BACKGROUND Mutations in Ras/mitogen-activated protein kinase (Ras/MAPK) pathway genes lead to a class of disorders known as RASopathies, including neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1), Noonan syndrome (NS), Costello syndrome (CS), and cardio-facio-cutaneous syndrome (CFC). Previous work has suggested potential genetic and phenotypic overlap between dysregulation of Ras/MAPK signalling and autism spec...

Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have needs that challenge our systems of care. A new study estimates ASDs cost more than $126 billion each year in the U.S.--an amount that reflects both the costs of providing educational and medical services as well as the costs of not intervening early and effectively enough to prevent lifelong disability. This Issue Brief summarizes ...

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a heterogeneous group of neurological disorders that is determined solely by their behavior. In this disease, a large part of the neurological disorder and neural controls disorder are observed. Researchers believe that over expressions changes in many genes are the cause of autism. Our goal is to investigate the genetic factors affecting ASD and its treatment ...

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) represent complex neurodevelopmental disorders with multiple etiologies.1 The resulting variability of behavioral, medical, and developmental concerns that affect individuals with ASDs has made it extremely difficult to predict which treatments work best for which individuals. Developing effective treatments and improving care for individuals with ASDs throughou...

The prevalence of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), which affect over 1% of the population, has increased twofold in recent years. Reduced expression of GABAA receptors has been observed in postmortem brain tissue and neuroimaging of individuals with ASDs. We found that deletion of the gene for the α5 subunit of the GABAA receptor caused robust autism-like behaviors in mice, including reduced s...

OBJECTIVE: Overweight and obesity are increasingly prevalent in the general pediatric population. Evidence suggests that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) may be at elevated risk for unhealthy weight. We identify the prevalence of overweight and obesity in a multisite clinical sample of children with ASDs and explore concurrent associations with variables identified as risk factors...

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder of complex etiology and is amongst the most heritable of neuropsychiatric disorders while sharing genetic liability with other neurodevelopmental disorders such as intellectual disability (ID). Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are defined more broadly and include autism, Asperger syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder and pervasive developmental diso...

Brain disorders, including developmental, psychiatric and neurodegenerative diseases affect millions of individuals worldwide. In addition to the human suffering they cause, brain disorders also carry significant economic costs in terms of lost earnings, direct health care costs and disability benefits. For example, autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs) represent an enormous disease burde...

Introduction Under the umbrella of autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), a relatively small but significant population of individuals is retroactively diagnosed with the condition of regressive autism—that is, the loss of language and/or social skills that were previously held by the individual. This regression, often observed and reported to have occurred within the first two years of life, is a s...