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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: anxiety

April 2022
Book cover conceptual illustration of chromosome superimposed with genetic tree.

A whisper of autism: Fragile X carriers and the autism phenotype

by  /  21 April 2022

Among people who carry the fragile X premutation, about 14 percent of boys and 5 percent of girls meet the criteria for autism, but the ‘broad autism phenotype’ may be far more common.

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Researchers, advocates rush to aid autistic Ukrainians

by  /  20 April 2022

Among the millions displaced by the war in Ukraine are children and adults with autism. Many autism professionals are doing what they can to help.

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February 2022

Amygdala development diverges in autism-specific anxiety

by  /  24 February 2022

The brain region, which is involved in fear and emotion processing, develops differently in autistic children with anxiety than in those without anxiety or in non-autistic children; its development also depends on the type of anxiety a child experiences.

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Gut molecule linked to decreased myelination in mouse brains

by  /  14 February 2022

Targeting the molecule, 4EPS, with an experimental drug may be a way to ease anxiety for autistic people, the researchers say. But not everyone is convinced.

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January 2022

Growth factor analogue shows promise for Rett syndrome in late-stage trial

by  /  25 January 2022

Girls and young women with Rett syndrome have less severe anxiety and breathing problems after treatment with trofinetide, an analogue of insulin-like growth factor 1, according to an unpublished placebo-controlled trial.

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Adult autism diagnoses don’t routinely follow other diagnoses in childhood

by  /  11 January 2022

Among thousands of Danish adults diagnosed with autism after age 18, less than half were diagnosed with a psychiatric condition as children, a new study shows.

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October 2021

How an understudied trait has skewed autism studies for decades

by  /  27 October 2021

Many autistic people have a little-known trait called alexithymia, defined as having difficulty identifying one’s own emotions. New research suggests that the overlap has been confounding studies of emotional issues in people with autism for decades.

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Photo: A boy in a yellow long-sleeve shirt washes his hands in a public restroom.

Inflexible thinking in adolescence linked to emotional, behavioral issues in adulthood

by  /  22 October 2021

Treating cognitive inflexibility — for example, by practicing problem-solving — might help ease anxiety and depression in autistic people.

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September 2021
Illustration of hybrid objects: part light bulb, part lab vial, some in blue and some in red to signify null and replicated results

Null and Noteworthy: Null rejection, repetitive behaviors, unsuccessful treatments

by  /  23 September 2021

In this edition of Null and Noteworthy, tests of intranasal oxytocin and an Angelman syndrome treatment fail to see results.

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Person with documents and a green pen.

New screen assesses suicidality in autistic adults

by  /  22 September 2021

A short questionnaire created in consultation with autistic people is the first of its kind to accurately gauge suicidal thoughts and behaviors among adults on the spectrum.

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