asd

Maternal infection during pregnancy may be associated with autism, as previous studies have suggested—but perhaps not in a causal way.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency’s investigation comes after a study showed prenatal exposure to topiramate roughly triples a child’s likelihood of having autism or intellectual disability.

A study shows that a molecule produced by intestinal microbes can enter the brain and that its presence is also associated with altered brain connectivity.

In both a mouse model and the hospital records of more than 3 million children, researchers found a connection between strong immune activation in males and later symptoms of autism spectrum disorder.

For researchers who work with study participants in person, lockdowns made it impossible to obtain fresh data, a survey finds.

The review of more than two dozen studies finds aripiprazole has side effects and does not change core autism features, but parents report improvements in self-injury, tantrums, and other challenging behaviors.

Growing ranks of researchers on the spectrum are overcoming barriers—from neurotypical bias to sensory sensitivities—to shape autism science.

Labs are trying to figure out who will care for animals and organoids and some clinical trials are put on hold.

Aripiprazole, marketed as Abilify, is widely thought to be safer than risperidone, the only other drug approved for use in autistic children. A decade’s worth of data suggests that is not true.

Experimental surgeries to prevent seizures may help scientists understand the link between autism and epilepsy.

So far, the only evidence that treatments like this one work is anecdotal.

An RNA analysis of human brain cells reveals gene expression changes in cortical neurons and microglia linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Signaling imbalance, driven by too much excitatory activity, may be a consequence of whatever brain changes lead to autism rather than a cause of the condition.

Two studies find that connectivity patterns remain stable over time in people with ASD, while in typical subjects they change.

Contrary to prior evidence, a study finds receptor density is the same among people without and without the disorder, although GABA signaling still appears to be impaired.

After years of obscurity, strains of mice with mutations in particular genes are thrust to the fore of autism research.

Scientists are making use of Xenopus tadpoles to study autism risk genes. 

Patient-derived organoids reveal autism spectrum disorder–associated anomalies.

Replacing immune cells in a mouse model of Rett syndrome, a developmental brain disorder, improved symptoms, suggesting a new target for treatment.