Possible Biological Clues to Autism

A new study out of Yale University might have unlocked the biological secret of what causes autism in some people. Though this is seen as a major step forward, researchers said it will still be a long time before the findings lead to any new developments in autism treatment.

The study, published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications, shows that CHD8, a gene strongly linked to autism, controls the expression of many other genes, most of which have also been implicated in causing the condition.

A Mother's Anguish Over Autism

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Jill Escher, a dark-haired dynamo of smarts and stamina, was gently stopping her son, Jonny, 14, from ripping up the mail. He had just emptied spice bottles on the table to make finger paints.Upstairs, her daughter, Sophie, 7, was sending out incomprehensible cries. It could mean that Sophie had opened a box of crayons, eaten some and rubbed the rest into the carpet, or smeared a tube of toothpaste on the mirror. And while Escher tried to calm Sophie, Jonny could be tossing his iPad over the fence, tearing all the ivories off the piano, chewing the furniture, or wandering out into traffic.

For Escher, the anguish of autism is doubled. Both Jonny and Sophie have been diagnosed with autism, the fast-growing category of neurological disease afflicting one in every 88 U.S. children. The Escher children's intellectual development is stalled at an early pre-school level, and they need constant care and protection.For years, Escher and her husband, Christopher, agonized over what could have gone wrong. Why would two of their three children wind up autistic, defying the odds? Was it their genes? Their environment? Their food? The couple tried to hunt down any health problems in their lineage but found none. A glass of wine while pregnant? Paint fumes? Pollution from freeways?

And the Latest Cause of Autism Is . . .

Post by Michael Yudell, an associate professor at Drexel University School of Public Health.


Autism, the lifelong neurodevelopmental disorder marked by a range of social and communication impairments, has seen its share of reckless claims about causes and cures.
From the belief that the emotional coldness of the so-called refrigerator mother caused her child’s autism to the fabricated science that vaccines were a trigger, such misbegotten ideas have, at best, offered only temporary hope to affected families, and, at worst, done incalculable harm to the public’s health. Because scientists still know so little about autism’s causes – almost certainly a complex combination of multiple factors – it should come as no surprise that claims based loosely or not at all on science continue to attract public attention.

Neuroscientist Links Autism with Internet Use

Neuroscientist Baroness Greenfield of Oxford University has created a firestorm of controversy by correlating autism with increased computer use amongst children. She contends that the use of social networking Web sites is altering children’s brains, creating shorter attention spans, an expectation of instant gratification and a lack of empathy (i.e. “autistic-like traits").

She proceeds to point out that individuals with autism are particularly drawn to using computers speculating, “Of course, we do not know whether the current increase in autism is due more to increased awareness and diagnosis of autism, or whether it can – if there is a true increase – be in any way linked to an increased prevalence among people of spending time in screen relationships. Surely it is a point worth considering,’” she added.

Autism, ADHD Share Genetic Similarities

A new study from Canada linking Autism and ADHD is garnering attention here in the U.S.

TORONTO, Canda -- Similar genetic changes found in some people with ADHD and in some with autism may help explain why children with the hyperactivity disorder often have symptoms of other developmental disorders, a new study reports.

The study identified several genetic changes that are present in a small portion of both attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) patients and autism patients, and that are absent in people without these disorders.

‘Environment’ Poses a Knotty Challenge in Autism

NEW YORK -- Parents of children with autism often ask pediatricians like me about the cause of the condition, and parents-to-be often ask what they can do to reduce the risk. But although there is more research in this area than ever before, it sometimes feels as if it’s getting harder, not easier, to provide answers that do justice to the evidence and also offer practical guidance.

Recent research has taught us more about the complexity of the genetics of autism, but the evidence also has suggested an important role for environmental exposures. It has become a very complicated picture: Genes matter, but we usually can’t tell how. Environmental exposures matter, but we usually don’t know which.

Autism Risks Still Allude Professionals

Parents of children with autism often ask pediatricians like me about the cause of the condition, and parents-to-be often ask what they can do to reduce the risk. But although there is more research in this area than ever before, it sometimes feels as if it’s getting harder, not easier, to provide answers that do justice to the evidence and also offer practical guidance.

Recent research has taught us more about the complexity of the genetics of autism, but the evidence also has suggested an important role for environmental exposures. It has become a very complicated picture: Genes matter, but we usually can’t tell how. Environmental exposures matter, but we usually don’t know which.

Expectant Mothers Worry About Antidepressent Link

BOSTON -- Try Googling “Prozac pregnancy’’ and you’ll get a sense of the fear and confusion surrounding the relationship between the two.

“Anyone with experience on Prozac?’’ asks a woman on the community page of www.babycenter.com. Prescribed the antidepressant by her doctor, she writes, “I’m just really concerned and frankly scared to take them after reading all these articles and research. I’m 20 weeks 2 days, and I’m supposed to start on 10mg of Prozac this morning, but I’m staring at it right now and I don’t know what to do - should I take it?’’

Autism and Genetics

LOS ANGELES -- Autism is an environmental illness -- at least in some cases. Just as lead paint chips can cause learning disabilities and radon in the basement can cause lung cancer, certain chemicals and other outside influences seem to help set autism in motion.

But autism is also a genetic disease. It definitely runs in families, and scientists have identified several specific genes that put kids at risk.

Scientists are trying to understand this complicated push and pull that molds a growing brain. A new study of twins published in the Archives of General Psychiatry makes a case that the disease is about 60% environmental and 40% genetic. Other experts quickly disputed the finding, claiming that genes are the biggest driver of autism.

MacNeil's 'Autism Now' Series Renews Debate on Link to Vaccines

It's been nearly 16 years since Robert MacNeil stepped down as co-anchor of public television's much-celebrated "NewsHour." Who would have thought his return to the show in recent days would bring not just a measure of acclaim but also a charge that the famously evenhanded newsman has been "reckless and irresponsible"?
That's been the response to MacNeil's six-part "Autism Now" series on PBS, an assignment that brought the retired newsman back into the fold to help him, and others, better understand people like his grandson, Nick, who is autistic.
Here's MacNeil's response from last night's PBS Newshour.

Link Seen Between Genes and Autism

While the genetic underpinnings of autism are enormously complex, new DNA research is honing in on sets of abnormal genes that may play a role in the disorder.
Researchers from the Center for Biomedical Informatics at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) said that, while other scientists have theorized about a connection between gene mutations, impaired brain development, and the onset of autism, their work is the first to establish the link.