Women whose children are severely autistic have lower serotonin levels than do those whose children have mild or moderate autism traits, a new study suggests1. Serotonin is a signaling molecule in the nervous system. Nearly one in three people with autism has elevated levels of serotonin in his bloo…

The drug mavoglurant has no effect on a brain circuit involved in social behavior in a mouse model of fragile X syndrome. That may explain why the drug failed to improve social behavior in people with the condition, researchers reported yesterday at the 2017 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting i…

Those on the spectrum are at a high risk for this. Is your child one of them? If so, here are some ways to help.Source: The Autism Site

A new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine has the power to reveal the brain’s structure and activity at unprecedented resolution. The machine produces a magnetic field of 10.5 tesla — more than three times that of a typical hospital machine and 50 percent stronger than that of the most powerful…

Thanks to companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin, space travel is becoming more of a reality for regular citizens of our beautiful planet. As companies and space agencies start providing these rides in the future, it is imperative that we make considerations for and provide the right accommodations t…

Mobility devices have played a significant role in the lives of individuals with disabilities, particularly wheelchair users. However, traditional wheelchairs have remained largely unchanged since 1864, limiting users in various aspects of their lives. With the advent of self-balancing devices such …

A new technique for building a ‘brain in dish’ reveals how neurons move to their proper places during fetal development — and how that process may go awry in people with a genetic condition linked to autism1. The method is a twist on a technique used to grow neurons in 3-D clusters called spheroids.…

Innovation doesn’t cease to amaze us, does it? Continuing similar creativity that this dad came up with for his daughter, the AbleGamers Charity, along with AT Makers, has come up with an adapter called Freedom Wing that connects a person’s wheelchair to XBox so they can use the wheelcha…

People on the spectrum, and girls and women in particular, are at high risk of suicide, according to the largest study yet to analyze suicidal behaviors in autistic people1. The study is the first one large enough to analyze suicide data for autistic people by sex, intelligence and the presence of o…

“She won’t say hi unless I say ‘Say Hello.’” “He will only wash his hands if I put his hand on the knob to turn on the water.” “He won’t use his fork until I put it in his hand.” I hear statements like this all the time from both parents and providers working with learners what autism. What they …

In 2020, as many as 5.8 million Americans were living with Alzheimer’s Disease and this number is expected to nearly triple to 14 million by 2060. Alzheimer’s causes memory loss that disrupts daily life, makes it difficult to complete daily tasks, and causes confusion and poor judgement. Many tim…

The post Webinar: Raphael Bernier examines CHD8 mutations in autism appeared first on Spectrum | Autism Research News. Source: Spectrum News

A new test claims to assess a child’s risk of autism based on abnormal folds in the placenta, and is being offered to pediatricians in the U.S. But with little evidence to support its use, experts say the test is premature and unethical. Yale University researcher Harvey Kliman introduced the Placen…

Autistic women show unusually strong connections, and autistic men unusually weak ones, between two specific brain regions, according to a new study1. The connections stretch from two regions within the cerebellum, which governs movement, emotion and language, to parts of the cerebral cortex. The la…