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Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: treatments

December 2013

Many children with autism take multiple drugs

by  /  3 December 2013

It’s common for children with autism to take more than one medication to improve symptoms, despite the dearth of information about the drugs’ long-term safety, according to two new studies.

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Molecular mechanisms: Rett gene boosts protein production

by  /  3 December 2013

MeCP2, the protein mutated in Rett syndrome, is normally responsible for boosting the expression of a large number of genes. This finding, published 3 October in Cell Stem Cell, may explain why growth factors that promote protein production are able to reverse features of the syndrome in mice.

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Drug fixes cellular defects in autism-related disorder

by  /  2 December 2013

A new stem-cell model of Phelan-McDermid syndrome points to a possible treatment for the rare autism-related disorder, according to a study published in Nature.

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November 2013

Hear this: Listening device helps children with autism

by  /  29 November 2013

A wireless radio-frequency listening device helps children with autism hear others talk, which in turn improves their social interactions and learning, reports a study published 30 October in The Journal of Pediatrics.

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Compendium of mouse brains highlights autism’s diversity

by  /  14 November 2013

By mapping the brains of not 1 but 27 mouse models of autism, researchers are making sense of the widely divergent structural changes seen in autism brains, they reported Wednesday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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Technique visualizes networks processing theory of mind

by  /  14 November 2013

Pairing brain imaging with simple videos that mimic social interactions can help pinpoint the brain regions responsible for inferring others’ thoughts. Researchers described this approach Sunday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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Training normalizes imaging patterns in autism brains

by  /  13 November 2013

A ‘neurofeedback’ training program featuring movies and video games may help erase certain abnormalities seen in brain scans of boys with autism, according to research presented Monday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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Existing drugs could treat Rett syndrome, studies suggest

by  /  13 November 2013

Rett syndrome affects many cellular pathways, but correcting just one of these with drugs approved for other purposes may be enough to alleviate symptoms of the disorder. This was the message from two presentations Tuesday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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Diet and drug alleviate symptoms in autism rat models

by  /  12 November 2013

Two studies in autism rat models suggest that a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet and an unapproved drug for dementia may improve some symptoms of the disorder, according to unpublished results presented Sunday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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Over time, oxytocin puts prairie voles at disadvantage

by  /  12 November 2013

Long-term treatment with oxytocin impairs prairie voles’ ability to produce the hormone on their own, according to unpublished results presented Monday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

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