Researchers uncover new potential genetic links to common brain disorder
An international group of researchers has for the first time identified a set of 30 inherited recessive genes that play a role in intellectual disability (ID), a neurodevelopmental disorder that,...
View ArticleCause of cortical malformations targeted by researchers
Cortical malformations are a major cause of epileptic seizures and are a hallmark feature of many neurodevelopmental disorders. Expanding upon its recently-published model of cortical malformations, a...
View ArticleDo children with Tourette syndrome have an advantage at language?
Children with Tourette syndrome may process aspects of language faster than other children, a new study shows.
View ArticleFinding the clues for better autism treatments
As a researcher at Harvard Medical School, Christopher W. Cowan, Ph.D., used to watch autistic kids come onto campus to attend a special school.
View ArticleAutism spectrum disorder linked to mutations in some mitochondrial DNA
Children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have greater numbers of harmful mutations in their mitochondrial DNA than family members, report Zhenglong Gu of Cornell University in Ithaca, New...
View ArticleRett Syndrome study finds mechanisms underlying its visual deficits
In research published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers at the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research and the Picower Institute for Learning and...
View ArticleFun, comfort with exercise helps young people with conditions like autism and...
The best way to help young people with neurodevelopmental disorders like autism and attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder get more exercise is to make it fun, according to a small international...
View Article'Fly brain' idea explores memory, learning disabilities
They are a pesky nuisance to many. However, for one Western researcher, the thousands of fruit flies lining the shelves of his lab could reveal important secrets about memory and learning disabilities,...
View ArticlePaternal aging and its possible link to neurodevelopmental disorders
Neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are on the rise but its underlying mechanisms are poorly understood.
View ArticleGenetic cause identified for previously unrecognized developmental disorder
An international team of scientists has identified variants of the gene EBF3 causing a developmental disorder with features in common with autism. Identification of these gene variants leads to a...
View ArticleChanges in blood-brain barrier, intestinal permeability found in individuals...
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has the dubious distinction of being the fastest-growing developmental disability in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. With 1 in...
View ArticleWhere does innate fear come from?
The 20th century has seen an explosion of scientific efforts made to reveal the biological substrates of cognitive functions. Emotions and cognitive processes interact to build up complex behavioural...
View ArticlePrenatal infection may alter brain development via epigenetic changes
Maternal infection during pregnancy increases the risk for psychiatric disorders in the child, but the path between the two is something of a mystery. In a study published in Biological Psychiatry,...
View ArticleUnderstanding motivations for behavior can be helpful for children with autism
For many families, normal activities, such as going to a large family gathering or an amusement park, can be difficult to navigate with a child with autism, as the child may act out due to being...
View ArticleOpinion: Clear communication can make doctor visits successful for children...
Doctor visits can be a challenge for patients with autism, their families and health care providers. Kristin Sohl, associate professor of child health at the University of Missouri, offers several...
View ArticleOCD-like behavior linked to genetic mutation
A new Northwestern Medicine study found evidence suggesting how neural dysfunction in a certain region of the brain can lead to obsessive and repetitive behaviors much like obsessive-compulsive...
View ArticleSorting out risk genes for brain development disorders
Gene discovery research is uncovering new information about similarities and differences underlying various neurodevelopmental disorders.
View ArticleDefect in non-coding DNA might trigger brain disorders such as severe...
Genetic variation in the non-coding DNA could give rise to language impairments in children and other neurodevelopmental disorders including schizophrenia, autism, and bipolar disorder, scientists from...
View ArticleBabies' slow brain waves could predict problems
The brain waves of healthy newborns – which appear more abnormal than those of severe stroke victims – could be used to accurately predict which babies will have neurodevelopmental disorders.
View ArticleBetter outcome measures needed for clinical trials for Fragile X Syndrome
A group of researchers from several institutions in the USA, including Johns Hopkins Medicine, reports that its review of 22 clinical trials of fragile X syndrome (FXS) suggests the need for a wider...
View ArticlePossible early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
Measuring a set of proteins in the blood may enable earlier diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a study from the Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute at UT Southwestern Medical...
View ArticleStudy: Diet not connected to GI problems in children with autism
Many children with autism spectrum disorder experience significant gastrointestinal issues, but the cause of these symptoms is unknown. Professionals in the medical community have suggested a potential...
View ArticleNew study suggests blueprint for adult visual system is present at birth
For decades, researchers have known that the primate brain is organized into "maps" for each of the different senses: one of the body for touch, one of the visual world for sight, one of tones for...
View ArticleHigh-fat diet in pregnancy can cause mental health problems in offspring
A high-fat diet not only creates health problems for expectant mothers, but new research in an animal model suggests it alters the development of the brain and endocrine system of their offspring and...
View ArticleScientists uncover the role of spindle matrix proteins in NSC reactivation
A multicentre research team led by Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS)'s Neuroscience and Behavioural Disorders Programme has uncovered that spindle matrix proteins can play an intrinsic role in...
View ArticlePhenotype varies for presumed pathogenic variants in KCNB1
(HealthDay)—De novo KCNB1 missense and loss-of-function variants are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, with or without seizures, according to a study published online Aug. 14 in JAMA...
View ArticleUsing DNA to predict schizophrenia and autism
Huntington's disease, cystic fibrosis, and muscular dystrophy are all diseases that can be traced to a single mutation. Diagnosis in asymptomatic patients for these diseases is relatively easy—you have...
View ArticleSignaling pathway may be key to why autism is more common in boys
Researchers aiming to understand why autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are more common in boys have discovered differences in a brain signaling pathway involved in reward learning and motivation that...
View ArticleStudy finds epilepsy drug to be safe during pregnancy
New research indicates that use of the epilepsy drug lamotrigine during pregnancy does not increase the risk of birth malformations or neurodevelopmental disorders. The British Journal of Clinical...
View ArticleLending late neurons a helping hand
During the foetal stage, millions of neurons are born in the walls of the ventricles of the brain before migrating to their final location in the cerebral cortex. If this migration is disrupted, the...
View Article
