Autism Research: Inner workings of the autistic brain ♦ Autism and rare childhood speech disorder often coincide ♦ New insight on autism spectrum disorder

Neuroscientists reveals autism's 'noisy' secret: 3D simulator reveals inner workings of the autistic brain Strapped into a motion-enabled simulator and wearing 3D glasses, 36 adolescent volunteers recently experienced what it was like to 'travel' through a field of virtual stars. The experiments provided new and convention-busting data about how sensory stimuli are processed by the brains of individuals with Autism

Differences in RORA levels in brain may contribute to autism sex bias An important sex-dependent difference in the level of RORA protein in brain tissues of males and females has been found by scientists. Specifically, females without autism have a slightly higher level of RORA in the frontal cortex of the brain than males without autism, while the levels of the protein are comparably lower in the brain of both males and females with autism

Zebrafish model gives new insight on autism spectrum disorder Researchers are utilizing animal models to understand how dysfunction of either of two genes associated with autism spectrum disorder, SYNGAP1 and SHANK 3, contributes to risk in ASD. The new findings pinpoint the actual place and time where these genes exert influence in brain development

Autism and rare childhood speech disorder often coincide Some children with autism should undergo ongoing screenings for apraxia, a rare neurological speech disorder, because the two conditions often go hand-in-hand, according to researchers. It's estimated that one in 68 children in the United States has autism and one to two in 1,000 have apraxia. With increased recognition and improved evaluation measures, more children are being identified with autism and apraxia