The largest and most rigorous twin study of its kind to date has found that shared environment influences susceptibility to autism more than previously thought. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, found that shared environmental factors — experiences and exposures common to both twin individuals — accounted for 55 percent of strict autism and 58 percent of more broadly defined autism spectrum disorders (ASD) . Genetic heritability accounted for 37 percent of autism and 38 percent of ASD. Random environmental factors not shared among twins play a much smaller role.

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  1. Balance tips toward environment as heritability ebbs in autism? The largest and most rigorous twin study of its kind to date has found that shared environment influences susceptibility to autism more than previously thought. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, found that shared environmental factors — experiences and exposures common to both twin individuals — accounted for 55 percent of strict […]...
  2. Science News, Medicare, Preference for Moving Shapes vs. People Linked to Autism in Babies A 1-minute video showing computer screensavers next to videos of dancing children may prove to be a simple, inexpensive screening tool for autism spectrum disorders (ASD) in toddlers. According to an NIMH-funded study, infants as young as 14 months old who had autism spent more time looking at the moving shapes than social images, in […]...
  3. Autism blurs distinctions between brain regions Autism blurs the molecular differences that normally distinguish different brain regions, a new study suggests. Among more than 500 genes that are normally expressed at significantly different levels in the front versus the lower middle part of the brain’s outer mantle, or cortex, only 8 showed such differences in brains of people with autism, say […]...
  4. Study of Health Outcomes in Autistic Children and Their Families The goal of this initiative is to describe the health and health care trajectories of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families, and to evaluate the feasibility of using a large population-based database for research on risk factors for ASD. The most recent prevalence data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that one in 110 children have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), an increase of 57 percent between 2002 and 2006...
  5. 5-minute screen identifies subtle signs of autism in 1-year olds A five-minute checklist that parents can fill out in pediatrician waiting rooms may someday help in the early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), according to a study funded by the National Institutes of Health. Published today in the Journal of Pediatrics, the study’s design also provides a model for developing a network of pediatricians […]...
  6. Medicare: Navigating College – A Handbook on Self Advocacy for Students with Autism Handbook from The Autistic Self Advocacy Network written by adults and youth with autism for current and future college students with autism. Discusses disability and special education laws that apply to students from grades K-12 and how students in college must advocate for themselves. Also includes information on independent living, health and safety, and social […]...
  7. Funded study shows pre-birth brain growth problems linked to autism Children with autism have more brain cells and heavier brains compared to typically developing children, according to researchers partly funded by the National Institutes of Health....
  8. Wood stove intervention can reduce childhood pneumonia Cooking stoves with chimneys can lower exposure to indoor wood smoke and reduce the rate of severe pneumonia by 30 percent in children less than 18 months of age, according to a new air pollution study funded by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), part of the National Institutes of Health....
  9. Research program to explore health effects from climate change A new research program funded by the National Institutes of Health will explore the role that a changing climate has on human health. Led by NIH’s National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), the program will research the risk factors that make people more vulnerable to heat exposure; changing weather patterns; changes in environmental exposures, […]...
  10. Funded study shows 20 percent reduction in lung cancer mortality with low-dose CT compared to chest X-ray Scientists have found a 20 percent reduction in deaths from lung cancer among current or former heavy smokers who were screened with low-dose helical computed tomography (CT) versus those screened by chest X-ray. The primary research results from the National Lung Screening Trial (NLST) were published online today in the New England Journal of Medicine. […]...
  11. Study finds stroke risk factors may lead to cognitive problems High blood pressure and other known risk factors for stroke also increase the risk of developing cognitive problems, even among people who have never had a stroke, a study funded by the National Institutes of Health has found....
  12. Progesterone reduces rate of early preterm birth in at risk women A National Institutes of Health study has found that progesterone, a naturally occurring hormone, reduced the rate of preterm birth before the 33rd week of pregnancy by 45 percent among one category of at risk women....
  13. New breast cancer committee to establish federal research agenda A newly formed advisory committee will develop and coordinate a strategic federal research agenda on environmental and genetic factors related to breast cancer. The 19-member Interagency Breast Cancer and Environmental Research Coordinating Committee (IBCERCC) was established by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI), to review […]...
  14. Holiday Air Travel Tips Make your holiday air travel hassle-free with tips on family lanes, traveling with food and gifts, the 3-1-1 policy for liquids, gels, and aerosols, and more....
  15. Darryl C. Zeldin named National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences scientific director The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), is pleased to announce that physician-scientist Darryl C. Zeldin, M.D., will become the Institute’s new scientific director. Effective Oct. 23, Zeldin will lead and manage a $114 million biomedical research program focused on discovering how the environment […]...