Skip to main content

Spectrum: Autism Research News

Tag: valproic acid

February 2014

How to evaluate the ‘intense world’ paradigm?

by  /  11 February 2014

What evidence supports the idea that autism stems from overactive brain responses to sensory input? Researchers weigh in on this controversial theory.

Comments
January 2014

Intense world theory raises intense worries

by ,  /  21 January 2014

The ‘intense world theory’ of autism, which has attracted much interest from the popular press, has received very little academic scrutiny. Uta Frith and Anna Remington ask: Is it as positive as it purports to be, and what does it mean for autism?

Comments
December 2013

Understanding contradictory connectivity reports in autism

by ,  /  10 December 2013

Studies at the level of neural circuits are needed to better understand the importance of both increased and decreased connectivity between different regions in the autism brain, say John Rubenstein and Vikaas Sohal.

Comments
November 2013

Guinea pigs enter rat race for autism models

by  /  13 November 2013

Guinea pigs have advantages over other rodent species commonly used to model disorders such as autism, according to preliminary research published Tuesday at the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Comments

With training, autism rat models overcome hearing problems

by  /  11 November 2013

Rat models of autism have a weak and sluggish brain response to speech sounds, but behavioral training can improve their performance. The unpublished results, presented Sunday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego, suggest that a similar approach may benefit people with the disorder.

Comments
Photograph of a tadpole swimming.

First tadpole model of autism surfaces at conference

by  /  11 November 2013

Researchers have recreated one of the most popular rodent models of autism in a decidedly slimier animal: the tadpole. The unpublished study was presented Sunday at the 2013 Society for Neuroscience annual meeting in San Diego.

Comments
August 2013

Can epilepsy cause autism?

by  /  26 August 2013

Teasing apart the link between autism and epilepsy opens the door for a possible preventive option for some cases of autism. But is the potential worth the risks?

Comments
May 2013

Risky exposures

by  /  3 May 2013

Two large studies confirm that the use of antidepressants or the epilepsy drug valproate by pregnant women raises the risk of autism in their children.

Comments
April 2013

Molecular mechanisms: Rats could model autism gender bias

by  /  9 April 2013

Prenatal exposure of rats to the epilepsy drug valproic acid leads to behavioral and brain features that resemble autism, in males more than in females, according to a study published in the March issue of the Journal of Neurochemistry.

Comments
February 2013

Controversial study touts blood pressure drug for autism

by  /  18 February 2013

Bumetanide, a drug that’s long been used to treat high blood pressure, modestly improves social behaviors in children with mild forms of autism, according to the results of a small trial published in December in Translational Psychiatry.

Comments