Image: Norma Desmond
Though the study did not show why there is an increase in autistic symptoms, it may be tied to some of the underlying causes of why a child is born preterm (prior to 37 weeks) or post-term (after 42 weeks) in the first place, says Tammy Movsas, postdoctoral fellow in the department of epidemiology at Michigan State University.
Published online in the Journal of Autism and Development Disorders, the study reveals there are many different manifestations of autism spectrum disorder, a collection of developmental disorders including both autism and Asperger syndrome and shows the length of the mother’s pregnancy is one factor affecting the severity of the disorder. [continue reading…]
Published: March 21, 2012
Image: iStockphoto
erotonin is a brain chemical that carries signals across the synapse, or gap between nerve cells. The supply of serotonin is regulated by the serotonin transporter (SERT).
In 2005, a team of researchers from Vanderbilt University led by Randy Blakely and James Sutcliffe identified rare genetic variations in children with ASD that disrupt SERT function.
In a new study published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), the researchers report the creation of a mouse model that expressed the most common of these variations.
The change is a very small one in biochemical terms, yet it appears to cause SERT in the brain to go into overdrive and restrict the availability of serotonin at synapses.
“The SERT protein in the brain of our mice appears to exhibit the exaggerated function and lack of regulation we saw using cell models,” said Blakely, director of the Vanderbilt Silvio O. Conte Center for Neuroscience Research.
“Remarkably, these mice show changes in social behavior and communication from early life that may parallel aspects of ASD,” noted first author Jeremy Veenstra-VanderWeele, assistant professor of psychiatry, pediatrics and pharmacology.
The researchers conclude that a lack of serotonin during development may lead to long-standing changes in the way the brain is wired. [continue reading…]
Published: December 25, 2011
Jack Robison and Kirsten Lindsmith, two college students living in Greenfield, Mass., discuss how autism affects their lives and relationship
Source: The New York Times
Published: November 15, 2011
Image: Norma Desmond
ow birth weight may increase a person’s chances of developing autism, according to a study in the November Pediatrics. More than 600 children who were born in the mid-1980s weighing 4.4 pounds or less were followed until age 21. The researchers found that 5 percent of them had autism spectrum disorder diagnoses, a rate five times that found in the general American population. Also, the lower the birth weight, the higher the likelihood of an autism diagnosis.
The latest knowledge about the causes of and treatments for autism can be found in a new book, Textbook of Autism Spectrum Disorders, published by American Psychiatric Publishing.
Source: American Psychiatric Association
