Copyright 2009 Medical News Today Latest Autism News From Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/sections/autism/ admin@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Admin) editors@medicalnewstoday.com (MNT Editors) en-us Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171610.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171610.php Curemark LLC, a drug research and development company focused on the treatment of neurological diseases, announced that the company has begun enrolling patients in Phase III clinical trials for CM-AT, its autism treatment, at three additional clinical trial sites. Autism Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171457.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171457.php During its research into the application of neuroscience in business, a New Jersey based think tank, The Center for Modeling Optimal Outcomes®, LLC (The Center) made an inadvertent and amazing discovery. The Center examined the neuroscientific dynamics of logic and emotion in decision making while researching neuroscience in business. They found unique corollary relationships between various brain chemicals (neurohormones, neurotransmitters, etc.). Autism Tue, 17 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171166.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171166.php Researchers have discovered a genetic variation that may contribute to how empathetic a human is, and how that person reacts to stress. In the first study of its kind, a variation in the hormone/neurotransmitter oxytocin's receptor was linked to a person's ability to infer the mental state of others. Interestingly, this same genetic variation also related to stress reactivity. Anxiety / Stress Mon, 16 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171060.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/171060.php The Leader of the Opposition, David Cameron, has responded to the call of the charity the UK Autism Foundation urging him to protect the vulnerable from the 'savage cuts' to public services. Ivan Corea CEO of the UK Autism Foundation had written to Gordon Brown, David Cameron and Nick Clegg urging the three political leaders to shield parents, carers, children and adults with autism and Asperger's Syndrome from the cuts to public services. Autism Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170979.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170979.php Easter Seals New York, the leading provider of autism services nationally, honored Congressional expert on autism and disabilities, Representative Eliot Engel, last night at the 2009 Easter Seals New York Annual Meeting in Westchester, New York. Congressman Engel's tremendous track record of supporting children with disabilities was recognized by Easter Seals New York on behalf of those who receive disability services in our community. Autism Thu, 12 Nov 2009 17:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170780.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170780.php The Autism Bill will receive Royal Assent today making it the Autism Act: England's first ever disability-specific law. The National Autistic Society (NAS) heralded the new law as "groundbreaking" and said health and social care services could now face legal action if they failed to provide support for people with the condition, which affects over half a million people in the UK. Autism Thu, 12 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170751.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170751.php Autism Speaks is encouraged by the decision of the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) to include vaccine research studies in the objectives of the updated Strategic Plan for Autism Research. The new language, approved unanimously, calls for studies to determine if there are sub-populations that are more susceptible to environmental exposures such as immune challenges related to naturally occurring infections, vaccines or underlying immune problems. Autism Thu, 12 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170736.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170736.php If humans are genetically related to chimps, why did our brains develop the innate ability for language and speech while theirs did not? Scientists suspect that part of the answer to the mystery lies in a gene called FOXP2. When mutated, FOXP2 can disrupt speech and language in humans. Now, a UCLA/Emory study reveals major differences between how the human and chimp versions of FOXP2 work, perhaps explaining why language is unique to humans. Published Nov. Neurology / Neuroscience Thu, 12 Nov 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170626.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170626.php Autism affects 1 in 150 children today, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined. Despite its widespread effect, autism is not well understood and there are no objective medical tests to diagnose it. Recently, University of Missouri researchers have developed a pupil response test that is 92.5 percent accurate in separating children with autism from those with typical development. Autism Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170521.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170521.php Research conducted by the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD), shines new light on the effects of a popular form of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) treatment for children with autism and related disorders. The "Randomized Trial of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Children with Autism" study reveals that HBOT, consisting of 24% oxygen delivered at 1.3 atmospheres of pressure, does not have a significant effect on symptoms of autism. Autism Tue, 10 Nov 2009 09:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170425.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170425.php Children with autism may have lower quality handwriting and trouble forming letters compared to children without autism, according to a study published in the November 10, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study included 28 children between the ages of eight and 13. Half of the children had autism spectrum disorder. The other half had no developmental, psychiatric or brain disorders. Autism Tue, 10 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170456.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170456.php Teachers and parents must be vigilant in observing difficulties with language comprehension, reading and spelling in children and young people with autism, Asperger's syndrome and ADHD. "It is important that pupils are offered the support to which they are entitled", says Jakob Asberg in a new thesis at the University of Gothenburg. "Pupils with these neuropsychiatric disorders are often reported as having problems with spoken and written activities. Autism Tue, 10 Nov 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170395.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170395.php News outlets report on health issues at the state level including a health insurance program in Washington State and a bill to increase coverage for autism services in Massachusetts. NPR reports: "Now, while members of Congress are trying to figure out how to help the so-called working poor afford health insurance, one state has a plan that's been doing just that. Health Insurance / Medical Insurance Tue, 10 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170343.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170343.php Handwriting skills are crucial for success in school, communication, and building children's self-esteem. The first study to examine handwriting quality in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) has uncovered a relationship between fine motor control and poor quality of handwriting in children with ASD, according to research published in the November 10, 2009, issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Autism Fri, 06 Nov 2009 05:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170151.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170151.php The Autism Consortium, an innovative collaboration of researchers, clinicians, funders and families dedicated to catalyzing research and enhancing clinical care for autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), held its fourth annual symposium on October 28th, 2009, at Harvard Medical School in Boston. Autism Fri, 06 Nov 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170043.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/170043.php Two studies published by the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine in the October issue of BMC Clinical Pharmacology investigated the use of oral dimercaptosuccinic acid (DMSA), a prescription medicine approved by the FDA for treating lead poisoning, and used off-label in these studies for treating heavy metal toxicity in children with autism. In the investigations, DMSA was given to 65 children with autism (ages 3 -8 years) to determine its effects. Autism Tue, 03 Nov 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169659.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169659.php Researchers at the University of York have identified a part of the brain that responds to both facial and vocal expressions of emotion. They used the MagnetoEncephaloGraphic (MEG) scanner at the York Neuroimaging Centre to test responses in a region of the brain known as the posterior superior temporal sulcus. Neurology / Neuroscience Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169453.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169453.php Autism Speaks, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition (NASPGHAN) will host one of the largest gatherings of researchers, clinicians and pediatric specialists to better understand the gastrointestinal (GI) problems in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs). Autism Fri, 30 Oct 2009 04:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169301.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169301.php An estimated one in 165 Canadian children under the age of six will be identified as having an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) according to the Autism Society Canada. Children with one of these disorders may exhibit difficulties in one or all of three general areas: verbal and non-verbal communication, social interaction or the presence of repetitive or stereotyped interests or behaviour. This affects communication with family members, peers, caregivers and teachers. Autism Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169045.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/169045.php The USF Health Rothman Center for Neuropsychiatry in St. Petersburg, FL, is conducting a two-year federal trial testing the effectiveness of behavioral psychotherapy in treating anxiety among young adolescents with autism. The University of South Florida is one three sites for the $1-million study, sponsored by the National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Autism Tue, 27 Oct 2009 02:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168772.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168772.php Johns Hopkins scientists report having used a commercially available drug to successfully "rescue" animal brain cells that they had intentionally damaged by manipulating a newly discovered gene that links susceptibility genes for schizophrenia and autism. The rescue, described as "surprisingly complete" by the researchers, was accomplished with rapamycin, a drug known to act on a protein called mTOR whose role involves the production of other proteins. Schizophrenia Mon, 26 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168679.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168679.php An international team of researchers led by geneticist Jonathan Sebat, Ph.D., of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL), has identified a mutation on human chromosome 16 that substantially increases risk for schizophrenia. The mutation in question is what scientists call a copy number variant (CNV). CNVs are areas of the genome where the number of copies of genes differs between individuals. The CNV is located in a region referred to by scientists as 16p11.2. Schizophrenia Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168362.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168362.php Women are better than men at distinguishing between emotions, especially fear and disgust, according to a new study published in the online version of the journal Neuropsychologia. As part of the investigation, Olivier Collignon and a team from the Université de Montréal Centre de recherche en neuropsychologie et cognition (CERNEC) demonstrated that women are better than men at processing auditory, visual and audiovisual emotions. Psychology / Psychiatry Thu, 22 Oct 2009 06:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168345.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168345.php Researchers at Duke University Medical Center have uncovered a new genetic signature that correlates strongly with autism and which doesn't involve changes to the DNA sequence itself. Rather, the changes are in the way the genes are turned on and off. The finding may suggest new approaches to diagnosis and treatment of autism. Autism Wed, 21 Oct 2009 03:00:00 PST http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168102.php http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/168102.php NJIT Research Architect B. Lynn Hutchings believes that by making a few practical, effective and relatively inexpensive changes to school buildings, they can become better environments for students with severe physical, intellectual, and sensory disabilities. She will spread her word to school social workers at the Nov. 6-8, 2009 Annual Meeting of the Council for Social Work Education, in San Antonio. Autism