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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.

Medical research

Neonicotinoid causes ASD-like symptoms in chicks, finds study

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) refers to a group of disabilities due to atypical brain development. Individuals with ASD have difficulties in social communication and interaction. Diverse causes of ASD are hypothesized, but ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Elon Musk: How being autistic may make him think differently

The business magnate and new owner of Twitter Elon Musk revealed a while ago that he is autistic. Musk, the wealthiest person in the world, is autistic. Musk, a fellow of the prestigious Royal Society and Time's 2021 Person ...

Neuroscience

The hunt for disrupted brain signals behind autism

Part of understanding the underlying causes of autism spectrum disorder relies on figuring out which cells' signaling patterns in the brain are disrupted, and when during nervous system development the disruption occurs.

Autism spectrum disorders

Why eye contact is rare among people with autism

A hallmark of autism spectrum disorder, ASD, is the reluctance to make eye contact with others in natural conditions. Although eye contact is a critically important part of everyday interactions, scientists have been limited ...

Neuroscience

Genetic variation and the diverse range of behaviors in autism

Research in humans and animal models points to potential biological and genetic mechanisms contributing to the diversity of behaviors seen in autism. The findings were presented at Neuroscience 2022, the annual meeting of ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Autistic women have increased risk of mental illness, study shows

Autistic young men and women are more affected by psychiatric conditions and have an increased risk of hospitalization as a result of their mental illness compared with non-autistic people. Autistic women are particularly ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Yes, people with autism have empathy

A research group led by Ben-Gurion University of the Negev has proposed a new concept for predicting autism and autistic traits. "Empathic disequilibrium" combines two types of empathy into a single scale for the first time.

Autism spectrum disorders

Autistic children left behind during pandemic school closures

Many children with autism or intellectual disability had poor attendance or even deregistered from school, often due to unmet needs, after their schools switched to online learning, reports a study and associated policy briefing ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Guidelines for inclusive language in autism research

In the decades since the "clinical" definitions of autism in the 1980s, many have been advocating to understand autism as a normal part of the neurodiversity spectrum rather than as a "problem" to be "fixed." Still, in the ...