Researchers have turned up a new clue to the workings of a possible environmental factor in: fathers were four times more likely than mothers to transmit tiny, spontaneous mutations to their children with the disorders. Moreover, the number of such transmitted genetic glitches increased with paternal age. The discovery may help to explain earlier evidence linking autism risk to older fathers.

Related posts:

  1. NDAR federation creates largest source of autism research data to date A data partnership between the National Database for Autism Research (NDAR), and the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange (AGRE) positions NDAR as possibly the largest repository to date of genetic, phenotypic, clinical, and medical imaging data related to research on autism spectrum disorders (ASD)....
  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. 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 […]...
  4. 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 […]...
  5. 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....
  6. Gene Mutations Linked to Early-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease An international team has discovered that mutations in either of 2 related genes cause a severe and rare form of inflammatory bowel disease in young children. The discovery allowed the researchers to successfully treat one of the study patients with a bone marrow transplant....
  7. Researchers Identify Gene Mutations Underlying Risk for Most Common Form of Parkinson’s Disease Parkinson's disease, which affects about 1.5 million Americans, is a progressive neurologic disorder caused by the degeneration of nerve cells in the portion of the brain that controls movement....
  8. How Medicare Coverage Can Help – Gene Mutations Linked to Early-Onset Inflammatory Bowel Disease An international team has discovered that mutations in either of 2 related genes cause a severe and rare form of inflammatory bowel disease in young children. The discovery allowed the researchers to successfully treat one of the study patients with a bone marrow transplant....
  9. NIH-funded study finds new possible risk factor of heart disease, Medicare NIH-funded study finds new possible risk factor of heart disease, Medicare...
  10. Scientists show how gene variant linked to ADHD could operate A study using mice provides insight into how a specific receptor subtype in the brain could play a role in increasing a person’s risk for attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The research, conducted by the Intramural Research Program (IRP) at the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), part of the National Institutes of Health, could also […]...
  11. Medicare: Funded twin study finds occupational chemical exposure may be linked to Parkinson’s risk A new research report contributes to the increasing evidence that repeated occupational exposure to certain chemical solvents raises the risk for Parkinson’s disease....
  12. Medicare Card: Gene Linked to Alzheimer’s Disease Plays Key Role in Cell Survival Scientists have discovered that a gene linked to Alzheimer’s disease may play a beneficial role in cell survival by enabling neurons to clear away toxic proteins. A study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health, shows the presenilin 1 (PS1) gene is essential to the function of […]...
  13. Medicare Health Checkups – Comparing Models that Assess Breast Cancer Risk A new study found that models for assessing breast cancer risk perform only slightly better when they include common inherited genetic variants recently linked to the disease. For now, recommendations for breast cancer screening or treatments that are based on such models will remain unchanged for most women....
  14. 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 […]...
  15. MedicareCard.com – Adding Coronary Calcium Score to Traditional Risk Factors Improves Risk Assessment for Heart Disease Including a coronary artery calcium score in a risk assessment for future heart disease events, such as heart attacks, provides a better estimate in some populations than a standard coronar...