Last update:

Autism spectrum disorders news

Neuroscience

Study links gene-regulating brain circuit formation to autism and seizures

The gene neuropilin2 encodes a receptor involved in cell-cell interactions in the brain and plays a key role in regulating the development of neural circuits. Neuropilin2 controls migration of inhibitory neurons as well as ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Study shows autistic individuals enrolled in Medicaid and receiving federal housing support grew 70% from 2008–16

Affordable and stable housing is critical to improving health across a person's lifespan. People with disabilities, including autism, comprise a significant share of people in need of housing assistance. However, the intersection ...

Genetics

New findings expand genetic knowledge of autism underpinnings

Hundreds of novel genetic variants across an ancestrally diverse cohort of 195 families, including 222 people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), have been identified by researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center, expanding ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Autism diagnoses rising among U.S. children, adults

Big surges in new autism diagnoses among young adults, as well a rise in diagnoses for girls and young women, have driven a near-tripling of U.S. autism cases in just over a decade, researchers report.

Health

Study: Milder autism far outpacing 'profound' diagnoses

As autism diagnoses become increasingly common, health officials have wondered how many U.S. kids have relatively mild symptoms and how many have more serious symptoms, such as very low IQ and inability to speak.

Autism spectrum disorders

Four different autism subtypes identified in brain study

People with autism spectrum disorder can be classified into four distinct subtypes based on their brain activity and behavior, according to a study from Weill Cornell Medicine investigators.

Health

Higher lithium levels in drinking water may raise autism risk

Pregnant women whose household tap water had higher levels of lithium had a moderately higher risk of their offspring being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, according to a new study led by a UCLA Health researcher.

Autism spectrum disorders

Autism now more common among Black, Hispanic kids in US

For the first time, autism is being diagnosed more frequently in Black and Hispanic children than in white kids in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

Genetics

Does an ancient virus genome drive autism?

Although autism is a common neurodevelopmental disorder, the multiple factors behind its onset are still not fully understood. Animal models of idiopathic autism, especially mice, are often used to help researchers understand ...