adhd.html Attention deficit disorders Fri, 12 Apr 2013 13:02:53 EST news284990550 A paper published this month in the prestigious medical journal The Lancet Neurology suggests that a broad spectrum of developmental and psychiatric disorders, ranging from autism and intellectual disability to schizophrenia, should be conceptualized as different manifestations of a common underlying denominator, 'developmental brain dysfunction,' rather than completely independent conditions with distinct causes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-genetic-evidence-continuum-neurodevelopmental-psychiatric.html Genetics Fri, 05 Apr 2013 08:21:02 EST news284368851 (Medical Xpress)—The University of Delaware's Prasad Dhurjati is a chemical engineer whose background includes systems engineering, biotechnology and artificial intelligence. Yet recently, he has been investigating autism spectrum disorders, neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by cognitive, behavioral and social impairments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-autism-chemical-spectrum-disorders.html Autism spectrum disorders Tue, 05 Mar 2013 09:20:01 EST news281695647 Environmental exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a widespread chemical found in plastics and resins, may suppress a gene vital to nerve cell function and to the development of the central nervous system, according to a study led by researchers at Duke Medicine. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-bpa-affect-brain-disrupting-gene.html Medical research Mon, 25 Feb 2013 15:00:12 EST news281009067 About 1 in 150 children are affected by an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a group of neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by difficulty with language, communication, and social interaction. A critical review of several published studies evaluating the potential for therapy or assistance dogs to help children with ASD overcome some of these challenges is published in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-therapy-dogs-beneficial-children-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Tue, 12 Feb 2013 12:00:04 EST news279890867 Genes linked to autism and schizophrenia are only switched on during the early stages of brain development, according to a study in mice led by researchers at the University of Oxford. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-genes-autism-schizophrenia-brains.html Genetics Mon, 11 Feb 2013 15:00:26 EST news279804955 Autism spectrum disorders affect nearly 1 in 88 children, with symptoms ranging from mild personality traits to severe intellectual disability and seizures. Understanding the altered genetic pathways is critical for diagnosis and treatment. New work to examine which genes are responsible for autism disorders will be presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society (BPS), held Feb. 2-6, 2013, in Philadelphia, Pa. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-autism-gene.html Genetics Fri, 01 Feb 2013 16:46:00 EST news278959554 A new finding in neuroscience for the first time points to a developmental mechanism linking the disease-causing mutation in an autism-related disorder, Timothy syndrome, and observed defects in brain wiring, according to a study led by scientist Ricardo Dolmetsch and published online yesterday in Nature Neuroscience. These findings may be at the heart of the mechanisms underlying intellectual disability and many other brain disorders. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-discovery-autism-related-disorder-reveals-key.html Neuroscience Mon, 14 Jan 2013 09:08:08 EST news277376881 (Medical Xpress)—Increasing evidence shows urban and rural children are regularly exposed to low levels of pesticides that can have serious long-term health effects, according to a report issued by the American Academy of Pediatrics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-american-academy-pediatrics-issues-policy.html Pediatrics Thu, 20 Dec 2012 07:22:52 EST news275210553 Researchers at the Douglas Mental Health University Institute, have discovered a new genetic process that could one day provide a novel target for the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as intellectual disability and autism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-genetic-pathway-neurodevelopmental-disorders.html Genetics Thu, 06 Dec 2012 12:59:51 EST news274021174 Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are neurodevelopmental disorders typically characterized by difficulties in social interactions and delayed or abnormal language development. Although ASD reportedly affects 1 in 88 people in the United States, to date there have been no distinctive biomarkers to diagnose the disease. In a special themed issue of Disease Markers, investigators report on the current understanding of ASD genetics and the possibilities of translating genetic research toward biomarker development in ASD. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-biomarker-early-autism-spectrum-disorder.html Autism spectrum disorders Fri, 30 Nov 2012 10:43:51 EST news273494616 About 10 percent of kids born with kidney defects have large alterations in their genomes known to be linked with neurodevelopmental delay and mental illness, a new study by Columbia University Medical Center (CUMC) researchers has shown. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-genetic-link-kidney-defects-neurodevelopmental.html Genetics Thu, 15 Nov 2012 12:24:16 EST news272204649 A brief kick to the immune system of a pregnant mouse can cause persistent changes in the brains of the offspring, according to new research from the University of California, Davis, Center for Neuroscience. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-immune-pregnant-mice-affects-offspring.html Medical research Fri, 26 Oct 2012 09:35:51 EST news270462929 The study indicates that the criteria, which are still under review and must be approved by the APA Board of Trustees, work best when both parental and clinical observations are incorporated in diagnosis. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-asd-criteria-children-pdd.html Psychology & Psychiatry Mon, 22 Oct 2012 08:13:54 EST news270112413 (Medical Xpress)—A sudden and mysterious burst of activity originating in the retina of a developing fetus spurs brain connections that are essential to development of finely-tuned sight, Yale researchers report in the journal Nature. Interference with this spontaneous wave of activity could play a role in neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, the scientists speculate. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-fetal-neural-vision.html Neuroscience Thu, 11 Oct 2012 07:06:30 EST news269157982 (HealthDay)—More and more children are growing up with autism, and although many treatments and interventions are now available, clinical studies on the use of medications in teens and young adults are lacking, according to new research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-lacking-drugs-older-children-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 24 Sep 2012 11:58:24 EST news267706685 Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) pioneered the study of the link between irregularities in the immune system and neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism a decade ago. Since then, studies of postmortem brains and of individuals with autism, as well as epidemiological studies, have supported the correlation between alterations in the immune system and autism spectrum disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-07-evidence-link-immune-irregularities-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Tue, 17 Jul 2012 14:53:55 EST news261755595 University of Iowa biologists have advanced the knowledge of human neurodevelopmental disorders by finding that a lack of a particular group of cell adhesion molecules in the cerebral cortex -- the outermost layer of the brain where language, thought and other higher functions take place -- disrupts the formation of neural circuitry. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-human-cells.html Neuroscience Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:40:03 EST news255016314 They say you can't teach an old dog new tricks. Fortunately, this is not always true. Researchers at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience have now discovered how the adult brain can adapt to new situations. The Dutch researchers' findings are published on Wednesday in the prestigious journal Neuron. Their study may be significant in the treatment of neurodevelopmental disorders such as epilepsy, autism and schizophrenia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-mechanism-adult-brain-revealed.html Neuroscience Thu, 26 Apr 2012 12:48:33 EST news254663260 An editorial published today in the prestigious journal Environmental Health Perspectives calls for increased research to identify possible environmental causes of autism and other neurodevelopmental disorders in America's children and presents a list of ten target chemicals including which are considered highly likely to contribute to these conditions. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-toxic-chemicals-autism-disabilities.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 25 Apr 2012 13:14:18 EST news254578412 Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) tend to be fascinated by screen-based technology. A new study by a University of Missouri researcher found that adolescents with autism spend the majority of their free time using non-social media, including television and video-games. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-01-adolescents-autism-free-solitary-screen-based.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:03:17 EST news246722587 The face and brain develop in coordination, with each influencing the other, beginning in the embryo and continuing through adolescence. Now, University of Missouri researchers have found distinct differences between the facial characteristics of children with autism compared to those of typically developing children. This knowledge could help researchers understand the origins of autism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-autistic-facial-characteristics.html Medical research Thu, 20 Oct 2011 09:59:49 EST news238323555 A primary characteristic of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) is impairments in social-communication skills. Children and adolescents with social-communication problems face difficulty understanding, interacting and relating with others. University of Missouri researchers found that children who receive more intensive therapy to combat these impairments, especially at early ages, achieve the best outcomes. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-children-autism-benefit-early-intensive.html Psychology & Psychiatry Wed, 28 Sep 2011 12:04:47 EST news236430279 Regular exercise could help prevent brain damage associated with neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, according to research published this month in Elsevier's journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-08-brain-alzheimer-disease.html Neuroscience Mon, 15 Aug 2011 10:25:14 EST news232622670 Gardeners know that some trees require regular pruning: some of their branches have to be cut so that others can grow stronger. The same is true of the developing brain: cells called microglia prune the connections between neurons, shaping how the brain is wired, scientists at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Monterotondo, Italy, discovered. Published online today in Science, the findings could one day help understand neurodevelopmental disorders like autism. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-gardening-brain-specialist-cells-prune.html Medical research Thu, 21 Jul 2011 15:01:05 EST news230479251