Memories are formed at structures in the brain known as dendritic spines, which communicate with other brain cells through “synapses.” The number of these brain connections decreases by half after puberty in a process termed adolescent “synaptic pruning” that is necessary for normal learning in adulthood. However, the pruning away of unnecessary synapses does not...
Tag: <span>Autism</span>
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From Alzheimer’s to autism, nuclear neurology could launch revolution in diagnosing and treating brain diseases
Image of glucose metabolism PET overlaid on CT in an Alzheimer’s patient with mild dementia. Green arrow points to regional hypometabolism in the medial parietal lobe, (which processes biographical information and memory),a proposed biomarker for Alzheimer’s. UB researcher with database of 16,000 brain scans proposes that powerful imaging can transform neurology as it did cardiology...
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Autism Researchers Discover Genetic ‘Rosetta Stone’
Distinct sets of genetic defects in a single neuronal protein can lead either to infantile epilepsy or to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), depending on whether the respective mutations boost the protein’s function or sabotage it, according to a new study by UC San Francisco researchers. Tracing how these particular genetic defects lead to more general...
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Fecal transplant improves autism symptoms
Could the key to helping autistic children lie in their gut? While many people are aware of the behavioural symptoms associated with autism, probably not so many realize that autistics often also have gastrointestinal problems. With that in mind, scientists at the University of Arizona recently conducted a study in which a group of 18...
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Commentary: I made my autistic son cannabis cookies. They saved him.
It took me awhile to perfect the cookie recipe. I experimented with ingredients: Blueberry, Strawberry, Sour Diesel, White Widow, Bubba Kush, AK-47 — all strains of cannabis, which I stored, mixed with glycerin, in meticulously labeled jars on a kitchen shelf. After the cookies finished baking, I’d taste a few crumbs and annotate the effects in...
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Autism breakthrough: One protein’s sweeping influence on development of autism revealed
Reducing nSR100 protein levels by half was enough to trigger autistic-like behavior in these animals. As many as a third of autism cases could be explained by a scarcity of a single protein in the brain, Toronto scientists have revealed. The findings provide a unique opportunity to develop treatments for a disorder that is rooted...
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Parents of autistic children call ‘Buzzies’ a game changer
PHOENIX – Trouble focusing in class and wanting to get up and leave are issues that a lot of 17-year-olds deal with during the school day, but for Jacob Holma these are problems he really struggles with on a daily basis. Jacob has Autism and has a difficult time concentrating both inside and outside of...
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Virtual reality training improves social skills of individuals on the autism spectrum
Summary: Children with autism spectrum disorder, who participated in a virtual reality training program, improved social cognition skills and reported better real-world relationships. Neurocognitive testing showed significant gains in emotional recognition, understanding the perspective of others and the ability to problem solve. Although most children with high-functioning autism have above average intellectual capabilities, they often...
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New form of autism found
An international team of researchers led by scientists at IST Austria identified a new form of syndromic autism | Study published in Cell Autism spectrum disorders affect around one percent of the world’s population and are characterized by a range of difficulties in social interaction and communication. In a new study published in Cell, a team...
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New form of autism found
An international team of researchers led by scientists at IST Austria identified a new form of syndromic autism | Study published in Cell Autism spectrum disorders affect around one percent of the world’s population and are characterized by a range of difficulties in social interaction and communication. In a new study published in Cell, a team...