Autism, Depression Genetically Linked - ABC News

Autism, Depression Genetically Linked - ABC News: Autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia share common genetic underpinnings, despite differences in their symptoms and disease courses, a new study found.

5 Psych Disorders Have Common Genetics

5 Psych Disorders Have Common Genetics: Autism, attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and schizophrenia share common genetic underpinnings -- despite differences in symptoms and course of disease, researchers discovered.

Autism and Medication Hell - AGE OF AUTISM

Autism and Medication Hell - AGE OF AUTISM: I am 18, a senior in high school,and the only sibling of an older brother with low-verbal autism. I recently read an article in which Dr. HylaClass discussed certain neurological drugs, their troubling side effects, and theirrelationship to violent behavior. Dr. Class also discussed the disturbing trendof individuals committing violent and homicidal acts while taking thesemedications.

Prenatal inflammation linked to autism risk, January 24, 2013 News Release - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Prenatal inflammation linked to autism risk, January 24, 2013 News Release - National Institutes of Health (NIH): Maternal inflammation during early pregnancy may be related to an increased risk of autism in children, according to new findings supported by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health. Researchers found this in children of mothers with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), a well-established marker of systemic inflammation.

Preventing autism? | Fox News Video

Preventing autism? | Fox News Video: Preventing autism?



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Epilepsy drug linked to tenfold increase in autism: researchers - Telegraph

Epilepsy drug linked to tenfold increase in autism: researchers - Telegraph: The study found children born to women who took sodium valproate, known as Epilim, were significantly more likely to suffer autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder or dyspraxia.
Researchers warned that women should not stop taking the drug suddenly as fits can harm their unborn child and most women went on to have healthy children.

Babies Can Guess Other People's Thoughts | Child Development | LiveScience

Babies Can Guess Other People's Thoughts | Child Development | LiveScience: The results, published today (Jan. 29) in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society: B, come from a study of children spanning the globe, from rural China to the more remote islands of Fiji. Previously, scientists thought this ability to understand other people's perspectives emerged much later in children.

AutisMate: an iPad app for personalized autism therapy | VentureBeat

AutisMate: an iPad app for personalized autism therapy | VentureBeat: For children and adults with autism, who face daily challenges with basic social interaction, the iPad has been something of a godsend. Apple’s tablet has ushered in a slew of autism therapy apps that aim to replace equipment that previously cost thousands.

Deep brain stimulation helps with autism

Deep brain stimulation helps with autism: The use of electrodes implanted deep in the brain helps to counter the effects with autism and may help autistic people lead an improved life.

Promoting Joint Attention in Toddlers with Autism: A Parent-Mediated Developmental Model

Abstract Joint attention, a foundational nonverbal

social-communicative milestone that fails to develop

naturally in autism, was promoted for three toddlers

with early-identified autism through a parent-mediated,

developmentally grounded, researcher-guided intervention

model. A multiple baseline design compared

child performance across four phases of intervention:

focusing on faces, turn-taking, responding to joint

attention, and initiating joint attention. All toddlers

improved performance and two showed repeated

engagement in joint attention, supporting the effectiveness

of developmentally appropriate methods that

build on the parent–child relationship. A complementary

qualitative analysis explored family challenges,

parent resilience, and variables that may have influenced

outcomes. Intervention models appropriate for

toddlers with autism are needed as improved early

identification efforts bring younger children into early

intervention services.
Click here to read the article

Increasing verbal responsiveness in parents of children with autism:a pilot study

Abstract

Correlational studies have revealed a positive relationship between parent verbal responsiveness

and language outcomes in children with autism. We investigated whether parents of young

children on the autism spectrum could learn and implement the specific categories of verbal

responsiveness that have been suggested to facilitate language development. Parents were

taught to increase their verbal responsiveness in the context of a short-term language

intervention that included group parent education sessions, as well as individual and smallgroup

coaching sessions of parent–child play interactions. Parents in the treatment group

increased their use of comments that: described their child’s focus of attention; interpreted or

expanded child communication acts; and prompted child communication. Preliminary treatment

effects were also noted in children’s prompted and spontaneous communication. These results

support the use of parent-mediated interventions targeting verbal responsiveness to facilitate

language development and communication in young children with autism.
Click here for the article

Autism linked to gut bacteria, study finds | therecord

Autism linked to gut bacteria, study finds | therecord: Researchers have identified a unique blood marker that shows a link between gut bacteria and autism in some children diagnosed with the neurodevelopmental disorder.

In a new study published in the journal Translational Psychiatry, they found evidence of abnormal energy metabolism in a group of autistic children as a result compounds produced by gut bacteria frequently found in people with autism.

Prenatal Inflammation Linked to Autism | Psych Central News

Prenatal Inflammation Linked to Autism | Psych Central News: Maternal inflammation during early pregnancy has been linked to an increased risk of autism in children, according to new research.

In the new study, researchers found an increased risk of autism in children of mothers with elevated C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of systemic inflammation.

Who Can Outgrow or Recover From Autism - WSJ.com

Who Can Outgrow or Recover From Autism - WSJ.com: Evidence is growing for a notion long observed by doctors and parents: Some children with autism appear to grow out of their symptoms and recover fully.

Study looks at worm therapy to treat autism | Fox News

Study looks at worm therapy to treat autism | Fox News: The use of this alternative medicine is all part of the hygiene hypothesis – the idea that ‘harmful’ organisms might actually be protecting our immune systems. In the 19th century, people did not bathe as frequently as they do now, and many lived among ‘filth’ – but autoimmune diseases were virtually non-existent. Subsequently, those who currently live in third-world countries also have a lower rate of developing autoimmune diseases.

Study looks at worm therapy to treat autism | Fox News

Study looks at worm therapy to treat autism | Fox News: The use of this alternative medicine is all part of the hygiene hypothesis – the idea that ‘harmful’ organisms might actually be protecting our immune systems. In the 19th century, people did not bathe as frequently as they do now, and many lived among ‘filth’ – but autoimmune diseases were virtually non-existent. Subsequently, those who currently live in third-world countries also have a lower rate of developing autoimmune diseases.

Study: Some Children May Outgrow Autism - US News and World Report

Study: Some Children May Outgrow Autism - US News and World Report: "Although the diagnosis of autism is not usually lost over time, the findings suggest that there is a very wide range of possible outcomes," Thomas Insel, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, told BBC.

American parents awarded £600,000 in compensation after their son developed autism as a result of MMR vaccine | Mail Online

American parents awarded £600,000 in compensation after their son developed autism as a result of MMR vaccine | Mail Online: The American decision - although it doesn’t lay fault for the child’s disability with the drug - fuels anti-MMR campaigners challenging the view of the majority of the medical profession that holds the vaccinations are safe.

The claim was against the US government which set up a Vaccine Programme.

Early Autism Treatment Benefits Kids' Brains

By age 4, children given the treatment had higher IQ scores, more adaptive behavior, better coordination, and a less severe autism diagnosis than kids given the standard autism treatments offered in their communities. But that's not all, researchers Geraldine Dawson, PhD, and colleagues report.

Early Autism Treatment Benefits Kids' Brains

mitochondrial disorders and autism

mitochondrial disorders and autism: Children with a mitochondrial disorder can regress into an autism like state if one of several things happen. One of them is a fever, and fever, as we all know, is a common side effect of vaccination. Hannah Poling had an underlying mitochondrial disorder, and was awarded compensation for vaccines role in aggravating her condition into a autism like state.

Autism Science Digest: Aluminum Toxicity in Mitochondrial Dysfunction and ASD - AGE OF AUTISM

Autism Science Digest: Aluminum Toxicity in Mitochondrial Dysfunction and ASD - AGE OF AUTISM: A carefully executedreview and meta-analysis of mitochondrial dysfunction in ASD by Rossignol andFrye discerned that the prevalence of full syndrome mitochondrial disease inchildren with ASD is significantly higher than it is in children in general.

SSRI Autism Roundup: New Concerns for a New Year

A potential link between the emergence of autism in a child and the use of various SSRI-based antidepressants by a mother during pregnancy has been suggested by research. Not lost on researchers involved in a study published in 2011 in the Archives of General Psychiatry (7/11), is an increase in the prevalence of autism and autism spectrum disorders at the same time as a dramatic increase in the use of antidepressants??"up 400 percent in the last 20 years. The emergence of SSRI antidepressants has given doctors more medicinal options in the treatment of depression and depressive disorders, and their popularity is demonstrative by the dramatic increase in SSRI use.

Local Family Using Breakthrough Autism Treatment | Mobile AL, Pensacola FL News, Weather, Sports | WPMI-TV | Local15TV.com

Local Family Using Breakthrough Autism Treatment | Mobile AL, Pensacola FL News, Weather, Sports | WPMI-TV | Local15TV.com: The relatively new therapy called Integrated Listening uses the power of music, and is used at Kids Kount in Daphne.

"We've never seen a child that never made marked gains," Occupational Therapist Cindy Dawkins said. "Out of 35 years of being an occupational therapist, this has been the most powerful tool that I've used."

More Evidence Vitamin D May Reduce Autism Risk

More Evidence Vitamin D May Reduce Autism Risk: Children and adolescents living in the United States in states with higher levels of ultraviolet B (UVB) exposure are much less likely to develop autism than their counterparts living in states with lower levels of solar UVB exposure, new research shows.

7 foods destroying your good mood | Fox News

7 foods destroying your good mood | Fox News: A delightfully toasted sesame seed bagel. Crispy, crunchy potato chips. An effervescent fountain of sweet soda. These all sound like comforting foods that can wrap you in a sensation of coziness. However, while they may taste so good, these foods are not always so good for you or your mood.

Autism Linked To Industrial Food Or Environment

Autism Linked To Industrial Food Or Environment: A new study in Clinical Epigenetics, suggests that the epidemic of autism amongst children in the U.S. may be associated with the typical American diet. The study by Renee Dufault and his team explores how mineral deficiencies, affected by dietary factors, such as high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), could have a potential impact on how the human body frees itself of common toxic chemicals, for instance, pesticides and mercury.

Coconut oil, Seizures, Autism and more | Dr. Arturo M. Volpe

Coconut oil, Alzheimer’s disease, Seizures, Autism and more | Dr. Arturo M. Volpe: As I mentioned a few months ago in this newsletter, researchers are now looking at Alzheimer’s disease as a new form of diabetes and the expressions “Type 3 Diabetes” and “Diabetes of the Brain” have been coined. More specifically, in Alzheimer’s disease the brain loses its ability to burn glucose or blood sugar for energy.

Action Imitation at 1½ Years Is Better Than Pointing Gesture in Predicting Late Development of Language Production at 3 Years of Age - Zambrana - 2012 - Child Development - Wiley Online Library

Action Imitation at 1½ Years Is Better Than Pointing Gesture in Predicting Late Development of Language Production at 3 Years of Age - Zambrana - 2012 - Child Development - Wiley Online Library: This study examined whether poor pointing gestures and imitative actions at 18 months of age uniquely predicted late language production at 36 months, beyond the role of poor language at 18 months of age.

Exploring the Relationship Between Gesture and Language in ASD

Exploring the Relationship Between Gesture and Language in ASD: In this paper, we will explore the relationship between gesture and language in autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Gesture and speech have been shown to share the same neural substrates, and it has been proposed that speech evolved over time from a gestural repertoire.

Alzheimer’s Tied to Mutation Harming Immune Response - NYTimes.com

Alzheimer’s Tied to Mutation Harming Immune Response - NYTimes.com: But now, in a surprising coincidence, two groups of researchers working from entirely different starting points have converged on a mutated gene involved in another aspect of Alzheimer’s disease: the immune system’s role in protecting against the disease. The mutation is suspected of interfering with the brain’s ability to prevent the buildup of plaque.

An Immune Element In Autism? Gene Screen Finds More Evidence | CommonHealth

An Immune Element In Autism? Gene Screen Finds More Evidence | CommonHealth: That robust immune element surprised the work’s senior investigator, Dr. Isaac Kohane of Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s Hospital. And it may have practical implications, says Dr. Martha Herbert, a Harvard neurologist and author of “The Autism Revolution.” The study looked at genes getting switched off and on, and “diet and environment could contribute to at least some of these genetic changes,” she said.

Does the brain become unglued in autism? | ScienceBlog.com

Does the brain become unglued in autism? | ScienceBlog.com: Cell adhesion molecules are the glue that binds cells together in the body. Deficits in adhesion molecules would be expected to compromise processes at the interfaces between cells, influencing tissue integrity and cell-to-cell signaling. In the brain, deficits in adhesion molecules could compromise brain development and communication between nerve cells.

Generic Drug May Ease Autism in Children

Generic Drug May Ease Autism in Children: Unlike other medications, which are used to quell behavioral problems that are sometimes associated with autism, like hyperactivity, insomnia, and aggression, bumetanide seems to ease some of the core features of the condition, including problems connecting and interacting with other people.

Health News - Treating Autism, Can Stem Cells Help?

Health News - Treating Autism, Can Stem Cells Help?: The TCD autism research group, which has investigated the genetic causes of autism for over a decade, has teamed up with scientists at the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) in NUI Galway to apply stem cell technology to further the understanding of autism that may lead towards the identification of better treatments. In a first for Ireland, REMEDI has already begun producing iPS cells from the skin cells of people with autism and their siblings.

A blood test for autism? - CNN.com

A blood test for autism? - CNN.com: In a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers from Children's Hospital Boston describe a new experimental test to detect the developmental disorder, based on the differences in gene expression between kids with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and those without the condition.

Popular autism treatment might not be effective, study finds | www.statesman.com

Popular autism treatment might not be effective, study finds | www.statesman.com: “We’re not saying (sensory integration therapy) doesn’t work,” said Mark O’Reilly, a co-author and professor at UT. “It lacks scientific evidence.”
Lead author Russell Lang said the review should help families, occupational therapists and others identify research-based treatment options.

Scientists Reverse the Symptoms of Autism in Mice : Science/Tech : Medical Daily

Scientists Reverse the Symptoms of Autism in Mice : Science/Tech : Medical Daily: Researchers used a cancer drug that reversed synaptic hyperactivity. The drug reversed the symptoms of autism spectrum disorder. In addition, even though autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder, the drug worked for adult mice.
Scientists are measured in their enthusiasm, however. Several treatments have shown promise in mice only to be ineffective in humans. Autism spectrum disorder is caused by many genetic underpinnings, each of which makes up only 1 percent of cases. The drug used was also too toxic to be used in humans.

Effective autism care requires attention to comorbidities, research indicates - amednews.com

Effective autism care requires attention to comorbidities, research indicates - amednews.com: Caring for youths with autism spectrum disorder can be overwhelming for some primary care physicians because of the multiple comorbid conditions that often accompany ASD, said Boston pediatrician James M. Perrin, MD. Such conditions commonly include constipation, insomnia and symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.
But treating these associated health issues often helps children with ASD feel better and can improve their behavior and performance in school, said Dr. Perrin, a professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School in Boston and president-elect of the American Academy of Pediatrics. He also is editor of a special supplement on ASD that was published online Nov. 1 in Pediatrics.

Flu During Pregnancy May Be Linked to Autism Risk

Flu During Pregnancy May Be Linked to Autism Risk: Children born to mothers who had the flu during pregnancy or fevers lasting more than a week may have a slightly higher risk for autism, new research suggests.
"Our findings are interesting for research purposes, but they should not alarm women who are pregnant," says researcher Hjordis Osk Atladottir, MD, PhD, of Denmark’s University of Aarhus. "It needs to be emphasized that around 98% of the women in this study who experienced influenza or fever or took antibiotics during pregnancy did not have children with autism."

Air Pollution May Raise Autism Risk

Air Pollution May Raise Autism Risk: "Children exposed to higher levels of traffic-related pollutants during pregnancy or during the first year of life were at increased risk of autism compared to children exposed to the lowest level," says Heather E. Volk, PhD, MPH, assistant professor of research at the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

Dysregulated protein synthesis may be behind autism

Dysregulated protein synthesis may be behind autism - PakTribune: Regulation of protein synthesis, also termed mRNA translation, is the process by which cells manufacture proteins. This mechanism is involved in all aspects of cell and organism function.
A new study in mice by researchers from McGill University and the University of Montreal has found that abnormally high synthesis of a group of neuronal proteins called neuroligins results in symptoms similar to those diagnosed in ASD.

Children of scientists and engineers linked to autism

Children of scientists and engineers linked to autism - Honolulu Health Care | Examiner.com: Scientific America on November 14, 2012 published results of multiple studies linking children with autism to parents of technically minded people. One study conducted back in 1997 on 2,000 people in Great Britain found 12.5 percent of the fathers of children with autism listed their occupation as an engineer compared to 5 percent of fathers without a child with autism. Later research found scientists, computer programmers and mathematicians showed higher rates as well.

Happy Meals - Literally: Foods Like Fish, Walnuts May Improve Mood

Happy Meals - Literally: Foods Like Fish, Walnuts May Improve Mood: Scientists already knew that certain elements of the diet can affect
the brain. Cultures that follow diets rich in fish with high amounts of
omega-3 fatty acids, such as sardines, anchovies, salmon and mackerel, tend
to show less major depression, Cohen said.

Factsheet for autism therapy: essential fatty acids (EFA) | Healing Thresholds

Factsheet for autism therapy: essential fatty acids (EFA) | Healing Thresholds: Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are compounds that cannot be made by the body, but are required for many crucial biochemical processes. There are two groups of EFAs: omega-6 and omega-3. The relative levels of these two groups of EFAs are critical to the health and development of the brain and the body. If the level of omega-6 is much higher than the level of omega-3 in the diet, there can be negative effects on cognition, mood, and behavior

New DSM-5 Criteria For Autism -- Who Will Be Left Behind?

New DSM-5 Criteria For Autism -- Who Will Be Left Behind? - Forbes: When news broke that the autism spectrum categories of Asperger’s disorder and Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS) would get subsumed into the wider maw of a general “autism disorder,” people worried. They worried about autistic people who are quite verbal or who have typical cognitive skills. What would happen to individuals whose autism doesn’t manifest in those terms as profound?

Could Stem Cells Treat Autism? Newly Approved Study May Tell

Could Stem Cells Treat Autism? Newly Approved Study May Tell - US News and World Report: Thirty children with the disorder, aged 2 to 7, will receive injections of their own stem cells from umbilical cord blood banked by their parents after their births. All of the cord blood comes from the Cord Blood Registry, the world's largest stem cell bank.
Scientists at Sutter Neuroscience Institute, in Sacramento, Calif., said the placebo-controlled study will evaluate whether the stem cell therapy helps improve language and behavior in the youngsters.

Progress Made On Drug For Autism Symptoms

Progress Made On Drug For Autism Symptoms : Shots - Health Blog : NPR: An experimental drug that helps people who have Fragile X syndrome is raising hopes of a treatment for autism.
The drug, called arbaclofen, made people with Fragile X less likely to avoid social interactions, according to a study in Science Translational Medicine. Researchers suspect it might do the same for people with autism.
Fragile X is a rare genetic syndrome that can cause intellectual and social problems that are very similar to autism.

Older Drug Reinvented for Autism - AGE OF AUTISM

Older Drug Reinvented for Autism - AGE OF AUTISM: "ZURICH—Changes in the brain caused by autism can be reversed in mice, a new preclinical study showed, opening a potential path to develop a treatment for the incurable disorder.
Roche Holding AG,ROG VX +17% a Swiss drug maker, and the University of Basel's Biozentrum said Friday the study identified a way to reverse a dysfunction in the brain's wiring typically caused by the disorder, which stumps intellectual development and can cause aggressive and anti-social behavior, and becomes evident in early childhood.

Nasal spray may be able to help autistic children

Nasal spray may be able to help autistic children :: WRAL.com: "Oxytocin is a naturally produced peptide in the brain," UNC psychiatrist Dr. Linmarie Sikich said.
Oxytocin also works as a neural transmitter in the brain.
Sikich says the small study gave half the children a placebo spray and the other half the oxytocin.

Form of autism might improve with simple treatment, study says

Form of autism might improve with simple treatment, study says - latimes.com: The result, researchers reported Thursday in the online issue of Science, is a severe form of autism whose symptoms include not only social and communication deficits — the hallmarks of the disorder — but also epilepsy and mental retardation.
It’s an encouraging finding, because it suggests a simple treatment: Eating more branched chain amino acids, a nutritional supplement available at health food stores. Indeed, in mice engineered with a mutation in the same gene, symptoms could be controlled by changing their diet.

(Be sure and read the whole article because this information is a little deceiving without the rest.)