Autism Newsroom: ScienceDaily.com

A large study from Children's Hospital Boston and the Boston-based Autism Consortium finds that a genetic test that samples the entire genome, known as chromosomal microarray analysis, has about three times the detection rate for genetic changes related to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) than standard tests.

Angelman syndrome (AS) is a debilitating neurological disorder characterized by mental retardation and a high frequency of autism. Researchers have now found that the gene mutation underlying AS appears to affect the ability of neurons to communicate and to properly develop during the first few years of life, a time when brain activity is "rewired" by external stimuli.

A new study suggests a trend toward developing hyperactivity among typically developing elementary-school-aged siblings of autistic preschoolers and supports the notion that mothers of young, autistic children experience more depression and stress than mothers with typically developing children.

Scientists have uncovered a vital clue into how the brain is wired, which could eventually steer research into nervous system disorders such as Parkinson's disease and cognitive disorders including autism.

A new study shows that maternal sensitivity may influence language development among children who go on to develop autism. Understanding the benefits of sensitive structuring in the development of language among young children with emergent autism provides scientific support for early intervention programs that focus on parent-child interactions.

A genetic link between schizophrenia and autism is enabling researchers to study the effectiveness of drugs used to treat both illnesses.

A new article proposes that Methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MeCP2) impacts the entire genome in neurons, rather than acting as a regulator of specific genes. Mutations in MeCP2 cause the autism spectrum disorder, Rett syndrome as well as some cases of neuropsychiatric problems including autism, schizophrenia and learning disabilities.

When a gene implicated in human autism is disabled in mice, the rodents show learning problems and obsessive, repetitive behaviors, researchers have found.

Every moment of every day the brain is forced to process thousands of separate odorants from the world around us. Through a new study of honeybees, scientists have discovered the brain has an advanced ability to isolate specific odors and recollect smells.

A study of the development of autism in infants, comparing the behavior of the siblings of children diagnosed with autism to that of babies developing normally, has found that the nascent symptoms of the condition.