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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: environment

September 2014

Roots of language troubles, autism traits may diverge

by  /  15 September 2014

The genetic and environmental factors that underlie difficulties with language differ from those that influence other autism traits, according to a new study of more than 3,000 twin pairs. The study, published 2 August in the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part B: Neuropsychiatric Genetics, suggests that difficulty with language is not a core symptom of autism.

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August 2014

Researchers to journalists: Stop blaming mothers

by  /  19 August 2014

When covering research on prenatal risk factors, are journalists too quick to blame the mother?

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July 2014

Why inferring autism’s causes from epidemiology is dangerous

by  /  29 July 2014

Epidemiological ‘just-so’ stories, which infer causes of autism from general trends in prevalence, are in danger of repeating the mistakes of social Darwinism, says Mayada Elsabbagh.

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Common mutations account for half of autism risk

by  /  21 July 2014

Common genetic variants that have minor effects may contribute about half the risk of developing autism, according to a study published Sunday in Nature Genetics. Identifying these variants would require tens of thousands of samples.

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Maternal factors, birth order up autism risk

by  /  17 July 2014

Having one child with autism raises the odds of having a second child with the disorder 20-fold, according to one of the largest epidemiological studies so far to address the inheritance of autism risk.

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Molecular mechanisms: Patterns of DNA tags altered in autism

by  /  8 July 2014

Children with autism have atypical patterns of epigenetic modifications — chemical tags on DNA that influence gene expression, suggests a study published 29 May in PLOS Genetics.

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June 2014

Autism not the only neurodevelopmental disorder on the rise

by  /  19 June 2014

The growing prevalence of autism is no different from that of other neurodevelopmental disorders, finds a study of more than 4.5 million people in four countries.

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What constitutes ‘environmental’ risk for autism?

by  /  11 June 2014

If inherited risk for autism is 50 percent, does that make the remaining half of risk environmental? Scientists clarify a large population study.

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How to evaluate new medications for autism

by  /  10 June 2014

There are no available medications for treating autism’s core symptoms, but there are several candidates in clinical trials. Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele describes the factors researchers must take into account when developing drugs for the disorder.

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May 2014

Environment, genetics may contribute equally to autism risk

by  /  22 May 2014

A large study of autism in Swedish families suggests that about half of the risk for autism comes from genetics and the other half from environmental factors, researchers reported 7 May in The Journal of the American Medical Association. However, the mathematical model the study used may not be appropriate for evaluating autism risk, experts say.

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