Medical research

Brain displays an intrinsic mechanism for fighting infection

(Medical Xpress)—White blood cells have long reigned as the heroes of the immune system. When an infection strikes, the cells, produced in bone marrow, race through the blood to fight off the pathogen. But new research ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Psychopaths get a break from biology

A University of Utah survey of judges in 19 states found that if a convicted criminal is a psychopath, judges consider it an aggravating factor in sentencing, but if judges also hear biological explanations for the disorder, ...

Autism spectrum disorders

Study shows gene defect's role in autism-like behavior

Scientists affiliated with the UC Davis MIND Institute have discovered how a defective gene causes brain changes that lead to the atypical social behavior characteristic of autism. The research offers a potential target for ...

Genetics

Evolution's gift may also be at the root of a form of autism

A recently evolved pattern of gene activity in the language and decision-making centers of the human brain is missing in a disorder associated with autism and learning disabilities, a new study by Yale University researchers ...

Medical research

Brain and heart link may explain sudden death in Rett

Poets might scoff at the notion that heart and brain are closely related, but scientists led by those at Baylor College of Medicine (www.bcm.edu) say a genetic defect that affects the brain can stop a heart.

Genetics

Common form of autism recreated in a new mouse model

Over the past decade, new technologies have revealed that autism spectrum disorder has a substantial genetic component. But determining exactly which genes are involved has been like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack.

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