Autism, Genetic Risk Factors, & Ultrasound
It’s been a few months since the paper by Webb et al. (2016) came out, reporting a possible link between first trimester ultrasound exposure and increased autism severity in those […]
Tag Archives: autism spectrum
What Are the Major Differences between Autism & Intellectual Disability?
The notion of overlap between autism and genius has been culturally popularized. However, a significant portion of those on the spectrum also test within the intellectually disabled (ID) range with […]
Kanner’s Eleven Families
The term, Broader Autism Phenotype (BAP), is not a diagnosis. Instead, it’s used to refer to sub-diagnostic traits of autism in family members of those with the condition. Symptoms can […]
Is a Lack of Consanguinity Uncovering the Hidden Autism in Our Genes?
Although it’s a difficult topic to study, because the human species has experienced a number of population bottlenecks over time it’s assumed that rates of consanguinous (close kinship) marriage or […]
Links between the Metabolic Syndrome, the Immune System, and Autism
Last weekend I attended a Think Tank sponsored by the Autism Research Institute. In attendance were Judy van de Water and Paul Ashwood from the MIND Institute, reporting on some […]
Our Obsession with the Synapse in Autism – Is It Really that Simple?
Ever since synaptic gene mutations were discovered in autism, the scientific world has been obsessed [1, 2]. Interestingly, however, these synapse-specific genes make up only a small minority of autism […]
Our latest publication: High-risk genes for autism function in the nucleus and regulate gene expression
Over the last year and a half, I’ve been studying rare forms of intellectual disability (ID) that have single-gene (monogenic) origins using various bioinformatics approaches. My primary interest was to […]
Nonrandom Mating and its Relationship with Autism, ADHD, and Schizophrenia
When choosing romantic partners, we’re all familiar with the phrase “like attracts like”. Ironically, however, this phenomenon is all too often overlooked in modern genetics studies. In a recent study […]
First Trimester Ischemia as a Risk for Autism?
In the 1950s, the company, Chemie Gruenenthal, marketed a drug intended for the treatment of respiratory infections. Soon, however, they realized it worked as an effective sedative and, more importantly […]
More Links between the “Metabolic Syndrome” and Autism
Metabolic Syndrome (MBS) involves a combination of medical conditions that lend towards cardiovascular disease and diabetes. These include abdominal obesity, hypertension (elevated blood pressure), hypercholesterolemia (high HDL cholesterol and triglycerides), […]
Science Over a Cuppa 
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