Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have discovered how the genetic mutation that causes Fragile X syndrome, the most common form of inherited mental retardation, interferes with the "pruning" of nerve connections in the brain. Their findings appear in the April 29 issue of Neuron. ...

The Autism Consortium, an innovative research, clinical, and family collaboration dedicated to catalyzing research and enhancing clinical care for families with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), announced today that the results of its comparison study of genetic testing methods for autism spectrum disorders is available from the journal Pediatrics through early online release in their eFirst pages today and ...

In his own words, MIT neuroscientist Mark Bear admits he did not “wake up one day and say, ‘Hey, I’m going to cure autism.’” But, after decades of painstaking basic research on how the brain rewires itself in response to external cues, Bear has discovered a way to reverse the symptoms of Fragile X Syndrome, a disorder that can cause autism, mental retardation, and epilepsy. “It was a classic payoff of basic ...

Why do people with fragile X syndrome, a genetic defect that is the best-known cause of autism and inherited mental retardation, recoil from hugs and physical touch – even from their parents? New research has found in fragile X syndrome there is delayed development of the sensory cortex, the part of the brain that responds to touch, according to a study from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medici ...

The 12-21-09 edition of the Science Daily Research News Update brings about a plethora of newly published health research. Read on to discover more on very concerning data that shows that the rate of Autism Disorders climb to 1% among 8-year-olds, Rush University Medical Center to open the Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) Clinic, how saturated fats my anger the immune system and lead to Type II Diabe ...

The NIH/NIMH Research Update for 11-22-09 brings new information on a potentially groundbreaking drug to treat Fragile X Syndrome that enters a clinical trial phase, brain imaging (MRI) studies that track development of children's brains, significant grant money to be allocated for Autism research, combined antidepressant and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is most effective treatment for depression in t ...