Ultrasensitive blood test may detect autism mutations in utero
A blood test can accurately detect whether a fetus carries large mutations of the kind linked to autism, according to pilot-study results.
A blood test can accurately detect whether a fetus carries large mutations of the kind linked to autism, according to pilot-study results.
Families of children with mutations in a gene called SYNGAP1 have spurred research into the effects of the mutations on people — and how to treat them.
Many scientists have pointed out possible errors of analysis and interpretation in a high-profile study that suggested microbes can ease autism-like behaviors in mice.
Mice colonized with gut microbes from some autistic boys show behaviors like those of the boys.
Autistic infants who are enrolled in long-term studies may go on to have milder autism traits and better life skills than other children with the condition.
The ability to learn from social experiences wanes by adulthood, at least in mice — but the recreational drug ecstasy may bring it back.
Exposure to inflammation in the womb may affect the brain and behavior of males and females differently.
About 10 percent of autistic children have suicidal thoughts and behaviors.
People with autism who harm themselves are more than 30 times as likely as the general population to commit suicide. The risk is especially pronounced among girls and women on the spectrum.
Several of the brain’s responses to sound are sluggish in autistic children who speak few or no words, compared with those who are verbal.