Researcher Randi Hagerman is a big proponent of metformin — a diabetes drug that helps people manage their weight. In fact, Hagerman takes the drug herself as a preventive measure against cancer. Metformin has also unexpectedly shown promise for improving cognition in people with fragile X syndrome, a leading genetic cause of autism characterized by severe intellectual disability. Hagerman tells Spectrum how […]

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The letters A, T, G and C, which represent different DNA bases, spell out the blueprint for the human body. But they aren’t the only ones that matter. CH3 is the chemical formula for a methyl group — a carbon atom studded with three hydrogens. Methyl groups can attach to DNA and affect whether the […]

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Women who have influenza, commonly known as the flu, while pregnant double their risk of having a child with autism, according to a large study published 12 November in Pediatrics. The results add to growing evidence of a connection between maternal infection and autism1. The study is based on an analysis of nearly 100,000 Danish children. Children […]

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Some Chinese individuals with autism have rare mutations that may disrupt the production of melatonin, the hormone that regulates sleep, according to a study published 17 January in PLoS One1. The enzyme ASMT converts the chemical messenger serotonin to melatonin. A 2007 study found an association between some common variants in ASMT and autism2. The new study found […]

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Morag Maskey had been a full-time mother for three years when her son Ben was diagnosed with autism. Ben responded to therapy, learning to control his outbursts and connect with other children at his nursery school. An environmental scientist by training, Maskey was fascinated by her son’s progress. It inspired her to return to research — this […]

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In the fall of 2006, Liz and Peter Bell started to notice behavioral and neurological regression in their 13-year-old son, Tyler. His symptoms quickly progressed from what his parents thought was typical teenage sluggishness to full-blown catatonia. One morning, his mother started the shower for him and then went to help the other children get […]

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The blood pressure drug bumetanide does not uniformly lessen autism traits in autistic children and teenagers, according to a new clinical trial1. The results are at odds with past research that suggested the drug eases autism traits in children on the spectrum. Still, the new study’s data hint that bumetanide may help a subset of autistic people […]

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The larvae Alex drinks are not visible, nor can he taste them. They are encased in tiny cysts, and under a microscope, they look like seeds — only with eyespots and tails. By the time they reach Alex’s mouth, they have already passed through several other organisms: The adult parasites lay eggs in rats’ intestines; […]

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Nearly 9 out of 10 parents of children with autism have tried unproven alternative treatments, such as acupuncture, fish oil or special diets, to help their children overcome symptoms. This practice is most common among highly educated parents and those with children under 4 years of age. The findings, published 1 September in Research in Autism Spectrum […]

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It’s been 15 years since researchers published an epidemiological study with results so striking they sparked worldwide changes in food fortification. The study of nearly 250,000 women in China found that prenatal supplementation with folic acid, an essential B vitamin, dramatically lowers the risk of the neurodevelopmental disorder spina bifida1. Now, researchers are revisiting that […]

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Special diets that eliminate certain foods or contain added supplements have minimal impact on autism traits, according to a review of data from 27 clinical trials1.Many families with autistic children ask their doctors about these interventions, believing they can help improve autism traits such as repetitive behaviors. However, the analysis shows that there is little to […]

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Folic acid, a B vitamin, may lower autism risk and ease features of the condition, according to findings from five unrelated studies published over the past few months. Three of the studies suggest that prenatal supplements of folic acid offset autism risk associated with in utero exposure to epilepsy drugs or toxic chemicals1,2,3. The supplements […]

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