http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. (HealthDay)—People with Asperger's syndrome—mild autism with normal or sometimes superior verbal ability and intelligence—are at a crossroads: Their diagnosis is about to disappear. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-guideline-asperger-edge.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 18 Apr 2013 13:50:01 EST news285510091 Healthy eating not only promotes growth and development, but also provides important opportunities for children to socialize during meals. A new, comprehensive analysis of feeding behavior in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) indicates that these children are five times more likely to have a feeding problem, including extreme tantrums during meals, severe food selectivity and ritualistic mealtime behaviors. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-children-autism-significant-problems-nutritional.html Autism spectrum disorders Mon, 04 Feb 2013 16:15:38 EST news279216931 Some children who are accurately diagnosed in early childhood with autism lose the symptoms and the diagnosis as they grow older, a study supported by the National Institutes of Health has confirmed. The research team made the finding by carefully documenting a prior diagnosis of autism in a small group of school-age children and young adults with no current symptoms of the disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-documents-children-autism-diagnosis.html Autism spectrum disorders Tue, 15 Jan 2013 09:00:01 EST news277452685 (Medical Xpress)—One of the most popular intervention therapies for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) lacks scientific support according to a literature review published by University of Texas at Austin professor Mark O'Reilly and an international team of scientists. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-popular-autism-treatment-lacks-scientific.html Autism spectrum disorders Tue, 20 Nov 2012 08:17:15 EST news272621823 An investigational compound that targets the core symptoms of fragile X syndrome is effective for addressing the social withdrawal and challenging behaviors characteristic of the condition, making it the first such discovery for fragile X syndrome and, potentially, the first for autism spectrum disorder, a study by researchers at the UC Davis MIND Institute and Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, has found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-drug-fragile-syndrome-potentially-autism.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 19 Sep 2012 14:00:04 EST news267281867 (Medical Xpress)—Over the past decade, researchers have made great strides in identifying genes that lead to an increased risk of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), which result in a continuum of social deficits, communication difficulties and cognitive delays. But it's still critical to determine how exactly these genetic risk factors impact the brain's structure and function so that better treatments and interventions can be developed. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-09-common-gene-mutation-affects-kids.html Autism spectrum disorders Fri, 14 Sep 2012 08:59:37 EST news266831918 Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, today announced its expanded collaboration with Sigma Advanced Genetic Engineering (SAGE) Labs, an initiative of Sigma Life, to develop the first rat models with modified autism associated genes, intended to accelerate discovery and translational autism research. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-08-autism-sage-labs-rat.html Autism spectrum disorders Thu, 02 Aug 2012 11:14:11 EST news263124842 A pioneering report of genome-wide gene expression in autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) finds genetic changes that help explain why one person has an ASD and another does not. The study, published by Cell Press on June 21 in The American Journal of Human Genetics, pinpoints ASD risk factors by comparing changes in gene expression with DNA mutation data in the same individuals. This innovative approach is likely to pave the way for future personalized medicine, not just for ASD but also for any disease with a genetic component. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-functional-links-autism-genes.html Genetics Thu, 21 Jun 2012 13:20:04 EST news259497632 A specific antioxidant supplement may be an effective therapy for some features of autism, according to a pilot trial from the Stanford University School of Medicine and Lucile Packard Children's Hospital that involved 31 children with the disorder. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-antioxidant-treatment-features-autism.html Psychology & Psychiatry Tue, 29 May 2012 15:53:10 EST news257525584 (HealthDay) -- Children with autism given a squirt of a nasal spray containing the hormone oxytocin showed more activity in brain regions known to be involved with processing social information, a small study found. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-nasal-hormone-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Wed, 16 May 2012 16:10:02 EST news256399301 Impaired social function is a cardinal symptom of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). One of the brain circuits that enable us to relate to other people is the "mirror neuron" system. This brain circuit is activated when we watch other people, and allows our brains to represent the actions of others, influencing our ability to learn new tasks and to understand the intentions and experiences of other people. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-03-mirror-brain-autism.html Autism spectrum disorders Fri, 02 Mar 2012 12:06:37 EST news249912274 Researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine have been able to switch on, and then switch off, social-behavior deficits in mice that resemble those seen in people with autism and schizophrenia, thanks to a technology that allows scientists to precisely manipulate nerve activity in the brain. In synchrony with this experimentally induced socially aberrant behavior, the mice exhibited a brain-wave pattern called gamma oscillation that has been associated with autism and schizophrenia in humans, the researchers say. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-social-deficits-autism-schizophrenia-mice.html Medical research Wed, 27 Jul 2011 13:30:26 EST news230992205 5 May 2011 - The use of animal models to study human disease is essential to help advance our understanding of disease and to develop new therapeutic treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-05-social-deficits-autism-schizophrenia-animals.html Psychology & Psychiatry Thu, 05 May 2011 10:11:22 EST news223809041