Nonshared Environmental Factors Pose Risk for Neurodevelopmental Conditions
Study Uses Identical Twins to Investigate Environmental Influences on the Etiology of ASD Nonshared environmental effects (NSE) are exposures unique to different children within the same family. NSE, or indicators of NSE, include prenatal factors such as gestational hypertension and diabetes, gestational bleeding, or maternal use of medications; perinatal factors such as breech presentation, fetal […]
Fecal Transplantation and Bifidobacterium Supplementation Show Promise in Reducing Austistic Behaviors
Rodent Study Demonstrates the Potential of Gut Microbiota-Targeted Therapeutics By recognizing that an association between gut dysbiosis and autistic behavior has been established in rodents and human subjects, a team of researchers recently embarked on a study to investigate if fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) or probiotic administration, such as Bifidobacteria, could provide therapeutic benefits for […]
An Autism or ADHD Diagnosis Comes with a Higher Risk of Mortality
All Cause Mortality Was More Than Double in Those with ASD or ADHD New research has discovered that those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have a higher risk of mortality. This new systematic review and meta-analysis included 27 observational studies with a total of 642,260 individuals. Studies included in the […]
Signs of Autism Can Be Identified Earlier Than Previously Expected
Timely Diagnosis Leads to Earlier Treatment Leading to Better Developmental Outcomes According to two recent studies, signs of autism can be identified earlier than researchers previously thought. These new pieces of research even indicate that children under one year of age may display signs of the disorder. Both of these new studies were led by […]
Changes in the Amygdala Linked to Anxiety in Individuals with Autism
The MIND Institute Now Recognizes a Distinct Autism-Related Type of Anxiety The amygdala is a small, almond-shaped structure found deep within the temporal lobe of the brain. It plays a role in processing emotion and fear and has been associated to both autism and anxiety. Now, a long-term study involving hundreds of brain scans has […]
Could Childhood Infections be Associated with Autism?
New Research Suggests Infections Can Contribute to Autism and Intellectual Disability A team of Swedish researchers set out to explore the associations between early childhood infections and later diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID), in an attempt to understand whether any observed associations varied by their co-occurrence, age at infection, or […]
