by Elana Gotkine Prenatal cannabis use is not associated with child autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or with child early developmental delays, according to two studies published online Oct. 18 in JAMA Network Open. Lyndsay A. Avalos, Ph.D., M.P.H., from Kaiser Permanente Northern California in Pleasanton, and colleagues examined the association between maternal cannabis use in early pregnancy and...
Category: <span>Autism</span>
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BRAIN DIFFERENCE TIED TO AUTISM FOUND IN LIVING PEOPLE FOR 1ST TIME
A new study has uncovered a molecular difference in the brains of people with autism that is linked to the central features associated with the condition. It is the first time that synaptic density has been measured in living people with autism. For decades, researchers have relied on animal models and post-mortem subjects to help...
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Little-studied RNA might be key to regulating genetic disorders like epilepsy and autism
by Northwestern University A hairpin loop from a pre-mRNA. Highlighted are the nucleobases (green) and the ribose-phosphate backbone (blue). Note that this is a single strand of RNA that folds back upon itself. Credit: Vossman/ Wikipedia When a gene produces too much protein, it can have devastating consequences on brain development and function. Patients with an...
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Brain organoids reveal autism biology and potential treatments
by The Scripps Research Institute A cerebral organoid showing rosettes (or whirls) of newly developing and migrating new neurons (shown in purplish-red). Credit: Scripps Research Using stem cells generated from patients with a rare and severe form of autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability, Scripps Research scientists have grown personalized “mini-brains” (or organoids) to study the...
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World’s largest autism whole genome sequencing study reveals 134 autism-linked genes
by The Hospital for Sick Children Graphical abstract. Credit: Cell (2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.10.009 Researchers from The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) have uncovered new genes and genetic changes associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the largest autism whole genome sequencing analysis to date, providing better understanding into the ‘genomic architecture’ that underlies this disorder. The study,...
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A new learning method could help people with autism improve visual perception capabilities
by Tel Aviv University Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain A new study from Tel Aviv University proposes a new learning method for people with autism that may accelerate the learning process and even significantly improve capabilities in terms of visual perception. According to the researchers, improving the perceptual capacity of people with autism is often a...
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New hope for people living with a genetic cause of autism
Fragile X syndrome, or FXS, a leading genetic cause of autism, affects around one in 4,000 males and one in 6,000 females. Its symptoms include increased anxiety, intellectual disability, repetitive behaviors, social communication deficits, and abnormal sensory processing. People living with FXS generally lack the fragile X mental retardation 1 gene, or Fmr1, in their brain cells....
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How a top-ranking risk gene for autism spectrum disorders causes seizures
by Ellen Goldbaum, University at Buffalo Fig. 1: ASH1L expression and H3K4me3 level are significantly decreased in PFC of postmortem ASD patients, which is replicated by knockdown of Ash1L in PFC of young mice. a Quantitative PCR data showing ASH1L mRNA levels in postmortem PFC tissues from control humans vs. idiopathic ASD patients. n = 12 humans (10 M,2 F)/group,...
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Researchers reveal a possible new pathway for treating epileptic seizures in patients with autism
by Purdue University Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain Autism affects about 2% of children in the United States, and about 30% of these children have seizures. Recent large-scale genetic studies have revealed that genetic variants in a sodium channel, called voltage-gated sodium channel Nav1.2, are a leading cause of autism. Overactive sodium channels in the neuron cause...
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Using video for the early detection of autism
by University of Geneva Example of ‘skeleton’ extraction using OpenPose on an image extracted from the recording of a social scene: (A) OpenPose keypoints overlaid on the video recording (B). OpenPose keypoints over a black background, preserving the bare minimum of scene features necessary to identify the social interaction. Credit: Kojovic, Natraj, Mohanty, Maillart, Schaer Individuals...